On Nov. 3, 1845, President Anson Jones of the Republic of Texas granted 640 acres of land to Robert Moore and his heirs.
Several transfers of ownership followed Moore’s receipt of the property, the most significant being the transaction which resulted in the development of the East Dallas neighborhood Hollywood Heights.
On June 18, 1924, Joseph B. Salmon, president of the Hollywood Company, purchased the land and named it the “Hollywood Addition” and had it annexed into Dallas County.
Salmon, along with two other shareholders, Emma M. Hervey and Henry Yeager, had visions of developing the area to complement the “affluent” Lakewood development.
After building his own home at 1003 Clermont, Salmon’s vision became reality, as evidenced by the similarity in terrain, architecture, and interior features of homes found in both neighborhoods. In addition to developing Hollywood Heights, Salmon is also responsible for Kessler Highlands in Oak Cliff.
Bordered by East Grand Avenue on the East, Valencia Street on the South, and the Santa Fe Railroad on the North and West, Hollywood Heights is nestled among rolling hills, winding streets, terraced lawns, and predominantly English Tudor cottages.
Peaked roofs, elaborate masonry, high gables, and stone porticos are but a few exterior features that attract admirers of older homes to the area.
Interiors preserve the charm and ambiance of another time and lifestyle through the presence of leaded and stained glass windows, doors, and cabinets; hardwood floors; tiled fireplaces; pedestal sinks, and clawed foot bathtubs. According to family historian and Salmon’s great-grandaughter, Sharon O’Rourke, homes in the Hollywood Addition initially sold for approximately $3,500.
In the early ‘70s, when the movement to preserve and restore older homes and buildings was gaining momentum throughout the country, houses in the addition could be purchased in the high teens and low twenties.
It was during the ‘70s that the Hollywood Addition, along with two other subdivisions, Santa Monica and Colliers Annex, were renamed by a neighborhood group as Hollywood Heights.
Joseph Salmon was a native Texan and well known in Dallas oil and real estate circles. He was praised for showing his civic pride and faith in the City of Dallas through his development of the Hollywood Addition. It is those qualities and a sense of community that established Hollywood Heights residents cite when they say, “Hooray for Hollywood!”
A special thanks goes to the grandson, Joseph O’Rourke, and wife Evelyn; and great granddaughter Sharon O’Rourke, for providing numerous facts, details, and photographs for this article.
