You can tell from the curb that this is a significant home, however, you may not realize that it is one of the most extraordinary examples of Spanish Revival architecture in the state, and it comes with quite the history.
Let’s start with the provenance from Virginia Savage McAlester, Willis Cecil Winters, and Prudence Mackintosh in what we consider the resource of Dallas architectural history, Great American Suburbs: The Homes of the Park Cities.
Although Hal Thomson was not strongly connected with the Spanish Revival style, he designed one of the earliest and most prominent homes of this genre in Highland Park. Completed in 1925 at 4201 Armstrong (Thomson & Swain) at the corner of Preston Road, built for the mortgage and investment broker Harry Harlan.
To the rear, Thomson extended two wings from the main body of the house to form a patio and garden, which was landscaped with lush semitropical plantings. A covered gallery and an open-air terrace above extended around three sides of the patio. The architect arranged the bedrooms to benefit from the natural ventilation afforded by this U-shaped plan. His rendering of the Harlan residence in the Spanish style — with its highly textured stucco surfaces — seemed entirely appropriate to the time and climate. A newspaper account of the house as it was nearing completion described the Spanish style as “a type which adapts itself better to the semitropical Dallas climate than any other.”
A Home For Dallas A-Listers
Harlan had business interests in New York and only lived here five years. He sold the home to W. H. Francis for — wait for it — $100,000. It’s mind-boggling to think that was a considerable sum in 1930. Francis was the Vice President and General Counsel of the Magnolia Petroleum Company, his wife was a noted civic leader, and their son was the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Can you imagine the conversations and the parties?
In the 1920s, the movers and shakers of Dallas built grand houses and spared no expense. You simply cannot replicate the detail and craftsmanship of this Spanish Revival estate today. Even with an unlimited budget, you could not duplicate the work in this home. The artisans and tradesmen involved in creating an estate of this stature often did not pass down their knowledge, so this is, without a doubt, a one-of-a-kind estate.
This gorgeous Spanish Revival estate sits on 1.5 acres with 14,407 square feet, six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a myriad of fabulous touches like an elevator, a billiards room, and the most beautiful gym I’ve seen in ages, to name only a few.
It certainly sets the tone for the street, and indeed for Highland Park. In other words, when you see it, you know you’ve arrived.
Historic But Livable
One of the true tests of any home is livability.
The Francis family owned this Spanish Revival estate from 1930 until the late 1970s. The present owners have been here for over two decades. That tells you all you need to know.
It’s not only gorgeous and in a perfect location, but it’s also had only a handful of owners, who obviously have all loved living here.
Of course, the estate has been sensitively updated and renovated over the years, and in this resort-style setting, it’s a perfect escape without leaving home.
You may have my permission to fill it with white furniture, but for the love of all things architectural, do not splash white paint over that gorgeous woodwork. This house deserves an owner that appreciates what is here. One that loves history, architecture, and entertaining because if ever there were a home destined for great entertaining, this is it.
Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Faisal Halum has this Spanish Revival estate at 4201 Armstrong Parkway offered at $15.75 million. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own an architectural masterpiece.
