My Real Estate Blog

Some of the finest architecture and the grandest homes in Dallas have been built in Highland Park!

Many people do not know that Highland Park, Texas and Beverly Hills, California have many similarities... Highland Park is to Dallas what Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles, an exclusive town surrounded by a larger city. Wilbur David Cook, the planner who laid out Beverly Hills laid out the plans for development of Highland Park. Also, Beverly Drive is one of the most desirable Highland Park streets to reside on and the street runs through the heart of the community.

The exclusive Town of Highland Park is known for it's inviting parks, breathtaking architecture, exceptional public school system, high standard of living and  proximity to downtown as well as the best shopping and restaurants in the Dallas area. The well regarded Southern Methodist University and exceptionally stylish Highland Park Village shopping center are the city's crown jewels.

Highland Park Independent School District(HPISD) is a school district serving both Highland Park and University Park residents. The HPISD contains 4 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 intermediate school, and Highland Park High School. This award winning school district is consistently ranked among the best school district in Texas as well as the nation. Not only is Highland Park well regarded in academics, they also are consistently winning top placements in athletics. Recently Teachers are required to either have their master's degree or must attain a master's degree within five years after being hired. Over ninety-five percent of the students attend college after graduation.

A Brief History:

John S. Armstrong purchased the land in 1907 and in partnership with his two sons-in-law, Hugh E. Prather, Sr., and Edgar L. Flippen began development of a residential community. They called this new development Highland Park, named because of its higher elevation and because of a plan to reserve 20% of the developed land for parks. In an area bounded by Armstrong, Abbott and Gillon Avenues and Hackberry Creek, the first lots were sold in 1909.

Highland Park and it's sister city University Park are some of the best neighborhoods in Dallas. They offer a small town, friendly feel but with a luxurious big city twist!

http://www.hptx.org/

Looking for a home in Highland Park or University Park? Please contact me for additional information on the area or for available homes. maribethpeters@aol.com (214)520-4446

With only 290 homes, it is a prestigious and exclusive community with some of Dallas' finest architecture and where many of the city's most prominent families have lived.

One of several beautiful greenbelts that grace the neighborhood

Greenway Parks also has a rich and prestigious history. In 1925, F.N. Drane acquired the land to establish Greenway Parks. David Williams, a highly regarded architect, was retained by the developers to lay out the plan based on the "English Commons" tradition of clustering houses around a series of open private parkways (greenbelts/greenways) and feature the first pedestrian-oriented community in Dallas. The first homes were built in 1925 and featured a wide variety of architectural styles including Colonial Revival, English Tudor, Mediterranean, Mission Revival and French Renaissance.

Exceptional 1920's Tudor on a gracious greenbelt

Many of Dallas' well-known families have resided in Greenway Parks. This neighborhood has been home to Ross Perot, Henry S. Miller, John Stemmons and Clint Murchison (former owner and founder of the Dallas Cowboy Football Team.) Many of Dallas' most well regarded architects have designed homes in Greenway Parks. O'Neil Ford, Howard Meyer, Bud Ogelsby, Charles Dilbeck, Hal Thompson, Foshee and Cheek, George Marble and John Aston Perkins among others have some of their finest work represented in this prestigious neighborhood.

Greenway Parks has received many accolades including D Magazine's"Best Neighborhoods" Award, the Texas Society of Architects "Best Residential District" Award and in 2003 Greenway Parks became a City of Dallas Conservation District.

Wonderful early diagram of the "Engish Commons" or greenbelt design.

Greenway very active Homeowners Association and where neighbors know each other well. The Neighbors Club coordinates the seven community activities each year. These functions are the New Neighbor Cocktail Party, the Spring Fling, 4^thof July Parade, Octoberfest, Movie in the Parkway, Winter Carnival and the Wine Tasting. The spacious parks and greenbelts are a vital part of our community and filled with neighbors enjoying their beauty each day.

I am a Greenway Parks resident and my husband and I are currently restoring the historic Henry S. Miller home. If you would like more information on Greenway Parks or are interested in purchasing a home here, call me. I know the neighborhood!   maribethpeters@aol.com

www.GreenwayParks.com

Incredible Foshee & Cheek designed Neoclassical on expansive lot

Some information and photos courtesy of Greenway Parks neighbors and HOA.

This house was conceived to be a house on a hill on a unique site in Dallas executed in the Edwardian Style.

As I began to do research I discovered that Edwardianism was not so much a style as a historical time period and a way of life. The period relates to the time just after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, ascension to the throne of Edward VII, and his subsequent death in 1910 (though the period could be said to have lasted until 1939). It was a time of great wealth in England, a care free life style, and the construction of some of the great English country houses. Stylistically houses were quite eclectic and drew inspiration from many types of architecture from England's past.

