History, location, style, and space — what more could you want? It’s well known that impressing me takes a lot. However, whenever Allie Beth Allman Realtor Rachel Trowbridge calls about a new listing, I know it will be spectacular. Driving up to this historic Highland Park Colonial Revival mansion overlooking Turtle Creek is a treat. Inside, it’s a candy store of design and detail, making it hard to choose where to start. Fortunately, Trowbridge guided me through every exquisite detail.
This historic Highland Park Colonial Revival was built by Sealy Jackson Churchill and designed by Dallas architect Harre Markle Bernet in 1922 for James Thomas Owens, president of the G.W. Owens Lumber Company. Bernet was president of the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1927 and a member of the infamous Bonehead Club of Dallas, which was founded in 1919 to promote lighthearted, non-productive antics, and “to serve no purpose whatsoever.”
Over the years, the home saw updates, but none as extensive or detailed as those made by the current owner, Heather Balestri. She and her husband purchased the home in 2020 from George and Catherine Baum, who were only the third owners. Mrs. Baum’s parents bought the house when she was a child. She inherited the home when her parents passed away, and she and George raised their four children here.
Balestri is no stranger to massive renovations, having formerly bought a home down the street and given it new life.
“When we bought the first house, we were engaged and had no kids,” she said. “We had no idea of how our day-to-day lives would work. After 20 years there, we had 6th- and 8th-grade children. I realized what we needed structurally to have a happy house. We were spread out over four stories because we had a full basement. We were always yelling through the house, trying to figure out where people were. When this house came on the market, I thought maybe I could make it work. I walked in and loved the layout.”
“I have always been attracted to historic homes,” Balestri said. “I love the idea of past owners and how they used the house and the detail. The doors and trim work are where a lot of beauty is. You remove those for an open floor plan, and you remove character.”
Researching the home, Balestri found an article on Bernet. He was quoted as saying that the way a house was designed was not necessarily the way it would be used in the future. Homes evolve, and the best architects design with that in mind. For instance, homes no longer require the sleeping porches that were so necessary before air conditioning. Balestri incorporated a former sleeping porch into the redesign of the family room, and another sleeping porch became her husband’s office. Yet another on the second floor was transformed into the principal closet.
Balestri had the present elevator space created from the former servants’ stairs that led to the second floor and to the basement…