Joe and Lois Perkins Estate

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the Joe and Lois Perkins Estate in Wichita County. Now settle in, because this one's about the kind of place that stops you cold the moment you lay eyes on it. A Tudor Revival home, and not just any Tudor Revival.

We're talking a steep-pitched roof, arcaded loggias, steel casement windows. The walls? Oklahoma sandstone and wire cut brick.

The shingles came all the way from Siam. Siam. Someone made a decision, said no ordinary roof will do for this house, and ordered shingles from the other side of the world.

That tells you something about the ambition behind this estate before you even step through the door. The design came from the firm of Fooshee and Cheek, and they handed the grounds over to Hare and Hare, who had their own ideas about what the outside should say. The original landscaping included a small pond, a rustic stone bridge, brick and cast stone pylons, and ornamental iron fencing.

It wasn't just a yard. It was a composition. A setting built to match a house that was already making a statement.

But here's the part that outlasts the stonework and the imported shingles. In 1941, Joe and Lois Perkins established the Joe and Lois Perkins Foundation, built to support charities in the local community and across Texas. The house is a landmark.

The foundation is a legacy. And that legacy didn't stop with Joe and Lois. The Perkins Prothro Foundation carries that mission forward today.

The Tudor Revival home still stands, steep roof and all, as one of many surviving symbols of what the Perkins and Prothro families built and left behind. Some houses tell you who lived there. This one tells you what they cared about.

What the marker says

The Joe and Lois Perkins Estate is one of many surviving symbols of the legacy of the Perkins and Prothro families. The Tudor Revival home was designed by Fooshee and Cheek with a steep-pitched roof, arcaded loggias and steel casement windows. It was made of Oklahoma sandstone, wire cut brick, Siam imported shingles and steel casement wi[n]dows. Designed by Hare and Hare, original landscaping included a small pond, rustic stone bridge and brick and cast stone pylons with ornamental iron fencing. In 1941, the Joe and Lois Perkins Foundation was established to support charities in the local community and across Texas. Now the Perkins Prothro Foundation continues that mission. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2015