Reminiscing About my Favorite Job

I often say that the best job I ever had was tearing tickets and scooping popcorn at the AMC Glen Lakes. Maybe that’s because the meager income I made there as a teenager was totally disposable. It’s easy to have fun at a job when there’s no pressure to make money.

Anyhoo, the theater has been vacant for three years, ever since the new AMC opened in NorthPark. The Glen Lakes building is available for lease, and I recently talked my way into a tour of my old stomping grounds.

Cops to Hang Out on Abbott

A concerned reader asked:

On Sunday, June 7 there was an apartment complex on abbot, different from the others. This one was surrounded on all sides by Highland Park 911 crews. Strangely no sirens or lights, just every emergency vehicle in Highland Park at one apartment complex. Police cars blocked the alley and street, fire trucks filled in the gaps, but the ambulance caught my eye. The ambulance was backed up to an apartment door. At first we thought it was your average 911 call. But after the ambulance was there for a near 2 hours, we knew something bad had occured. We think it might be a death of someone but we aren’t sure.

Reporter Sarah Scott gets to the bottom of it:

There are apparently some apartments that are going to be demolished, and the owners have given HPDPS permission to use them for training exercises. They’re going to be doing it for the next couple of weeks.

Lost Opportunity

Behold what could have belonged to Dallas County, generating tax revenue and spurring dramatic development and jobs for at least 30 years, if our local politicians had vision. Tis an economic tragedy.

Redesign/Staged Room Photos Revealed

I know some of you have been waiting a long time for this (Dallas Gay Boy, I’m looking at you). So here it is: The photo that won homeowner Anne Bentley a makeover. Check the jump for the redesigned look (blue curtains) and the staged look (red curtains). Then check the paper for the story and more photos! Thanks to Karen Kavanagh and Karen Eubank for their help! Also, thanks to Anne, who had to put up with quite a bit and was such a fantastic sport!

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The Complete Roundtable Discussion

We’ve talked about it, and here it finally is: The entire transcribed version of our real estate roundtable discussion held a couple weeks ago. We also have a video with a few highlights. Check it out here.

It was such a pleasure working with everyone on this project. Thanks to all those who attended the roundtable. I enjoyed hearing about how some think green building is a design trend that will last only a few years, took note of how inflation is coming shortly down the road, and enjoyed the discussion on downtown Dallas and what it will take to grow it. I hope you readers enjoy it as well!

My Mansion Tour With Doris Jacobs- The Movie

Here is my behind the scenes look at one of Highland Park’s most unbelievable mansions. 3619 Crescent is currently listed with Park-leb-ator, Doris Jacobs. And for just under 10 million bucks, the Terminator poster is included.

Is The Park Cities Real Estate Market on The Rebound?

The subject of last Friday’s round table centered on the state of the real estate market in the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Our June 5 real estate issue will contain a detailed transcript of the group’s discussion, but I wanted to drop a few hints as to what the general consensus was for where our market is heading.

Some of our guests felt the market was evening out and headed for a rebound.

Several others thought otherwise. What was the reasoning behind their opinions? You’ll have to wait until next week to find out.

News From Another Highland Park

Ferris Bueller’s house is for sale.

Can anyone note a home in the Park Cities that’s served as a movie set?

UPDATED: Sorry for the mistake. Of course, it was Cameron’s house.

The Magic Kingdom of Duplexes

This must be a heck of a property being advertised at the corner of Preston and University.  It isn’t every day one sees a “wonderous duplex,” spelling error aside.

Masterminds’ Meeting

What’s this lovely group of people talking about? Check our June 5 Real Estate issue to find out!

And just in case you were wondering that’s Pierce Allman on the left, Britt Fair, Robbie Briggs, Mark Molthan, Candy Evans, Ebby Halliday, Mary Frances Burleson, and Brad Edgar.

Re: Ugly Room?

Thanks to everyone who submitted a room! We have chosen our winner. Look for the before and after photos in our June 5 issue of Real Estate.

Now, I have to get to work….

Inside The Washburne Party

Sarah Scott got an invite to the HP Village closing party last night. Here’s her report:

Ray Washburne and his wife, Heather, were all smiles last night at a party they threw at Ray’s Mi Cocina in HP Village to celebrate his big real-estate purchase. The top floor was packed with family, friends, and Village merchants, who munched on some pretty tasty appetizers while the waitstaff tried not to bump into anyone while fetching drinks. (It was not an easy task; at one point, they had to remove one of the tables to make room for guests.) Several merchants I talked to said they were a) glad that all the commotion was over and b) glad that the center was going to be run by another family. All in all, quite the festive evening.

Sold: Highland Park Village

Park Cities reporter Sarah Scott has the scoop.

Ray Washburne wants Park Cities residents to know that the new Highland Park Village is going to look a lot like the old one. The real-estate investor and restaurateur wrapped up negotiations to buy the Village today — his wife, Heather, her sister Elise Summers, and her brother-in-law Stephen Summers are also in on the purchase –  and he promises that the theater and the Tom Thumb will be staying. And the HPHS grad is promising to bring in a little variety, as well: there are plans for a sushi restaurant, an American cuisine restaurant, a frozen yogurt store, and a store for the women’s clothing line Vince. There are unconfirmed reports that the selling price was $170 million, but Washburne declined to comment on that in an interview.
“We’re very sensitive to the chemistry of the Village,” he said. “It’s a community asset, and we’re just very fortunate to be the ones who are going to shepherd it for the next generation.”

