808 North Bishop is a one-of-a-kind Craftsman, just a stone’s throw from Oak Cliff’s burgeoning Bishop Arts District.
Built in 1918, the home was restored in 2007 with particular attention to period detail — including refinished, broad-planked heart of pine floors, 10-foot ceilings, restored original windows, and engaging front and back balconies with views of downtown Dallas.
The first owner was a chiropractor who lived on the second floor above his office, and the layout still lends itself to such an arrangement. Current zoning allows for flexible use of the space as either a single-family home with a few modifications, or as a duplex with a home office. (Given our growing tax burden, we might as well work in our homes 24/7, eh?)
Downstairs you’ll find two bedrooms, a bath, formal living and dining rooms, and a commercial kitchen that the current owners have used as a test kitchen (the closet holds a stackable washer and dryer). Up the broad staircase are three bedrooms, two baths—one of which includes a restored claw-foot tub—and a gourmet kitchen with a stainless-steel appliance package, glass tile backsplash, and custom-painted cabinetry. This opens to a smoking porch that offers views of the skyline when the foliage clears. The master bedroom has Highland Park-size walk-in closets and a decent spa bathroom. A large porch off of the front formal living room looks onto the neighborhood’s soon-to-be expanded boulevard and bike trail. A heavy-duty audio and video system with an estimated value of $15,000 remains, as do some furnishings.
Buy this home, and you’ll get a great bonus: its current owners also own the nearby Beckley Brewhouse, which they’ll throw in for an additional $280,000.
Are the buyers motivated or just wanting to get out of Dodge for some reason? Ron Wills, a Canadian, says he simply can’t take Dallas’ scorching summers. But wife Corrine, a native of Tucson, Ariz., says she won’t live anywhere with brutal winters. My suggestion: make an offer with the contingency that they rent and occupy that lower-story space November through April each year.
