Ice Cream Castle

This stunning colonial revival home at 4322 Rawlins was built in 1923. The first residents were the Smith family who were the owners of The Smith Ice Cream Company. of Dallas. Charles Winston Smith and his wife Jinnie May and their three children, C. Russell Jr., J. Louis, and Helen lived in the house until …

The Sound of Music, Goldfish not included

J. Wesley Hubbell and his wife purchased the lot at 4310 Rawlins in 1925 and knew exactly what house they needed to build. J. Wesley was a locally famous tenor. He taught voice at the Bush Temple of Music at 307 Elm St. He also lectured and directed while performing in productions and on radio …

E. Gordon Perry’s Dream Neighborhood

E. Gordon Perry, the founder and developer of the Perry Heights neighborhood, had an ideal neighborhood in mind for his family and built his dream from the ground up. Mr. Perry just moved to Dallas from El Paso after establishing the Perry Motor Company selling Model T Fords since 1915. He also began some housing …

How Luby’s Really Began

Luby’s Cafeterias and Dallas go together like peas and carrots. While Luby’s own company history calls San Antonio the birthplace of the Company in 1945, the reality is that there were Luby’s Cafeterias all over the Dallas area for years before then. So why the disconnect? Not surprisingly, the answer lies in family dynamics. Earl …

Deep Roots in Perry Heights

William R Gilliland (Bill) lost his father when he was two. He was raised by his mother along with his younger sister Ann at 4511 N. Hall. He attended SMU where he met his future wife, Patricia. Bill’s father, Roy Chester Gilliland was only 39 when he died.  Roy Gilliland was born in 1890 to …