DeGolyer Estate
Also known as: Everette DeGolyer House (Rancho Encinal)
Why it's listed
Rancho Encinal is a single-story Spanish Colonial Revival house on 43 wooded acres overlooking White Rock Lake in Dallas. Built from 1938 to 1940 for oil geophysicist and book collector Everette Lee DeGolyer and his wife Nell, it was designed by California architects Denman Scott and Burton Schutt. Stone, stucco and brick walls, wrought iron grilles and a red tile roof give it the look of a southwestern hacienda. Inside, a 35-by-50-foot library once held 15,000 volumes, and the Indian Room displays vigas and a curved fireplace. Landscape architect Arthur Berger laid out formal gardens, a magnolia allee, cutting gardens and orchards, some with ornaments bought from the Hearst estate. DeGolyer is regarded as a father of American geophysics, and the house reflects his wide interests and his fondness for the Southwest. The house and grounds remain largely unaltered, and the city of Dallas acquired the estate after the DeGolyer Foundation passed it to Southern Methodist University.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as one of the most important domestic examples of Spanish Colonial Revival in the Southwest and unique in Texas. It is also tied to Everette Lee DeGolyer, a pioneer of scientific oil exploration, book collector and philanthropist. The largely unaltered gardens, designed by Arthur Berger, form an integral part of the design.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002914, listed December 28, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8525 Garland Rd., Dallas |
|---|---|
| County | Dallas County |
| Listed | December 28, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002914 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1938-1940 |
| Architect / builder | Denman Scott, Burton Schutt (architects); Arthur Berger (landscape architect) |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Science, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered; the form checks unoccupied status. It was owned by the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, with the grounds considered for an arboretum and adaptive uses for the house under consideration. |
| Acreage | 43.1 |
| Coordinates | 32.82167, -96.71781 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002914.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107322196
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.