A stunning Midcentury Modern residence, originally created for Earl Hayes, a prominent philanthropist who became known as Mr. Oak Cliff, has come on the market.
Hayes, a General Motors executive from Detroit, moved to Dallas in 1945 and acquired Roy Hill Chevrolet in Oak Cliff. Hayes would eventually construct the largest showroom in the U.S. adjacent to the dealership, establishing Earl Hayes Chevrolet, reported Candy’sDirt.
In 1955, Hayes expanded his business to encompass renting cars and trucks, acquired the Avis franchise for Dallas Love Field Airport, and pioneered the idea of valet parking at the airport.
“The house is a time capsule inside,” said Donovan Westover, who coordinated the Preservation Dallas Home Tour in 2014. “It’s almost like Hayes designed the house like an auto dealership because it is so structurally sound. It is a perfect house, and the grounds are unbelievable.”
Exclusive showings for this gem at 718 Kessler Lake Drive will begin on August 14.
This property is currently listed for $4 million.
Here is more information about the property from Candy’sDirt:
The Preservation Dallas Home Tour brochure sums the home up perfectly:
One of the key selling points of the Hayes House was one of its initial challenges: the incorporation of a large-scale home on a parcel that has a significant drop in grade down to Kidd Springs Creek. The street side of the house has a long, low profile with recessed windows or diffused glass, offering well-lit but private interior spaces. At the rear of the house, however, floor-to-ceiling windows, walls, and doors provide dramatic landscape and pool views and create a fluid transition between interior and exterior space. Also typical of the Midcentury Modern style, interior rooms can be closed off with pocket doors, offering flexibility in the floorplan, and built-ins are incorporated throughout the house.
Ann Keen