The boundaries of Lakewood Shopping Center were defined by residential developments preceeding or coinciding with the Center’s beginnings.
Between 1900 and 1910, the population of Dallas more than doubled, jumping from 42,638 to 92,104. In East Dallas, the early Munger Place development benefited from this citywide population explosion.
With the dramatic growth, City wells, the Trinity River and Turtle Creek no longer provided an adequate water supply. The 1903 Bachman Lake reservoir helped, but during dry spells water was hauled in by wagon.
In 1911, White Rock Lake was formed by damming White Rock Creek, and the Renaissance Revival-style pump station was built adjacent to the dam. A nearby treatment plant was added in 1923.
Now, these two highly visible buildings and their 140-foot smoke stacks are Dallas landmarks, housing the City’s Water Operations control center and an assembly hall available to the public.
With East Dallas’ water supply seemingly secure in 1912, some of Munger Place’s residents chartered Dallas’ second country club, naming it Lakewood Country Club.
By the 1920s, Munger Place stretched from Fitzhugh to La Vista, including a large section of today’s Junius Heights neighborhood. Encouraged by these successes and Dallas’ continuing growth, Albert Dines and Lee R. Kraft joined forces in 1922 to develop a residential district east of “old Greenville Road,” now Abrams Road. The addition was called Lakewood Country Club Estates, and deed restrictions similar to those used effectively on Swiss Avenue were adopted.
Land and money were donated by Lakewood Country Club and Lakewood Country Club Estates to extend Gaston Avenue north of “old Greenville Road” along the Country Club grounds. In 1987, the City designated the portion of the Estates developed prior to World War II as a Conservation District.
During the ‘20s and ‘30s, parallel development was taking place in the “M” Streets and Hollywood/Santa Monica neighborhoods. Hollywood/Santa Monica received Conservation District status in 1989.
These early East Dallas residential developments are distinguished by an interesting variety of architectural styles. Frequently seen are adaptations of Tudor, Colonial Revival, Spanish Eclectic, French Eclectic, Prairie and Craftsman. The outstanding architectural and historic quality of these Conservation Districts rivals that of the Munger Place and Swiss Avenue Historic Districts and qualifies them for eventual historic designation.
