DeGolyer House

Duane's take

The official marker's the source here, and I'm just the one bringin' it to life for you — this is Duane, and this is the story of the DeGolyer House. Now, if you were going to build a life worth remembering, you might start the way Everette Lee DeGolyer did — born in Greensboro, Kansas, in 1886, heading off to the University of Oklahoma to study, and somehow, before he even finished his degree, managing to take part in major oil exploration successes in Mexico. Not after graduation.

Not after years of experience. While he was still a student. He did go back to finish that degree, mind you.

And while he was at it, he married Nell Virginia Goodrich of Norman, Oklahoma — she was born in 1886 as well. Those two would be partners in just about everything that followed. DeGolyer went on to become a world renowned petroleum geologist.

But here's the detail that catches you sideways — the man was also a rare book collector. One of the great ones, apparently. A geologist with an eye for old pages.

Make of that what you will. By 1936, Everette and Nell DeGolyer, along with their four children, had made their way to Dallas. And they didn't just rent something and settle in — they hired California architects Denman Scott and Burton Schutt to design them a proper home.

The site they chose looked out over White Rock Lake, and the vision they had was something to match it. Construction began in 1938. The house was completed in 1940.

What Scott and Schutt delivered was a rambling one-story structure built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style — evocative of a Mexican hacienda, the marker says, and noted for its picturesque massing and fine craftsmanship. Those are not small words. Somebody was paying attention to every detail on that place.

And the grounds weren't an afterthought either. Noted landscape architect Arthur Berger came in to plan the estate's surroundings, with an eye toward complementing the natural setting rather than overpowering it. Everette DeGolyer died in 1956.

Nell lived on until 1972. After they were both gone, the DeGolyer Foundation made a decision that says something about what kind of people they were — it donated the house, the grounds, and the library to Southern Methodist University. The university held onto the library.

The City of Dallas stepped in and purchased the house and grounds in 1975. A home built on oil and old books, overlooking a lake in Dallas, designed to feel like a hacienda on the Texas frontier — and in the end, given back to the city that surrounds it. That's not a bad way to leave your mark.

What the marker says

A native of Greensboro, Kansas, Everette Lee DeGolyer (1886-1956) participated in major oil exploration successes in Mexico while still a student at the University of Oklahoma. Returning to complete his degree, he married Nell Virginia Goodrich (1886-1972) of Norman, Oklahoma. DeGolyer became a world renowned petroleum geologist and rare book collector. In 1936 Everette and Nell DeGolyer and their four children moved to Dallas. They hired California architects Denman Scott and Burton Schutt to design their new home overlooking White Rock Lake. Exhibiting outstanding features of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the house was begun in 1938 and completed in 1940. Noted landscape architect Arthur Berger planned the grounds of the estate to complement its natural surroundings. An important addition to Texas' architectural history, the rambling one-story house is evocative of a Mexican hacienda and noted for its picturesque massing and fine craftsmanship. Following the DeGolyers' deaths, the DeGolyer Foundation donated the house, grounds, and library to Southern Methodist University. The library was retained by the university, and the house and grounds were purchased by the City of Dallas in 1975. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992