243 Bushaway Rd
Wayzata, MN 55391, USA

1957 - Leigh Thomas House - 243 Bushaway Road

Excerpt from the History of Bushway Road and Its Neighborhood (1858-2009) by Irene Stemmer, of the Wayzata Heritage Preservation Board (HPB) as a means of preserving the history of the Bushaway Road and its neighborhood.

1957 - Leigh Thomas House - 243 Bushaway Road

Bushaway Road Leigh Thomas was the second son of Ralph D. Thomas, the original owner of 271 Bushaway. His lot was directly behind his brother Danforth’s house. Constructed in 1957, it is a late example of the Prairie Style. Having grown up in the “garage house” designed by Purcell & Elmslie, it is not at all unusual that it is of the same style as his boyhood home. The house has a low hipped roof and wide eaves commonly associated with this style. This house has a long shared driveway and faces south instead of east towards Bushaway Road. The present owners purchased the house in 1994.

House was built by my family

My parents, Leigh S Thomas and Harriet Burns Thomas, built this home in the fall of 1956. This property was part of my grandmother's3 acre parcel on the corner of Bushaway Rd. and LaSalle Street. My Uncle, Ralph Danford Thomas, Jr. On the adjoining property, directly on Bushaway Rd. was also part of my grandmother in 1954. Basically, this became the Thomas Family compound. My family moved from our home in St. Paul, and myself (Leigh S Thomas Jr., and my brother, William A Thomas), attended Wayzata High School. The house was built for only $25,000 at that time. It remained in our family until my mother passed in 1992.