The Story of our Home
Culture, history and homes. Since our beginning, these three words have helped shape who we are as a company. We know that life happens in a home. It’s where memories are made and families are grown. It’s dinner parties and Christmases and graduations and movie nights. A home tells a story.
When we were looking for a building of our own, we wanted to be in a home with a unique history and culture; a home with a story. For a couple of years our office space was located in a historic home on the corner of Pershing and Prevost, in the Westside’s first original one-room schoolhouse built in 1896! As we outgrew that space and our lease was coming to a close, partners Matt, Jeff and Luke began the search for a new location to purchase. The guys had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for…a historic home on the westside of Fort Worth with visibility, parking, and large enough to comfortably host their growing number of agents. As it turned out, their options were slim to none. However, there was this one B&B that fit the mold. It wasn’t for sale, but they decided to reach out anyway. Long story short, the owners were looking to take their business to Oklahoma, and in early 2021 LEAGUE purchased the home at 5220 Locke Ave.
This home definitely has a special story to tell. The estate originally belonged to British architect Arthur Albert Messer. After moving to Texas in 1888, Messer was part of the team credited with designing and developing many of the original large homes in (Chamberlin) Arlington Heights, including the Ball-Eddleman-McFarland house. One of his most recognizable projects was the Texas Spring Palace (1890) which was unfortunately lost in a fire, along with several of his other developments. Only a few have stood the test of time, one of which was his personal home. Arthur became one of the first residents of Heights when he built 5220 Locke in 1893.
This 2-story commercial home plus carriage house totals approximately 5500 square feet. Designed in the tudor-revival style, the home possesses unique features such as a recessed porch and various brick patterns. A rare diamond pattern of red and brown brick covers the majority of the lower floor. From I30, you might notice a “M'' on the rear side of the home’s design. Years later, the house remained vacant and began to deteriorate, until it was bought and transformed into a bed and breakfast known as Lockhart Gables. When LEAGUE purchased it in 2021, renovations began to preserve many of the magnificent estate’s original features, staying true to its architectural style while adding some complementary modern design elements. The carriage house now serves as a large, open space complete with a fully functioning kitchen designed to accommodate team meetings and other larger gatherings.
This warm, inviting home is a beautiful blend of old and new and we absolutely love it! It’s a testament to our city’s past as we look into a promising future. Our hope is that it continues to be a place our family and community feel welcome and comfortable.