You don’t often see houses in Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica hit the market, says listing agent Joe Kacynski.
The East Dallas neighborhood, which will celebrate its centennial next year, was established in 1926 on an old dairy farm. Its developer, J.B. Salmon, also developed Kessler Heights in North Oak Cliff. He wanted to ensure his vision of the neighborhood, so he put in deed restrictions on the lots to protect the homes into the future.
Like other East Dallas neighborhoods from that period, Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica soon became known for its eclectic mix of architectural styles, like Craftsman, Monterrey, and Tudor. (It claims to contain “the largest collection of stone-embellished Tudors in the nation,” Kacynski says.) In the late 1980s, after many of those original deed restriction timed out, the neighborhood formed a conservation district to further protect its historic character.
Today, Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica consists of about 800 houses between Lakewood Country Club and Tenison Park Golf Course. From its neighborhood association to its pollinator garden, it’s an active community, Kacynski says. “Every neighbor knows everybody else.”
It’s a tight-knit community, and many don’t want to leave. Post pandemic, you’ll only find a handful of properties here for sale at any given time, he says. “That’s why it’s always a zoo when something nice comes on the market.”
Like 531 Newell Ave. The 97-year-old Tudor was listed October 25, and was under contract within a week. Kacynski wasn’t surprised, though. “531 Newell is located on the block that everybody wants in this neighborhood.” It’s the center of the various parade routes, and you can stop to talk with many of the neighbors hanging out in their front yards.
And for a historic house, the property is “the epitome of a family home,” he says. The current owners completed renovated the house in 2015 and 2016. Careful to keep period-appropriate details, like leaded glass windows, they expanded backwards and added a second story, converting the original two bed, one bath into a four-bed, three bath. They flip-flopped the formal spaces near the front of the house and added a more casual open-concept living and kitchen space in the back.
So, it has that desirable “open concept in the family room [and] kitchen, while still having the historical formal rooms up front and the original details up front,” Kacynski says. “But it was definitely designed for today’s living.”
Scroll through the gallery to learn more about the home.
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