In 1924, Joseph Parks built a home for his family in what his son later described as a “great big open field . . . with very few other houses anywhere near it.”
In 1957, Parks sold the now-urban home at 6220 Worth to the East Dallas YMCA for renovation into a neighborhood facility. The price: $60,000.
Now, 75 years later, the stately old brick building is back on the market for $495,000 as the YMCA considers offers to turn it into a large estate or a series of smaller home lots.
The 10,387-square-foot building — which now includes an addition housing a gymnasium, basement health club and outside swimming pool on its 1.687-acres — still retains many of the original moldings, floors, doors and windows, says East Dallas YMCA director Val England.
“This is a great old building, one that could easily be turned into a single-family estate,” says Realtor John Whiteside, who is listing the property along with Realtor Pete Zapffe on behalf of the YMCA.
In 1957, when the YMCA first made plans to acquire the property, concern from neighborhood residents resulted in a boisterous zoning battle eventually decided by the City Council.
The Council approved the YMCA’s planned use, which was conditioned upon the property’s special-use zoning reverting to residential if and when the YMCA eventually sold the building and land.
According to a Morning News article at the time, then-YMCA board member R.G. Storey Jr. told the Council having a YMCA facility in the neighborhood might help solve the problems neighbors feared.
“To be really effective,” Storey said, “the YMCA has to be in a residential area. As for increased traffic, we are hoping to stop some of that and funnel some of the hot-rodders into the YMCA.”
Later this year, the East Dallas YMCA will move to a new facility at the current location of the Gaston Bazaar at Gaston Avenue and Garland Road.
For information about purchasing the building at 6220 Worth, contact your Realtor or call Whiteside or Zapffe at 214-823-4300. Both Realtors are East Dallas YMCA board members and are donating their commission from the sale to the YMCA.
