The Hutsell home has, for many years, been synonymous with quality, uniqueness and a distinctive presence in Lakewood.
Designed and built by Clifford D. Hutsell between 1926 and the early 1940s, Hutsell homes featured tile roofing, buff-colored bricks, wrought iron accents, stained glass windows, balconies, and walled courtyards with fountains and iron gates.
The Spanish Revival architectural style for which Hutsell was so well known developed after a trip he made to California in 1928. Hutsell became so fascinated with the Mediterranean architecture prevalent in Californian homes that he subsequently brought the style to Texas, specifically to Lakewood Boulevard, where he built numerous Spanish Revival homes, including his own home at 7035 Lakewood.
Hutsell did deviate from the stucco homes in California because building restrictions in Lakewood at the time required brick for residential properties.
It was a visit to the home of movie star Tom Mix that inspired Hutsell’s parabolic, leaded glass window with stained glass design.
Mix’s window presented a stained glass cowboy on a horse. In lieu of the cowboy and horse, Hutsell incorporated Spanish embellishments in the large, arched windows of his homes.
The architectural style of Hutsell homes, often referred to as eclectic, was equally visible in his homes’ interiors. Ranging from the playful to the ornate, the architect/builder provided murals of clouds, palm trees, and floral designs in alcoves throughout his houses. He even incorporated plaster logs to appear as ceiling beams.
Balconies overlooking sunken living rooms and leaded glass windows inset with Spanish galleon designs are other characteristics of Hutsell’s designs.
These are the features with which most of us neighborhood residents and Hutsell home-lovers are most familiar. Many people in the area do not know, however, that prior to his California trip, Hutsell built many of the English Tudor and Dutch Colonial homes located in the 6000 block of Mercedes.
His first homes, 22 cottages built on Park Row in South Dallas, are now part of the area’s historic district.
Hutsell’s building discontinued when all construction was stopped during World War II. After the war, he built numerous custom homes, duplexes and apartment buildings throughout Dallas. He built more than 50 homes in Lakewood.
It is through Hutsell’s daughter, Madeline Hutsell Boedeker, that photos, oral history, and information about the builder’s work continue. Boedeker is often contacted by present or prospective owners of Hutsell properties regarding her father’s work.
She maintains close contact with several owners who are going through the process of tediously restoring homes to Hutsell specifications. One owner has even painstakingly removed layers of paint to restore a mural to its original appearance.
If you want to know more about C.D. Hutsell and his work, contact Boedeker at 823-2600. She is always happy to share information about Hutsell homes.
