In Fort Worth’s Berkeley Place, the ‘Poobah’ and Ole Governor Pappy Are Thriving

By John English
Contributing Writer

Located just northeast of Texas Christian University and two miles from downtown Fort Worth, Berkeley Place is a close-knit interconnected neighborhood of homeowners who love where they live.

Resident Lee Graham, who has lived in Berkeley Place for the last 12 years, said he could not have chosen a better place to call home.

“Having grown up in the nearby Park Hill neighborhood, the area carries great sentimental value and a palpable ‘home’ feel,” Graham said. “But more than that, it’s the neighbors, history and architectural style of these older homes that truly give the area character. Berkeley Place is a neighborhood where neighbors know one another, crime is low and residents participate in neighborhood association activities.”

The architecture styles for Berkeley Place homes include everything from Antebellum to Bungalow, Craftsman to French Creole and Streamline modern. Named the City of Fort Worth’s 2018 neighborhood of the year, Berkeley Place has a tangible sense of community that is visible in Berkeley Place‘s monthly newsletter called the Berkeley Place Poobah. 

Sidewalks with ornamental streetlights lend to the ambiance for walkers, joggers and bicycle riders alike, and Berkeley Place is a dog-friendly neighborhood with three parks and walking trails. Plus, residents gather for annual parades, parties, and dinners, and decorate homes for Halloween and Christmas with pride.

Novelist and local resident Judy Alter once wrote a brief history about her neighborhood saying that in the early 1900’s, the area was a dairy and grain farm that belonged to a gentleman named William Joseph Rogers. His farm was the last farm within Fort Worth city limits before a development company acquired the land, and then sold part of it to the railroad company and the ravine to the west, deemed a “wild and worthless area” to the city. That land became the Fort Worth Zoo.

The remodeled Rogers’ home — a Queen Anne — stills sits on Warner Road. It was once home to Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel of the Light Crust Doughboys, who was later elected as the 34th Governor of Texas from 1939-1941.

The resident Graham said that he has never regretted his decision to move to Berkeley Place and said it offers just about anything a family could want.

“Berkeley Place is an ideal neighborhood for young families,” Graham said. “It’s low crime, friendly neighbors and beautiful surroundings make it the perfect location for children growing up. Its proximity to medical facilities and public schools make it convenient, as does its quick access to nearby downtown, Interstate 30, Interstate 35, and Chisholm Trail Parkway.

“I would recommend the neighborhood for affluent young families seeking vintage homes of varying sizes in a neighborhood that truly embodies what the word ‘neighborhood’ is about,” Graham says.

The median home price is $746,390 and home values generally range from the $430,000’s to $1.3 million.

Berkeley Place is served by the Fort Worth ISD, and neighborhood kids attend Lily B. Clayton Elementary School, McLean Sixth Grade Center, McLean Middle School, and R.L. Paschal High School.

The community is less than a 10-minutes drive from the Fort Worth Zoo, the Log Cabin Village, and the hospital district, as well as numerous dining and shoping venues.

A Trulia user once described Berkeley Place well. It’s a “great little neighborhood in the core of Fort Worth. Older and historic homes with classic architecture, tile roofs, and big trees. Convenient to the zoo, museums, and some of Fort Worth’s best public schools.”