Next-gen builder James Hickok updates a home by historic home builder—and family forefather—Napoleon Dible.
Words by Christine Emming | Photos by Matthew Anderson
apoleon W. Dible, developer and builder of more than 5,000 Kansas City-area homes, started selling his renowned Tudor houses in the 1920s. Over a century later, fourth-generation Dible descendant Anna Hickok purchased her Brookside Dible Tudor in July 2023, bringing the family’s legacy full circle.
“These old houses lack the open concept of newer builds, so one challenge was to create a more open feel,” says Anna, the vice president of operations at Hickok-Dible Real Estate Companies. She hired her brother and Hickok-Dible’s director of construction, James Hickok, to undertake this renovation.
“It was tough to really get the space to work out correctly,” James says of the closed-off kitchen, which was entirely hidden from view at the back of the house. Yet, Anna had a clear vision and devoted extensive time to the planning process, detailing how she wanted the space to flow.
“The old kitchen was like a canvas to me,” she explains. “It is much larger than most kitchens in traditional Brookside homes, but the old layout felt underutilized.”
Inspired, Anna saw an opportunity to maximize the home’s beauty and functionality through a complete redesign—even down to the studs.
“We removed the walls and doors separating the dining room and kitchen, which created a clear path and sightline to the kitchen island and sink from the front door,” Anna says.
The team also enhanced connectivity by building an arched opening into the living room wall. This new feature provides a view from the kitchen stove area into the living space while maintaining continuity with the home’s original Tudor-style arches.
However, hanging the cabinets on the east wall without affecting flow and connectivity—two critical components in this kitchen update—proved a significant challenge. To compromise, the team removed a window from the wall where most of the cabinets currently reside—a tough choice given their goal of bringing in as much natural light as possible.
“We wanted to make sure we had as many cabinets as possible,” says James, “and the detail work was still there, which is what I believe the early 1900s craftsmen did such a great job on.”
An island helped to create more cabinet space as well as extra seating. An added slider on the north wall now connects the kitchen to an outdoor seating area, doubling the available natural light.
Anna’s reimagined kitchen is now filled with radiant sunlight and seamlessly connected spaces.
“It was about infusing the space with personality and soul without losing functionality,” she says. “Instead of going with the safe, all-white choice that would appeal to any future buyer, I focused on crafting a space that felt inviting, beautiful and uniquely me.”
Contractor: Hickok Homes, @hickokhomes
Cabinets: Allan Craft
Lighting: Visual Comfort
Flooring: DCQ Hardwood Floors
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