Jennifer Lerma never dreamed she’d be living in one of Lakewood’s grandest 20th-century mansions—mostly because she didn’t even know the neighborhood existed. “I lived in Fort Worth for 25 years, and I had never been east of I-75,” she says. “I had no idea what was going on over there.”
All that changed when she met and fell in love with her now-husband, Pedro. Not only did he introduce her to the beloved neighborhood’s historic homes, he eventually convinced her to go in on one with him. “It needed a lot of work, but we had everything in place with our architect and a designer. We were all ready to go, and then we got the call about the house two doors down,” says Jennifer. “It wasn’t officially on the market yet, but we thought why not go look? Of course, it was everything we could have ever dreamed of.”
Before & After
Little wonder—it just so happens to be one of the dreamiest homes in town.
Once the personal residence of notable Dallas architect Clifford D. Hutsell, it cost him $10,000 to build back in 1930, making it one of the most expensive houses in town at the time. The more-is-more Lakewood Boulevard manse features all the hallmarks of Hutsell’s signature Spanish eclectic style—and then some—starting with the exterior, which features tiles, turrets, towers, and some very dramatic exterior drapes. Inside, textured plastered walls and elaborate ironwork mix with nautical-themed stained-glass windows, coastal-inspired murals, and grand fireplaces…