Sir Edwin Lutyens, a great designer of country houses during this time employed a "butterfly plan" with spreading wings to capture the sun in a gloomy climate. .The angled entrance of this house, inspired by this concept, is intended to act as a welcoming façade set up on the hill. A rather eclectic French turret completes the composition giving it visual weight and a sense of verticality. The rest of the exterior is designed to capture specific views on the 5.3 acre site and to create the numerous axial alignments employed in the floor plan. Coursed rough-back Leuters limestone was employed to give the exterior skin of the house an aged look.

Once inside a central gallery spine unifies all the spaces on the first floor. One end of it terminates in a circular vestibule that acts as a "hinge point" and aids in dealing with the thirty degree angle produced by the façade. The opposite end of the gallery terminates in the bay window at the end of the mahogany paneled library. A formal salon opens off the central gallery and extends views to the rear garden of the house. The great room is given somewhat modest dimensions and utilizes an unusual curved coffered ceiling rather than the more stereotypical "hammer beam" wood trusses. As in a typical English country house of this time many of the rooms are treated thematically differently some with a good-natured spirit of fun such as the Art Deco movie theater in the basement. There are two secret passageways leading to the basement from different rooms. The house was begun in 1996 and completed in 1998.

Composed by Larry E. Boerder A.I.A., world renowned architect of Idylwood Hill. Idylwood Hill is located in the Old Preston Hollow area of Dallas.

I represented the buyer who purchased this marvelous estate.     List Price $12,000,000

The world famous Cooper Clinic, founded 35 years ago in North Dallas by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, has opened it's newest facility at Craig Ranch (north of Dallas). Dr. Cooper is the "father" of aerobic exercise and has a philosophy that it is easier to maintain good health than to regain it once it is lost.    

The new Cooper Aerobics Center has a focus on fitness, medicine and wellness to meet each individuals needs. A crown jewel of the Clinic is the state of the art 75,000 square-foot fitness center and spa. Highlights of the Center include 10,000 square-feet of cardio and strength training equipment, 70 exercise classes offered each week, therapeutic spa treatments plus highly trained personal trainers and wellness professionals to advise clients on heath, wellness and nutrition.

For more information on services or to make an appointment call 800-444-5764 or 972-560-2667.

Please visit the Cooper Clinic web site: http://www.cooperaerobics.com/

Additional information on Craig Ranch, visit their web site: http://www.craigranchtx.com/

Having a strong web presence is imperative since many individuals purchasing luxury homes come from across the nation or for that matter from across the world! My firm, Ellen Terry Realtors has the good fortune of being a member of the prestigious Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM.

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM is the largest global network of premier locally branded companies. It is literally a "who's who" of the world's most powerful independent luxury brokerages. As a member company, we have access to the all the benefits Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM offers which greatly benefit our high end clients.

One of the key benefits for sellers is the ability to contribute listings to The Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection^TM. This is the luxury division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^TM and in 2005, the award-winning website, www.luxuryportfolio.com  launched. In their very first year the website featured more $1 million-plus properties than other luxury real estate organizations. The total inventory of properties has now surpassed $20 billion.

 In addition to the website, the luxury network showcases our listings to high-net-worth clientele through strategic exposure both nationally and internationally in prominent publications such as Wall Street Journal, Unique Homes Magazine, duPont Registry of Fine Homes, Departures, Town & Country, Veranda,  Robb Report and more. In fact, Luxury Portfolio is the largest real estate advertiser in the Wall Street Journal.

Luxury Portfolio is only one of the many resources I use to market my luxury listings. Please contact me to find out how my personalized Marketing Plan can work for you. I represent luxury homes in North Dallas, Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, Greenway Parks, Greenway Crest, Uptown, Lakewood and East Dallas.  Visit my website at www.MaribethPeters.com.

*The properties shown are luxury homes I have sold in Highland Park and the Preston Hollow estate area in the past year.

Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) Late Nights are one of the most popular monthly events in Dallas. Visit the DMA on the third Friday of each month, when the Museum is open until midnight. Each Late Night offers wonderful experiences for visitors of all ages with performances, concerts, readings, film screenings, tours, family programs, complimentary Starbucks Coffee, and more!

Friday, September 21
6:00 p.m.–midnight

Celebrate la dolce vita with an evening inspired by the exhibition From the Ashes of Vesuvius

    From the Ashes of Vesuvius -  thru October 9th

Lecture & Tasting: Wines of Italy
7:00 p.m., Seventeen Seventeen Restaurant

Attendance is limited; pick up your free tickets for this lecture at the will call table on the Seventeen Seventeen Restaurant landing after 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Vincenzo Mercurio, enologist and wine producer, will discuss the history of wine, tracing it from its Roman roots 2,000 years ago using frescoed art and ancient wine vessels, while you sample authentic wine from the Campania region. To participate in the lecture you must be 21 years of age or over.

