McIntosh, Roger D., House

Roger McIntosh has been generally recognized by area builders and designers as one of the most skilled stained-glass artisans in the region. McIntosh's commissions can be found throughout the Southwest, with a major concentration occurring locally. Many of his works can be found in previously designated National Register buildings. The Shack, his home and studio, contains the most extensive collection of his work and style. The entire edifice was designed and crafted by McIntosh, and its interior is an excellent example of individual art and genius and is representative of the craftsman movement of this era.

Roger D. McIntosh was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on October 8, 1888, and was brought to Dallas three months afterward to spend the remaining 88 years of his life. His father, a Civil War veteran, died while Roger was a small child and his mother, Abbie, raised Roger and his older brother, Eddie. Roger McIntosh's fascination with art glass came early. His first job at 12 years of age at the Dallas Book Bindery Company took him past the Dallas Art Glass Company on his way to and from work. It was not too long before he landed a job with this company. Eddie McIntosh took a job with Pittsburgh Plate Glass shortly after his younger brother began with Dallas Art Glass. Roger McIntosh left Dallas briefly to work for Waco Art Glass Company, but returned temporarily to Pittsburgh Plate Glass when his brother, Eddie, became ill. His temporary return to the City of Dallas became permanent when Eddie died. He remained with Pittsburgh from that date till his retirement.

McIntosh's stained-glass work was prodigious. Examples of his craftsmanship can be found throughout the Southwest (a partial listing of his projects can be found in the appendix). McIntosh's work can be seen in Dallas at the Adolphus Hotel, the Highland Park Methodist Church, Munger Place Methodist Church, Tyler Street Methodist Church, McFarlin Auditorium, and the Dallas Power-and-Light Building. Elsewhere at the Gunther Hotel in San Antonio, the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority House at the University of Texas, Austin, and the Alamo Hotel, Austin. He collaborated with the leading local architects of the period. A partial listing includes Sanguinet and Staats, Lang and Witchell, David Williams, and J. Allen Boyle.

McIntosh acquired the present property in 1922, and it would be his home for the rest of his life. It is probable that the original structure was built in the year 1921 by Virginia C. Lipscomb. Mrs. Lipscomb, a widow, taught school for many years in the area and bought a considerable property in the neighborhood. The William M. Lipscomb School, the local elementary school, is named for her husband and is just two blocks from the property. Lipscomb Street is a quiet residential enclave in that area.