Listing agent Jonathan Rosen thinks homes like 5315 Rock Cliff Place are going to be “a rarity in the near future.” Just south of Northwest Highway, the 6,147-square-foot house sprawls across 1.42 acres at the corner of Inwood Road and Rock Cliff Place. The cul-de-sac street is private, with only a handful of neighbors and plenty of tree cover.
The sloping lot has live oaks and red oaks, Rosen says, with magnolias and pockets of Japanese maples. “All you see is trees everywhere,” he says. “You’re in the woods but you’re in the heart of Dallas.”
And while the rolling property is certainly worth noting, the actual house is a mid-century jewel. The home was built in 1952 and designed by architect Byron Simonson, who the previous owners believed was influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.* Although not as well-known as the famous architect—nor his other influences, Addison Mizner and Maurice Fatio—Simonson had a hand in shaping Palm Beach, Florida’s architectural legacy.
His Dallas project is “a real entertaining house,” Rosen says. There are six living and sitting rooms inside and even more outside. The main house has four bedrooms, and an additional bedroom in the guest house. In true mid-century fashion, there are windows everywhere to soak in the treelined views. “It is an amazing art house,” too, says Rosen, with art lighting and walls primed for any collection.
Much of the house is original to Simonson’s design, including the floorplan, the re-sanded parquet wood floors, the slate tile floors, and some of the original marble detailing. The primary bath is almost all original, as well, but “it doesn’t feel old,” Rosen says. “It really works well with the house.”
The current owners have updated the property for modern living. They’ve renovated the kitchen and several secondary bedrooms. They changed out lighting and installed a Control4 smart home system. The owners also did “a lot of the non-sexy things,” like updating the electrical and HVAC systems, Rosen says.
The resulting home is “such a beautiful space,” he says. “It’s comfortable, but it’s like a gallery.”
Scroll through the gallery to learn more about the home.
*Correction: A previous version of this story referred to Simonson as a “protégé” of Frank Lloyd Wright. That was only confirmed to be family lore among the previous homeowners. The story has been corrected.
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