Insomniac Tours
9:00 & 11:00 p.m., Meet at the main Visitor Services Desk
Tour the collections until the wee hours with the Dallas Museum of Art's resident night owl, Deputy Director Bonnie Pitman.

34th CATTLE BARON'S BALL -

An Evening in Santa Fe  - Saturday, September 29th

The Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball is one of the premier fundraisers for cancer research and is one of the most sought after tickets in town.  Established in 1974, it is the nation's single largest fundraising event for research for the American Cancer Society. Over $31 million has been raised over the last 33 years in an ongoing effort to find a cure for cancer. So grab your cowboy boots and join us for a great cause and a night that will remembered by all. Congratulations to CCB for another fabulous event this year!

Underwriting levels:

Levels begin at $2,500 for 2 tickets to the event up to $125,000 sponsor level. Please visit www.cattlebaronsball.com for more details. See you there!

Live Auction Entertainment:   Big & Rich

Headline Entertainment:    Brad Paisley, CMA Award winner

RANCH: Southfork Ranch
ATTENDANCE: 3,200+ of your closest boot wearing friends

The cool weather has arrived and it is a perfect time to spend an afternoon looking at some of the finest homes in Dallas, Texas! If you love exquisite architecture or luxury homes, this is the tour for you.

Preservation Dallas has a long standing tradition of highlighting the best architecture in this area and this year's tour will be one of the best! The title is "A Look At America's Favorite Styles" This a wonderful theme since it will cover a wide range of revival styles such as Tudor, Spanish Eclectic, Mediterranean, French, Colonial & Neoclassical. A fabulous array of styles that are sure to please everyone will be highlighted in Preston Hollow, Highland Park, University Park, Greenway Parks and Lakewood. This is the most prestigious tour in Dallas so plan on attending.

Mark your calendars! Here are the details:

Preservation Dallas Fall Architectural Home Tour,  Oct 20, 2007 8:30am to 2:00pm.  www.preservationdallas.org    (214) 821-3290,

There are also Patron Tickets available which will offer a Patron Party on Thurs, Oct 18th (hint: a mansion designed by world renowned architect  Robert A.M. Stern) and an additional Patron home that will be seen on the tour on Saturday (hint: a $12 million estate on 5 acres).

I will highlight the homes on future posts so stay tuned. I promise...they will be amazing!

Dallas is abuzz with excitement! Combine one of the finest architects in the world- Robert A.M. Stern, one of the finest interior designers in Texas- Sherry Hayslip and one of the finest locations in Dallas- Uptown and what do you get. ..The Residences of the Ritz-Carton Tower and Hotel.    www.theresidencesdallas.com/

I have been a true believer in this fabulous development from Day One. I am also one of the lucky 70 homeowners to own a unit in the prestigious Hotel Tower Residences.

You too can be one of the chosen few! One of my real estate clients has asked me to sell their fabulous Ritz-Carlton unit available for $1,299,000. An incredible price for this amazing unit. Located on the 13th floor with over 2,500 sq feet, 2 Bed & 2.5 Baths with sunset views and impeccable finish-out. Please click on link below to see a virtual tour and photos. If you would like more information or a private showing call me at (214)520-4446.   http://www.ellenterry.com/details/264316.html 

First class amenities are evident throughout including Dallas' hot new restaurant Fearings, a world class spa and of course the legendary Ritz-Carton service.

Dean Fearing, formerly of The Mansion at Turtle Creek restaurant, is working his signature Southwest cuisine magic at his new restaurant Fearings. Not only is the food "to die for" but the views from the patio are absolutely breathtaking. Early reviews have been excellent and the adjacent bar is THE place for a refreshing cocktail. http://www.fearingsrestaurant.com/

The hotel and restaurant have just opened and The Residences will begin occupancy in October. I will report back more details on The Residences in a future post.

OK so here goes nothing!

Every great journey begins with the first step so this post is my first step into the wonderful world of blogging. I hope I create insightful, thought provoking posts that the world will see as meaningful. Even if the world does not see them as meaningful, I know my mother will like them since she thinks anything her children do is fantastic. So at least I will have one fan.

I pledge to blog on a consistent basis and to convey in written text how I see the world through my eyes.

Now off to go watch some exciting college football games and have a glass of fine wine. What a dynamite combination...pigskins, helmets, sweaty uniforms and a glass of cabernet. That is the best in life!

Maribeth Peters - Dallas, Texas