From Muddy Country Lane to Swiss Avenue - Tuesday, January 1, 2019

On a frigid New Year's Day, we set out on the last of our New Year's weekend Volksmarches. Our sign-in spot was inside a grocery store where it was warm and cozy. Suffice it to say, braving the wind and cold temperatures was not as appealing as staying inside with a cup of hot chocolate. The hot chocolate did not win out. Bob and I started walking toward the end of the sign-in period hoping it would warm up a bit, but it didn't do much good. 

Steeling ourselves against the chill wind, we took off toward Swiss Avenue Historic District and figured we'd decide whether to do the 6k or 11k when we got to the point in the walk where the routes parted. 

[NOTE: Historical facts in this blog are from numerous State of Texas Historical markers along the route.]

The organizers chose this walk in Dallas, Texas, to showcase an influential neighborhood started in 1905. If we go back a few more years to 1857, this was a muddy country lane when Swiss immigrant Henri Boll named it for his native land.

Swiss Avenue was lengthened and paved as part of Munger Place, an exclusive 140-acre residential development. Cotton gin manufacturer R.S. Munger, the developer, made sure the neighborhood appeared unified by imposing building requirements: $10,000 minimum cost, two-story height, uniform setbacks, architect-designed homes, and utilities brought in from the alleys. 

However, the houses are unique because residents were free to choose from a variety of architectural styles popular during the early 20th century. You will see many of these styles in my photos below.

Dr. R. W. Baird's Neo-Classical Revival residence was the first one erected in 1905. By 1920, about 200 elegant homes had been built in the Munger Place addition. Residents included prominent lawyers, bankers, merchants, industrialists and doctors.

5303 Swiss Ave., Dr. R.W. Baird's residence.

In recent years, Swiss Avenue declined. Some of the old homes were demolished or turned into apartments. Efforts of the Historic Preservation League and interested citizens to save the neighborhood resulted in the City of Dallas designating it as the city's first historic district in 1973.

Follow along as we explore Swiss Avenue Historic District and other historic neighborhoods nearby. 

On La Vista Drive, at the head of Swiss Avenue, is the Robert and Marie Stubbs house. Mississippi native Robert Campbell Stubbs moved to  Dallas in 1887 and established a paving business with his father, George W. Stubbs.  

Robert and Marie Stubbs Tudor-style house.

Dallas' economic growth and the coming of the automobile age led to a great demand for Stubbs' expertise in modern paving techniques. By 1922, he had patented Vibrolithic paving and was noted as one of the chief authorities on paving in the United States. His business success led to the construction of this house. 

The design drew upon features of England's Tudor Manor houses, a style popular in U.S. residences between World Wars I and II. Features of the style include a steeply pitched roof, half-timbered gables, distinctive chimneys, and low pointed-arch entry. A separate two-story garage and staff quarters also reflect Tudor characteristics.

Entry portal to Swiss Avenue.

As we pass through the portals into Swiss Avenue Historic District, we immediately notice the wide boulevard with trees down the middle. The restored homes are expansive, expensive, and well cared for. I took so many photos, but you need to see this place for yourself. Just a few homes are represented here.

Swiss Avenue's wide boulevard with trees.

A huge, historic Magnolia tree. Look at those roots!

From Swiss Avenue, we ventured into Munger Place Historic District where the homes are a less extravagant, but still quite nice.

Victorian.

Prairie style.

Here is where the 6k walk split off and we made the decision to continue on the 11k walk. By now we had warmed up a little, we liked what we saw, and knew we could make it. The route took us through Buckner Park and out to a more commercial area where we passed churches and medical buildings.

East Dallas Christian Church.

Grace United Methodist Church with its many
stained glass windows.

Grace United Methodist Church continued.

Criswell College. 

We walked behind the Beilharz Block and the Wilson Block (other important neighborhoods in Dallas). More on that in a minute. 

In a couple of blocks we came to Deep Ellum in East Dallas. Here we saw one of the commuter train stations and a view of the Dallas skyline. Plus, there's a very cute sculpture grouping here.

Beilharz House and carriage house.

Rear entry to the Beilharz Block.

Deep Ellum Station looking toward Dallas.

"Walking Tall," created by
Brad Oldham &
Brandon Oldenburg

Plaque about Traveling Man

How often do you see
a Maserati?

The Maserati.

Beilharz Block

The Beilharz Block is named after Theodore Beilharz, an early settler, who built the Beilharz house and carriage house located at 2800 Swiss Avenue. Mrs. Beilharz was a sister to Mrs. Frederick Wilson, whose house anchors the Wilson Block. All the other structures on this block were built between 1887-1901 within a mile of the site and were moved and restored by the Meadows Foundation in 1984-1985 to serve as offices for non-profit community organizations.

Front of the Beilharz house.

The Wilson Block: Another Swiss native son, Jacob Nussbaumer, a colonist in the Pioneer La Reunion Settlement of the Dallas area, purchased this land prior to the Civil War. In 1898, his wife Dorothea and children sold it to her niece, Henrietta Frichot Wilson, the daughter of La Reunion settlers.

Henrietta and her husband Frederick Wilson built their residence at this site in 1899 and later constructed six additional homes as rental property. Together, the houses were known as the Wilson Block of Swiss Avenue. The neighborhood was the home of many early Dallas leaders.

The various architectural styles represented in the Wilson Block reflect Victorian and Queen Anne influences. The homes feature similarities in composition, including frame construction, clapboard siding, decorative shingle patterns, gabled roofs, and intricate ornamentation.

The remainder of our walk was across the street from the way we entered Swiss Avenue. 

Baby, it's sill cold outside! Bob is usually in shorts!

Below is the story of the rebuilt Craftsman gates at this entrance to Swiss Avenue.

Many of the homes we saw on this side of the street had historical plaques next to their walkways.

Historical marker next to the sidewalk. Nice!

Italian Renaissance style.

Other architectural styles in this neighborhood include: Georgian, Spanish Baroque, Mediterranean, and Four-Square Prairie, to name just a few. 

From here, it was a short walk back to our start point. We checked back in at the Finish Table to let them know we made it back safe and sound and then we headed the car back to San Antonio. Lunch was next after which we took turns driving home. 

The New Year's walking weekend was a complete success. With a local club planning the routes, they took us past things we never knew existed. The walks were especially important to us because we had never spent much time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Thank you very much to Helen Hull and the Texas Volkssport Association for all your hard work to make this happen. We loved it!