You Could Own Dallas Civic Leader Gus Thomasson’s Arts And Crafts Tudor in Perry Heights

We’ve all heard the name Gus Thomasson. Few of us, however, equate it with an enchanting and elegant Arts and Crafts Tudor home in Perry Heights. Instead, we think of a road. A big road that winds through East Dallas.

Gus Thomasson was a civic leader and the Dallas director of the Works Project Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. He directed 30,000 people and eventually was named the district director of the Wartime Office of Price Administration to prevent wartime inflation.  

As the chief, he directed such projects as the Dal-Hi (P.C. Cobb ) stadium, Rockwall County Courthouse, Highland Park water system, Harry Hines Boulevard, numerous roadside parks, recreational activities, writers, and musical programs. He oversaw 32 WPA offices for 40 counties in North Texas. Gus was always very proud that no hint of scandal or accusation of misuse of public funds touched the WPA projects he directed, which had a total budget of $100 million (roughly $1.6 billion in 2021 dollars). For this reason, he could be considered one of the most honest public servants in Dallas history.

Tom Morrow, Perry Heights resident and neighborhood historian

In 1950, the City of Mesquite named its major connector road to what was then Rhinehardt. It’s now the area of Dallas we know as Casa Linda and Casa View, and the street was named Gus Thomasson Road.

The History of Gus Thomasson’s Perry Heights Tudor

This 1926 Arts and Crafts Tudor home was built for Thomasson and his wife, Annie Laurie McKinley, whose father was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The house remained in the family and was passed on to his second wife, who lived here until 1964.

As I’ve always said, when a home remains in a family for four decades, it shows it is immensely well-built and livable. 

Thomasson chose Perry Heights because it was a fantastic location when Gordon Perry developed it in 1922, and it remains so today. As the city has grown, it’s one of the last remaining single-family neighborhoods in what is now the Uptown/Oak Lawn area.

Perry Heights consists of only three streets, and Rawlins St. alone was designated a conservation district in 2007. So we have some fine examples of the period, such as this Arts and Crafts Tudor, that remain intact. 

An Arts and Crafts Tudor Family Compound

This Arts and Crafts Tudor is unique for reasons in addition to its significant history. It is actually a compound that is perfect for our multi-generational lifestyles today.

The main four-story, 4,652-square-foot home has three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and two powder baths. But it’s the cozy study and reading niches, along with a lovely wine room, that are going to charm you. 

The second home on the property has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a massage room. If you don’t have several generations on site, it’s the ultimate guest quarters.

There is also a full apartment above the tandem garage with a bedroom, living and dining rooms, and an office. The properties all converge into an intimate courtyard with a koi pond.

And that’s not the end of what this Arts and Crafts Tudor has to offer. Multiple entertaining areas surround an enormous pool and spa. It’s the perfect family compound, inside and out!

Only one other historic home in Dallas offers multiple independent living spaces, and they seldom come along, so this is an outstanding opportunity.

Jeanne Deptula with Allie Beth Allman & Associates has this enchanting Arts and Crafts Tudor at 4502 Rawlins St. listed for $2.8 million.