Update: The home is now listed publicly.
Original story: The personal home of esteemed Dallas architect Henry Bowers “Hal” Thomson — a Colonial Revival on Highland Park’s Potomac Avenue — is going to be sold for the first time in nearly half a century. Preservation Park Cities designated the 1921 residence as a landmark and ranks it among the 10 most important historic houses in the area. A century after its construction, Thomson remains one of the city’s most revered architects; his designs include his own Colonial Revival as well as many other notable homes in the Park Cities and the Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue.
Thomson’s home has a “relaxed, inviting quality,” writes Douglas Newby, broker and owner of Douglas Newby & Associates - Architecturally Significant Homes, in a description of the property. “It seems readily apparent that when Hal Thomson was designing a home for his own family, he wanted it to be a home that would radiate joy.”
The residence spans roughly 3,000 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The picturesque shutters and picket fence lend a storybook feel, and the home is tucked back from the magnolia trees that line Potomac Avenue (which ends at Turtle Creek, with views of the Dallas Country Club golf course). Thomson’s well-preserved design is certainly in good company: Homes designed by other noted architects, such as Frederick Bonsack, Bud Oglesby and Larry Speck, sit on the same street.
Newby, who is representing the seller, says the home is untouched. This is the first time it will be offered for sale in some 45 years, and the seller is only the third owner. Newby adds that the home’s exterior has an understated New England charm, especially in comparison to the estates Thomson designed around Dallas. Its interior spaces, though, reflect the elegance for which Thomson is known. “I think it’s noteworthy that this house was designed with the same grandeur of space as the estate homes on Swiss Avenue and in old Highland Park,” Newby shares.
Preservationists will appreciate the original elements throughout. A grand corridor with arched doorways, which feature detailed molding and trim, runs through the center of the home, connecting the large formal living space to the dining room. In the formal living room, picture frame molding adorns the walls, while bookshelves at one end flank the entrance to a sunroom that looks to the garden. On the opposite end of the living room, an intricately carved fireplace adds to the beauty. “There is just something sublime about [Thomson’s] proportions and his nuanced detailing that has great flourishes without seeming ostentatious,” Newby says.
Just off the central corridor, a morning room is full of natural light; it is adorned with a botanical mural (not original to the house). A spacious dining room has another ornately carved fireplace. The first floor also includes the kitchen, butler’s pantry and a sitting area.
All the home’s bedrooms are located on the second level and accessible via a curved staircase. While the primary bedroom has an en suite bathroom, the two additional bedrooms share the remaining bathroom.
Mature plants and a koi pond dot the .29-acre lot. A studio, with a loft and bathroom, adjoins the garage. The studio represents an update to the property; the original small quarters were recently replaced, with the new design completed by architect Wilson Fuqua. The garage is original.
3925 Potomac Avenue will be listed for $4,600,000.
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