In a neighborhood of revivalist historic styles, this house, built by the architect for his family, steps back to the English Middle Ages. Tall, steep, shingled roofs (the city would not allow the desired thatch roofing) sweep low and bulge over first floor windows, and small arched dormers peek through at upper levels. A curved bay, two-stories tall, breaks through the cascading roofs with a complementary vertical form. Originally causing controversy over the supposed lack of community design controls, the “Mushroom House” is now a driving-tour curiosity, something a little above folk art. Workman studied with Bruce Goff, and his wife, Jane Ann, was an artist.
In calm contrast, the Harry Harlan House (1925, Thomson and Swaine) at number 4201 across the street is a rough white stucco Mediterranean-styled house with a fine stone entrance portal on the front-facing gabled bay. The style was deemed by many at the time as being particularly adaptable to the Dallas climate and this design by Hal Thomson was one of the first in Dallas.