Neighborhood Spotlight: Old East Dallas Has History and Charm

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6015 Bryan Parkway

This beautiful historic home at 6015 Bryan Pkwy. just hit the market. It’s located inside the Swiss Avenue Historic District, one of the many beautiful Old East Dallas neighborhoods.

Even being a long-time Dallas resident, you might not be familiar with the official lines of Old East Dallas, unless perhaps looking at homes in the area. Looking at the neighborhood’s past is like a fascinating history lesson! Four adjacent, amazing historic neighborhoods are all part of Old East DallasSwiss Avenue Historic District, Peak’s Suburban Addition, Munger Place, and Junius Heights.

Jimmy's-Food-Store_15Old East Dallas resident Elizabeth Nelson says the area is “often overlooked by real estate agents and people moving to Dallas, but when people do discover our area, they are usually thrilled to find us and do not want to leave.”

With the wealth of information on the area, this is no surprise at all. Rich in history, beauty, community, and popularity, Old East Dallas is getting a proper introduction in this piece. In articles to follow in the next several weeks here on CandysDirt.com, all four neighborhoods will be highlighted in more detail.

One of the interesting and important facts about Old East Dallas is it is the closest single-family zoned neighborhood to downtown Dallas.  The neighborhood offers an eclectic mix of significant historic architecture, spacious lot sizes, and memory-making front porches. In addition, it is close to all of the great classic and newer entertainment districts of Dallas, without being right in the middle of the sometimes lovely chaos. Old East Dallas zip codes include 75246, 75214, and 75204.

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East Dallas has always had an independent spirit and rich history. In 1872, William H. Gaston started promoting the land east of the city, and then a year or so later, railroad workers started setting up houses on the land in the undeveloped area between Dallas and East Dallas.

Gaston persuaded the railroads to go through his East Dallas property, and soon streetcar lines running to fairs and horse-racing tracks made the area a popular recreation destination.

According to the Texas State Historical Association:

On September 9, 1882, East Dallas was incorporated on a site of 1,400 acres. Some residents believed the town should be called Gaston rather than East Dallas…East Dallas was considered the most luxurious place to live in Dallas County; 90 per cent of its houses had running water pumped from deep wells by 1889. The main thoroughfares were well maintained, and a speed limit of eighteen miles an hour was set to slow down swift horses… In 1886 the first all-brick schoolhouse in Dallas County was built in East Dallas. In 1887 another boom occurred in East Dallas when the Texas State Fair and Dallas Exposition at Fair Park opened. In the late 1880s East Dallas reached a population of 6,000.

On January 1, 1890, after state senator R.S. Kimbrough’s successful bill to remove the charter of  East Dallas, it officially became part of the city of Dallas. Along with its streets, schools, and public buildings, Dallas also took over East Dallas’ debt, including a recently-approved $45,000 for street improvements. Around the same time, the annexation of East Dallas made Dallas the largest city in Texas.

It seems that through all of the change and growth, East Dallas never lost much of its personality. Historic home preservation, active neighborhood associations, and several yearly events only hint at the pride that East Dallas continues to show for its history — and for its future.
 
Virginia Savage McAlester’s article “Why I Love Old East Dallas” mentions the “astonishing variety of homes has attracted an equally amazing mixture of neighbors.” This seems to be true for much of East Dallas and Dallas in general, but that is quite a selling point and invitation for home hunters.
 
Like resident Nelson says, “Although we do consider ourselves the best kept secret in Dallas, we hope to not remain a secret forever.” Here at CandysDirt.com, there’s no way we’d allow that to happen! So, stay tuned for next week’s Old East Dallas neighborhood highlight.
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1 Comment

  1. Tiffany Terrill on September 7, 2023 at 12:39 am

    I was Born in raised in East Dallas 1977 in Baylor Hospital on Gaston Ave in fact City of Dallas sent my parents a thank you letter for my birth ! 06/06/1977 Tiffany Terrill born to Candice and Steve Terrill who owned small businesses throughout the years all over Dallas 1st was a small engine repair @ Munger and Santa fe train tracks we lived on MANETT AND RIEGER SHORTLY TILL WE MOVED IN TO MY childhood home at 5112 Tremont and in those days the neighbors decided to have a very private school MUNGER PLACE IT WAS K -4 I attended till 4 th grade my Mother was very political and signed everyone up to vote at fire house on Columbia Ave with my grandmother being STATE REP MARY RIFFE AND PASSING OF NORMAN J RIFFE SR ONE OF FIU DING MEMBERS IF SUPREME BEEF MASTERS WHERE my mother and siblings grew up on Swiss Ave we owned 2 homes on Swiss part of political history of the 60 &70 and my grandfather Bobby Rider and Steve Terrill owned BETTER BUILT MOTORS ON CANTON ST AMAZING PEOPLE NEIGHBORS AND Heart of History Dallas Tx we went Rudolf Meat Market and farmers market and huge Family Holidays and amazing Love and Happiness

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