At home with history                   Like fine wine, the best houses truly improve with age. Take, for example, the classic shingle-style home at 3437 Mockingbird. Built in the early 1900s, the home has been meticulously maintained and respectfully updated by its current and previous owners, making it “one of the most beloved facades in Highland Park,” according to Will Seale, senior vice president at Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty, and listing agent for the home. According to Seale, the landmark property, priced at $1,889,000 has its own fan club: it is instantly recognizable in a prominent location, and the current owners bought it just a few days after it came on the market several years ago. “There are a few other remaining houses of this style in Highland Park, though not at this attractive price point,” Seale says. One of the major selling points of this home is its careful restoration. “The restoration made it practical for modern living, but respected the scale and the original architecture,” he says. The exterior of the home proves the point: its clean lines, unornamented façade, and its harmony with the landscape all are hallmarks of this time-honored style. Visually, it echoes an earlier era – the era when Highland Park was born from a few hundred acres along a branch of the Shawnee Trail. Seale says the Park Cities’ historic homes represent the best of the turn-of-the-century architectural styles. “The most significant homes are the best designed and the best preserved,” he says. “Homes like 3437 Mockingbird prove that preservation is worthwhile: it’s good for housing values and it honors and protects the area’s heritage. And seeing how quickly most of them sell proves there’s a strong market for historic architecture.”                                 For additional information, see briggsfreeman.com, ranked #1 Brokerage website in Texas, #3 in the nation. Also visit updatedallas.com for the latest in real estate news.