There's a house for sale in East Dallas from the '50s sitting on a large lot, with a large price to boot.
Built in 1954, the home is at 8615 Vinewood Dr. and is still in mostly original condition, including vintage bathrooms with 4X4-inch tile, and original kitchen — all perfectly maintained. It would be ideal if you were in the market for an original '50s home that did not "need" to be updated.
The house spans a sizable 2,218 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and an attached one-car garage. Perhaps most significantly, it sits on a half-acre lot and backs up to a creek (Ash Creek), offering a rare and valuable dose of nature.
All of these assets add up to a hefty-sounding asking price of $600,000, and whoever wrote the listing hints that the house could be razed, boo — but also leaves the door open for leaving it as is by using terms such as "retro" for the kitchen and "vintage" for the bathroom tile.
"Picturesque creek lot property in East Dallas!," the listing says. "A blank canvas, this home could be remodeled or start from scratch & build your dream home! Treed front yard welcomes you to this brick home. Upon entry, the living room highlights a wall of windows allowing nature to flow in, lofted ceiling with beams and leads into the kitchen. The retro kitchen opens to the second living space & dining room and leads into the sunroom. The second living space boasts a wood burning fireplace, beamed ceiling & views of the backyard."
Original tile bathrooms are always always preferable to renovated bathrooms, and the three bathrooms in this home are spotless. However, the tile colors might be challenging even for vintage bathroom fans.
They come in three colors: blue, green, and pink. The blue is a nice glossy cornflower blue. But the green and pink are "mottled," with white swirls mixed in — a tile that appears in many houses on the Ferguson Road side of Dallas, and not as appealing as flat glossy tiles. The green tile is ok but the pink has an almost sickly, frosted tone. You'd really have to embrace the preservationist aesthetic to love that pink.
The kitchen is small and L-shaped with limited counter space and a vintage gas stove. Buyers insist on showpiece kitchens, even if most of their meals are delivered via DoorDash.
Between the price and the pink tile, the house has been on the market now for 30 days. Pretty much anyone in Dallas with $600,000 wants "done." They need to display their wealth and having an old home does not fulfill that mission.
But the property has wonderful traits including original hardwood floors, ceiling beams, and a prototypical mid-century-modern style pitched ceiling, with high positioned triangular windows that infuse the interior with light. A family room sits off the kitchen, with a fireplace and a wall of windows that look out on the large backyard, where there's a fully-tiled brick patio and plenty of trees. The previous owners have left much of it rustic, creating an unaffected Topanga Canyon vibe that was once the prevailing motif in this neighborhood — but mostly foreign in manicured Dallas.
If you want to see it in person, they're hosting an open house on Sunday May 19, from 1-3 pm.
Courtesy
Back patio at 8615 Vinewood Dr.
