Even some longtime Dallas residents aren’t familiar with Alger Park, a pocket neighborhood tucked between Casa Linda, Little Forest Hills, and White Rock Lake. It’s a gem of a neighborhood filled with original 1950s homes that one woman is trying to ensure stay standing.
Kelli McCarthy is now working on her seventh historic home restoration. While remodeling her family’s home in Casa Linda Estates, she noticed houses were being torn down.
“I have a passion for these homes and felt they could be saved,” McCarthy said.
Of course, McCarthy comes to remodeling with quite the resume and enviable resources. Her background is in hotel and restaurant design. She worked with architecture firms for over a decade, was the Director of Design for Olympus Properties, and the Interior Design Manager for Harwood International.
When McCarthy and her husband had a child, she took some time to consider her next move. “I decided I’d like to restore homes,” McCarthy said. “I had resources from years in commercial architecture. I knew wonderful tradespeople who had worked on hotels and commercial buildings, and they were open to working on a residential project. I also have the world’s most supportive husband and family. When I decided to restore homes, my grandma was my biggest cheerleader. She said you can do anything you put your mind to. I come from a long line of strong-minded females!” McCarthy formed 1413 Design Studio and got to work.
This 1955 ranch is her sixth project. She bought the home from the third-generation owner, whose grandfather built it. “We strive to keep what made the house special,” McCarthy said. “I take pride in making sure we honor those who took the time to build the house before us, while making a home appeal to a broad demographic.”
The Alger Park ranch sits on a third of an acre and opens into 2,441 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a fantastic second-story flex space. “I think the opening of the kitchen to the dining and living areas is what I like the most in this house,” McCarthy said. “It’s not a fully open concept, and having two separate living spaces offers a sense of privacy. It’s a great house for entertaining. You can cook and still have conversations with guests.”
McCarthy focuses not only on style and honoring a home’s character, but also on functionality and storage. “Open shelving is pretty in a magazine, but it’s not super functional,” she said. The one thing I hear the most is that no house ever has enough storage, so we focus on that, especially in the pantry and laundry room. We created built-in hampers that you can close with the clean laundry in them.”
Back to that Alger Park location. You have a neighborhood with character and a block with a great sense of community here. Rodeo Goat and Torchy’s Tacos are down the street. If you have kids, Reinhardt Elementary, W.H. Gaston Middle School, and Bryan Adams High School are all close by.
Open House: Saturday, May 30, 1–3 p.m.
