Dallas Steps Into the Future at the House Beautiful “Electric Paradise” Home

On Sunday, October 1, 1922, Dallas residents gathered in extraordinary numbers at 4319 North Hall Street to witness what was being heralded as the home of tomorrow. Known as the House Beautiful “Electric Paradise” Home, the Tudor-style cottage in the newly developing Perry Heights neighborhood opened its doors to the public amid great anticipation, long lines, and citywide excitement.

The home was purchased by a Dallas Morning News and presented through a landmark partnership with House Beautiful magazine, The Dallas Electric Club and the Perry -Kirkpatrick Company. Together, they set out to demonstrate how electricity, thoughtful design, and modern craftsmanship could transform everyday family life.

A City Invited

In advance of the opening, Mayor Louis Blaylock Aldredge delivered a radio address urging the people of Dallas to visit the exhibition and emphasizing the importance of homeownership to the city’s future. At precisely 2:00 p.m. on opening day, his message was amplified once more—this time by bullhorn—to the crowds waiting patiently in line to enter the home.

Interest in the project had been building all summer. Residents followed the construction closely, eager to see the finished product that promised to redefine modern living in Dallas.

Designed for the Modern Family

The home was designed by architects M. F. Fooshee and J. B. Cheeks, and it served as a showcase for the talents of numerous local companies. Dallas craftsmen supplied the doors, windows, appliances, furnishings, and decorative details, turning the house into a living exhibition of regional skill and innovation.

What visitors encountered inside was unlike anything most had seen before. Electrical outlets were installed in every room, anticipating a future filled with labor-saving devices and modern conveniences. Representatives from Dallas Power & Light were stationed throughout the house, explaining appliances and demonstrating how electricity could simplify and improve daily life.

Life Without the Iceman

Among the most talked-about features was the “iceless refrigerator.” Before electric refrigeration, households relied on daily ice deliveries. Families placed ICE cards in their windows—marked 50, 75, or 100 pounds—to signal how much ice they needed that day. Deliveries often began as early as 4 a.m., frequently by mule-drawn wagons.

In Oak Lawn, ice was most likely supplied by Southland Ice Company of Oak Cliff, a small operation that would later grow into the company now known as 7-Eleven. The Electric Paradise home offered a glimpse of a future where such daily rituals would no longer be necessary.

Style for Everyday Homes

Visitors were equally captivated by the interiors. Elegant furnishings, layered draperies, and refined decorative touches—previously associated with much grander homes—were displayed within a modest Tudor cottage. The effect was powerful: this was luxury scaled for everyday living.

The home’s interior designer, James E. Scott of Rogers & Meyers, emerged as a regional tastemaker as a result of the project. Soon known as the “Dallas Dean of Design,” Scott became a sought-after speaker and later opened his own furniture and design showroom on Oak Lawn Avenue.

A Neighborhood Is Launched

The response was overwhelming. Over the two-week exhibition, an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 visitors toured the home. It was a resounding success for everyone involved—but especially for E. Gordon Perry, founder of the Perry Heights development. The publicity brought Dallas residents in droves to see what was then considered a suburban neighborhood, newly imagined as an ideal place to raise a family.

Perry Heights offered gracious, well-built homes that were affordable, thoughtfully designed, and still close to downtown Dallas. Lots sold quickly—“like hotcakes,” according to contemporary accounts.

The home remained open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for two weeks before being auctioned to the highest bidder. Bidding began at $17,793.60, the basic cost of the house and lot, with furnishings sold separately. Milburn Hobson submitted the winning bid and, just two years later, sold the home at a profit—an early confirmation that Perry Heights was not only fashionable, but a wise investment. Arch (owner of A.M. Culmore, an advertising brokerage company) and Lady Josephine Culmore purchased the home and raised thier children, JoEllen, Dollye, and Arch Jr.

A Lasting Legacy

More than a century later, the House Beautiful Electric Paradise home stands as a reminder of a pivotal moment in Dallas history—when modern technology, design, and optimism converged to shape a neighborhood and redefine how the city lived.