Thanks for meeting me at Brink’s for breakfast. Let’s go out and summon “Flying Red” from atop the Magnolia Building, and we’ll take a ride high above Gaston Avenue and across Haskell toward White Rock Lake. Here we go.
As you rise above Haskell, can you visualize a spacious, tree-lined Haskell Parkway with a hike and bike trail stretching from Oak Lawn to Fair Park? And a trolley connecting Fair Park, McKinney Avenue and Downtown Dallas? And look back at that spectacular skyline.
The Gothic spires of Grace United Methodist Church lie just south of us. A $2 million fundraising drive was launched in March to restore this beautiful landmark.
To the north are Peak and Bryan Streets, centers of multi-ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants. The City of Dallas’ plan for a Peak/Bryan Community Marketplace includes a pavilion for small vendors, community gardens, a park and a playground, facilities for weekend street vendors, landscaping and ceremonial gateways on Peak at Ross and Live Oak, and on Bryan at Haskell and Fitzhugh. Neighborhood residents and businesses have been involved in the planning process for several years.
Now, below us on either side of Gaston Avenue, lies the Mill Creek Neighborhood, named for the scenic creek that at one time was a major landscape feature. Today, the creek is encased in storm sewers underground, but there are those who dream of resurrecting it! A recent historic structures survey, commissioned by the City, has recommended several areas within Mill Creek for historic designation.
Since leaving Brink’s, we have been flying directly over one of these areas. Look down at the mixture of handsome Prairie-, Mission- and Tudor-style houses lining both sides of Gaston. Neighborhood representatives and Gaston property owners meet regularly with City planning staff to hammer out Planned Development zoning for the blocks between Carroll and Fitzhugh.
Their goal is to preserve the existing houses that have been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places and to encourage viable uses compatible with the single-family zoning on Swiss and Junius. At the same time, the residents of lower Swiss and Sycamore are gearing up to push immediately for historic designation, as recommended by the survey.
Look to the north as we cross Fitzhugh, and you’ll see Garret Park flanked by two imposing and historic churches, St. Matthew’s Cathedral and Munger Place United Methodist Church. Munger Place dedicated its Texas Historical Marker at the conclusion of morning worship services May 26.
Almost directly beneath us now are the oaks and magnolias of the Swiss Avenue Historic District’s wide boulevard, which is lined with impressive homes built between 1905 and 1925. The architectural variety reflects the trend of that period.
Look quickly to the south as we pass the spacious, Prairie-style homes of Munger Place Historic District. They’re barely visible through the canopy of massive, old trees. With its cool, shaded front porches, many with wood swings of the era, the Munger Place neighborhood exudes warmth and friendliness.
Between Munger Place and the tower of historic Lakewood Theater lies the Junius Heights Neighborhood, a delightful mixture of Craftsman bungalows and Tudor cottages. Residents of this energetic, multi-ethnic neighborhood and Munger Place have led the way in developing effective crime-fighting and code-enforcement strategies for Old East Dallas.
Now let’s have “Flying Red” drop us off at our homes. Next month – same time – meet me for breakfast at Little Gus’.
We’ve talked about several historic districts – Swiss Avenue, Munger Place and the Wilson Block. But did you know that Old East Dallas boasts a fourth? I’ll tell you about it next month.
