Scott Lyons was one of those under-the-radar architects. You had to know someone who knew someone and then be recommended. He designed homes for the movers and shakers of Dallas society and did so to absolute perfection. The most recognized is the home he designed for Texas Instruments founder Eugene McDermott and his wife, Margaret.
Losing The Legacy of Scott Lyons
The McDermott home was thoughtfully and carefully restored by Steven and Susan Butt, who purchased it in 2021, and if we are not doing a better job of educating the buyer base in Dallas, that home may soon be the last of the Lyons.
However, there is a rare opportunity in Highland Park to purchase one of Lyons’ original designs, a 1960 single-story Texas Modern. Located on Euclid, in the heart of Highland Park, the house bears all of the hallmarks of his thoughtful designs and their beautiful execution by suburb craftsmen using the materials he was known for, like St. Jo brick.
“Scott Lyons interpreted midcentury Modern in a Texas way. He was aware of the design tweaks that make things right for Texas,” Larry Good, retired founding principal and chairman of Good, Fulton & Farrell, said. Good is also the author of A House for Texas, about the significant Elbert Williams house at 3805 McFarlin Blvd., which was designed by David Williams in 1932 and rescued and restored by philanthropists Jan and Trever Reese-Jones.
Lyons didn’t build hundreds of homes. Anyone who knew him will tell you he was an almost obsessive perfectionist, so the remaining homes are incredibly important to preserve.
“The structure and engineering of Scott Lyons homes was so good,” Realtor and historic home specialist Doug Newby said. “He used a lot of glass but also a lot of wood. The combination of big open spaces and warmth made his houses have an enduring appeal. He really bridged the generations of the last of the original Texas modern architects and the beginning of the next era of modern homes in Texas.”
There is a huge disconnection between architectural value and land value in Dallas and an almost epidemic lack of education on why architects and their designs will always matter. The value is not only in the dirt and the location. The value is in owning an architecturally and historically significant home that can no longer be built. The value is in not bastardizing a neighborhood by surgically removing its character.
It’s really up to us all to continue educating our new buyers and those from out of state as to why our local history matters. Let’s hope this is a Lyons that continues to be loved by a new generation.
Avery Realty Group’s Nickole Traughber has this significant Scott Lyons home at 3909 Euclid Ave. listed for $6.2 million.
