Open House Today at This Charming Perry Heights Tudor Cottage

January 11, 2025 | Karen Eubank | | Oak Lawn, Sponsored by Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate

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Perry Heights is one of those beautiful little neighborhoods you have to know about — or have a darned good Realtor who has discovered it! There are only three streets: Vandelia, Hall, and Rawlins, with Rawlins being the only one designated as historic. This adorable Perry Heights Tudor Cottage is on Vandelia, so there are no historic ordinances governing it.

Gordon Perry developed Perry Heights in 1922 because he realized it was a superb location. It’s now one of the few single-family neighborhoods in the Oak Lawn area. Because it’s such a historic neighborhood, you can find a wide variety of architectural styles. Civic leader Gus Thomasson, architect Arch Swank, artists, and authors have all called this neighborhood home, contributing to its rich history and vibrant community that continues to attract a creative crowd.

When interior designer Yvette Jarvis discovered the neighborhood, she knew at once that this was where she and her husband would be happy. They purchased this Perry Heights Tudor in 1996, and if the countryside had not piqued their interest, they would still be here.

“We were shopping for a home that we could renovate, and we were in a condo close by at the time,” Jarvis said. “We had a few target areas around town, with Perry Heights closest to us. I drove the neighborhood three times a week looking for new listings, and we saw three. The moment we walked in, we knew this one was perfect for us.”

As an interior designer married to a man who knew his way around a toolkit, the two were their own design-build team. Once they finished the important essentials that you cannot see but always appreciate, they began making this Perry Heights Tudor their own.

“We tried to maintain the character of the home and only tore down walls in the kitchen,” Jarvis said. “It was three separate and very small rooms. We were so happy with it, and we spent a lot of time there because we love to cook and entertain. It was our favorite part of the house.”

Jarvis and her husband did a great deal of landscaping, which the original owners would appreciate. The archives of the Dallas Morning News are filled with articles about Mrs. C.M Thompson, who lived here with her husband Charles, the traffic manager of the Dallas Western Union office. She must have had the greenest thumb in Dallas because she was recognized for everything from lilies and roses to gardenias and dahlias.

“We did a ton of landscaping and changed the appearance drastically,” Jarvis said.

The couple opted for a lot of hardscaping as there was a great deal of shade when they moved in. They also added some very cool elements, like copper doors, to the two-car garage. This building is also home to the guest cottage with a Murphy bed and a full bathroom.

It speaks to the livability of a home when its owners remain in place for 28 years, as the Jarvises did. Finding an adorable Perry Heights Tudor so close to all of the amenities Oak Lawn and Uptown offer is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.