In 1914 oilman and developer Claude Cain built an estate he named "Ravinia" which still stands today, although dense woods seclude the home from view. An arched, wrought iron entry gate on Jefferson Boulevard is the only clue to its existence. The estate had an early swimming pool with no filtration system, necessitating periodic drains and fills. Cain developed the area over a period spanning the 1920s through the 1950s.

In this compact neighborhood, Tudor cottages sit around the corner from 1940s traditional homes, which look up the hillsides to 1950s contemporaries. Of note are the rugged stone and brick houses with a western influence, and some of the 1950s split-level contemporaries that take advantage of their hillside lots. Some make liberal use of glass on exterior walls, visually bringing the woods inside. Small tributaries to Coombs Creek run through Ravinia Heights both to the east and west, providing the wooded ravines that gave the neighborhood its name. It is this secluded, forest-like setting that gives the area such appeal. While Ravinia Drive, on the western edge of the development, is lined with estates from the 1920s, the interior streets conceal the fact that this neighborhood is surrounded by a busy urban landscape of shopping and thoroughfares.

The residents of Ravinia Heights enjoy rustic homes in a tranquil setting that seems far away from the rush of the city. The architecture is handsome, the neighborhood is well maintained, and the homeowners have one of the best kept secrets in Dallas.