The Munger Place Historic District is a neighborhood and historic district in Old East

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

( USA), generally lying between North Fitzhugh Avenue on the southwest, Gaston Avenue on the northwest, Henderson Avenue on the northeast, and Columbia Avenue on the southeast. Detailed boundaries are defined in th
Munger Place Ordinance
It is a Dallas Landmark District and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Munger Place was established in 1905 by cotton gin manufacturer

Robert S. Munger Robert Sylvester Munger (July 24, 1854 – April 20, 1923) and his wife Mary Collett Munger (1857–1924) invented the "system cotton gin". After that achievement, Munger started and ran some of the largest gin manufacturing companies in the Un ...

on as one of Dallas's first suburbs, and was originally intended to be one of the most exclusive communities in the city. To attract the "right" social element, Munger Place was carefully planned. Just minutes from

downtown Dallas Downtown Dallas is the central business district (CBD) of Dallas, Texas, United States, located in the geographic center of the city. It is the second-largest business district in the state of Texas. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally ...

by carriage, Munger Place became the very first deed-restricted neighborhood in Texas. Homes had to be a full two stories, cost at least US$2,000 and no house could face a side street. The infrastructure featured such amenities as sidewalks, paved streets, shade trees, sewers, gas mains, and electric street lights. Many of the Dallas' leading businessmen and social elite soon called magnificent Munger Place home. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

led many of the community's mansions to be converted into multi-family housing. The neighborhood lost its elite cachet, and by the 1960s many of the nicer houses in the area had been torn down or condemned. Starting in the 1970s, however, Munger Place began to be rediscovered, as enterprising individuals recognized the historic architecture (particularly

Prairie Style Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped ...

) and large spaces behind the neighborhood's dilapidated veneer.

Heritage designations

Only a portion of Munger Place is included in the Munger Place Historic District. Munger Place can be described as having northern, western, and southern portions. The northern and western portion of Munger Place is in the

Swiss Avenue Historic District The Swiss Avenue Historic District is a residential neighborhood in East Dallas, Dallas, Texas (USA). It consists of installations of the Munger Place addition, one of East Dallas' early subdivisions. The Swiss Avenue Historic District is a histor ...

. The southern portion generally is in the Munger Place Historic District. Separating the two historic districts is Gaston Avenue, and the lots on either side of Gaston Avenue are excluded from either historic district. In 1978, the National Park Service added Munger Place Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1980, the City of Dallas recognized the historic district as a Landmark District. The boundaries of the national and city districts are nearly the same. Comprising over 250 households it is the largest collection of Prairie-Style homes in America. With most of the homes now completely renovated, Munger Place has once again become a desirable neighborhood for families of all types looking for charming, historic homes near downtown Dallas. Each year the neighborhood holds a home tour and art festival that attracts fans of historic architecture and independent artists.

Education

The neighborhood is served by the

Dallas Independent School District The Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD or DISD) is a school district based in Dallas, Texas ( USA). It operates schools in much of Dallas County and is the second-largest school district in Texas and the seventeenth-largest in ...

(DISD). Residents in the neighborhood northeast of N Fitzhugh Avenue are zoned to

William Lipscomb Elementary School William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...

(grades PK-5) in Junius Heights, J.L. Long Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson High School. Residents in the neighborhood southwest of N Fitzhugh Avenue (along a short section of Tremont Street) are zoned to

Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School Ignacio is a male Spanish and Galician name originating either from the Roman family name Egnatius, meaning born from the fire, of Etruscan origin, or from the Latin name "Ignatius" from the word "Ignis" meaning "fire". This was the name of se ...

, Alex W. Spence Middle School, and North Dallas High School. Residents' children also attend various magnet schools in the district, as well as a variety of private schools in and around the area includin
Holy Trinity Catholic School
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Lakehill Preparatory School, St. John's Episcopal School and First Baptist Academy.

Photo gallery

Image:Munger Place Historic District4.JPG Image:Munger Place Historic District3.JPG Image:Munger Place Historic District2.JPG Image:Munger Place Historic District1.JPG Image:Munger Place Historic District6.JPG

References

External links

{{NRHP in Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Dallas Dallas Landmarks Neighborhoods in Old East Dallas Houses in Dallas County, Texas