My Real Estate Blog

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/

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

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

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.