Ugly Room?

This is a reminder that you have until Wednesday to e-mail me your room that’s in dire need of help. We have a stager and redesigner on hand to walk through your room and give you a checklist of ideas of how to make it better. And, yes, Kersten, both the before and after photos will be published in our June 5 issue of Real Estate.

Let Us Get You Organized

Part of my weekend was spent cleaning out the closet. There’s just something about getting reorganized. But sometimes, we need a little help — a little shove if you will.

So, let us help you! We have a redesigner and a stager waiting on hand to help out one lucky reader. Send in a pic of a room in your home that is in some dire need of help. We will then pick one entry to win a visit from both a redesigner and a stager. They’ll give you tips on how to make your home more presentable, and we’ll print these tips along with a photo of your room in our Real Estate section on June 5.

Send name, contact information, and photo to krista@peoplenewspapers.com by May 20. Or snail mail to People Newspapers, 4311 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 350, Dallas, 75219. Winner will be notified by May 22. Room will be evaluated the week of May 25.

Where You Should be Next Weekend

A couple weeks ago at the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society’s home tour, I overheard a woman saying, “Raffles and home tours. That’s what we’re about.”

So, in honor of that, I’m posting about Preservation Dallas’ Spring Architectural Tour, which is on May 2. The tour will feature fives homes and two Patron homes from the ’20s through the ’60s.
I definitely advise you to go — there’s nothing more fun that perusing gorgeous homes! For ticket and time info, check the jump.

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Fresh Off The Presses (and newly loaded on a website)

Check out our latest issues of Homes & Estates, which will hit your lawns Friday. This issue is chock-full of gorgeous homes by interior designer.  I can see now why all four of the designers we chose are successful — they have great tastes.  It was fun seeing how their personal tastes played in the place they call home.

Larry North Says It’s Definitely Personal

As a very emotional Larry North tells it, he first began hearing that his gym would allegedly be forced out of its location at Highland Park Village from his employees and customers.

“I go what are you talking about?…. I’ve got a five year option,” North said when some of his own members approached him to break the bad news. “What I believe is either someone didn’t know about the option or they were hoping that I wouldn’t execute it in time.”

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Reading Between The Lines of The Larry North Lawsuit

When we last talked to Larry Friedman, Larry North’s lawyer, he implied that the lawsuit originated in part because “Larry North has a five-year renewal option on his lease and apparently the landlord was not prepared to honor that so he is suing for breach of lease.”

People Newspapers has obtained a copy of the alleged renewal option letter. It was sent to Larry North on January 28 from the management group at Highland Park Shopping Village and lays out in detail a proposed agreement for a lease renewal on Suite 210 through August 31, 2017. (more…)

The Future of Real Estate

With the ebby.com site back up and running, there are some new features to check out. One is a share button that allows you to post the info on, say, your Facebook account.

What are some other great features you house hunters have seen on various real estate websites?

Watering Cement, Again

Would you believe that the very same household, on the southwest corner of Marquette and Hillcrest, about which I wrote a year ago that was watering the strip of land between Hillcrest and its lawn every single day, rain or shine, is at it again?  And, again, the house is listed for sale, and, again, the sprinklers are mostly watering Hillcrest.

We shall now reset the clock at ten days, which is my conservative estimate of how many mornings in a row the sprinklers have been running.  Last year, it took and half months of daily water waste before the realtor finally did something.

Ebby Halliday Realtors Makes Top 10 List

I love Ebby Halliday. She’s so outgoing and such an inspiration to everyone. At a young age, she learned what it takes to sell merchandise, even in a sour economy.

Obviously, this knowledge has proved invaluable in today’s climate. Her company, Ebby Halliday Realtors was just named to the Top 10 U.S. Sales Firms. Congrats, Ebby and everyone who works so hard there!

Strolling Down Memory Lane

A few stories from our print products came to mind as I ran an errand this afternoon.

My wife and I are trying to buy a house, so I just dropped off some documents at Park Cities Mortgage. When I was given the company’s Preston Center address, 5950 Sherry Lane, I thought, “Cool. I’ll get to see one of President Bush’s office buildings.”

Alas, I was mistaken. Bush has temporarily set up shop at 5950 Berkshire Lane, until his permanent offices at 5956 Sherry Lane are ready.

But it turns out that the building I was in, 5950 Sherry Lane, houses the Park Cities office of Virginia Cook Realtors. That’s the building where the first of the incidents that Jeanmarie Geis reported to police took place.

Incidentally, today’s edition of our Preston Hollow paper includes a story on Frank Geis’ efforts to erect a memorial to his slain children at their former school.

Teardowns Slow Down During Tough Economic Times?

I talked with Douglas Newby the other day about a post he wrote on his Dallas Architecture Blog. Among other things Newby suggests that the number of teardowns decrease during a crash in the housing market:

as the demand from speculative builders evaporates, land becomes more available for architect designed homes, and architecturally significant period homes become attractive to renovate, not tear down.

Is this trend a welcome one for the Park Cities?

Time of the Signs

Which sign do you think people will leave up in their yards longer?

A.  Welcome Home George and Laura

B.  He is Risen

C.  Mad for Plaid

D.  For Sale