How did these neighborhoods get their start? Read on:
1846 – Capt. Jefferson Peak passes
1855 – Peak returns with his family, and Peak’s Suburban Addition is born with the construction of a large farmhouse near what is now the corner of Worth and Peak. The topography of the area is hilly and interspersed with creeks, marshes and bogs, making a journey to the Dallas Courthouse an arduous journey.
1857 – Immigrant Henri Boll christens a dusty rural lane
after his native country.
1871 – Confederate Capt. William H. Gaston joins Peak in
. He builds his own Greek Revival estate in Peak’s Suburban Addition. Deploring his isolation, he gives land to friends and business associates, encouraging them to build homes. Over the next several years, the marshes and bogs are filled and the land leveled so that development can happen.
1882 – Due to rapid growth, the area’s leading citizens meet and vote to incorporate as a separate municipality,
1885 – Capt. Peak dies, and his son, Junius, begins large-scale subdivision of the family’s extensive land holdings.
1888-1893 – Street cars lines, most predominantly the
December 1889 –
1893 – An economic crash halts nearly all suburban construction. Five local banks fail, and countless community leaders lose fortunes and homes. The downturn, however, means that when the next phase of development starts more than a decade later, it will be a much more careful effort.
1901 – The first automobile is registered in
1905 – Robert S. Munger, a cotton gin manufacturer, creates
immediately to the east of Peak’s Suburban Addition, offering lots for families to build homes. The first planned and deed-restricted subdivision in
were to cost a minimum of $10,000 to build. Other streets’ costs were less. Neighborhood home values therefore range between $2,500 and $40,000.
1905 – Dr. R.W. Baird is the first to build on
; he constructs an immense Classic Revival mansion at 5303 Swiss.
1907 —
is annexed by the city of
1916 – Munger Place has doubled in size, adding lots and houses on Gaston and
.
Through the 1920s – Most of
’s 200 homes are built, representing a variety of styles
1923 – Munger’s
, La Vista, is added. The development’s original 20 blocks have been expanded to 83.
1915-1930 – Large apartment buildings pop up around Peak’s Suburban Addition.
1930s – During the Depression, many
homes are converted to multifamily houses to support their owners.
1932 – The last house — until decades later — is built on
.
1941 – The Ford Motor Company on East Grand puts out a call for more workers for the war effort. Providing homes for these workers was considered a patriotic duty, so “Room For Rent” signs show up in the windows of the area’s larger homes.
1950s & 1960s – Because of housing demand and zoning changes, homes in
and
are further converted into apartments. The area continues to decline, and property values plummet.
Early 1960s – Residents between the blocks of Fitzhugh and Collett voluntarily remove the neighborhood’s deed restrictions. Deed restrictions between Skillman and La Vista expire shortly thereafter.
Late 1960s – The decay of the neighborhoods reaches a peak, and the area approaches a slum. It’s a haven for motorcycle gangs, drug users, alcoholics, criminals and prostitutes.
1971 – A city planner suggests the creation of a historic district for
. Neighborhood leaders begin raising money and organizing toward this purpose.
1972 – Members of the newly created Historic Preservation League (HPL) — which will eventually become Preservation Dallas — begin canvassing the neighborhood to garner cooperation for their plan. Support is not high, but they soldier on anyway.
1973 – HPL convinces the City Council to pass the Dallas Preservation Ordinance. A year later, it publishes “Buying a Home in Old East Dallas,” part of a major marketing program to interest potential residents in purchasing and preserving homes in the area.
July 1973 – Swiss Avenue is designated as a historic district. With more than 100 homes, it includes Swiss Avenue,
, and sections of Live Oak, La Vista and
.
1976-1979 – HPL is instrumental in the establishment of the Munger Place Historic District Revolving Fund. During this time, 27 homes are purchased and sold for restoration purposes, and
attracts about $5 million in private reinvestment.
1980 — The Munger Place Historic District is created with more than 200 homes between
1993 – The Peak’s Suburban Addition of the Millcreek Neighborhood is nominated for designation as a Dallas Landmark.
1995 – Peak’s is named
