Merriman Park/University Manor Neighborhood Is a Northeast Dallas Oasis for Peace and Quiet
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When we look for a place to call home, what we are really looking for is an oasis away from work, away from traffic and, away from the chaos of living in a major metropolitan city such as Dallas. Now there may be some doubters that think such an oasis does not exist in Dallas. Those doubters have never visited the North Dallas neighborhood of Merriman Park/University Manor (MPUM).
When I asked MPUM residents what made their particular oasis so special, they responded with how quiet the connected neighborhoods are. I was dubious because this part of Northeast Dallas is bordered by Northwest Highway and Skillman Street/Abrams Road. Let me tell you how wrong I was. The minute you turn into the neighborhood the noise just fades away.
“We hear that this neighborhood is a well kept secret and in a lot of ways, it is,” said Dottie Giesler, who has lived in MPUM with her husband, Robert, since 1987.
“You can tell when there’s an issue on Northwest Highway,” said Bill Houghton, the outgoing president of the MPUM Neighborhood Association. “People start driving through our neighborhood and you can tell they have no idea where they are going because we are an interior neighborhood.”
Originally an orchard of pecan trees, Merriman Park/University Manor is a neighborhood of 1950s Ranch-style homes that will take you back in time to that era. Unlike many older neighborhoods in Dallas that are dealing with original homes being replaced with quickly built, oversized, white box homes, MPUM remains the same as when the neighborhood was constructed.
“We have good neighbors and well built homes,” Dottie said.
The MPUM Oasis Starts with Pecan Trees and Beautification
The entrances to the MPUM neighborhood are landscaped by neighbors who volunteer their time to plant new flowers each season.
“In 1956 there was a University Manor Garden Club,” Dottie said. “I was their new blood,” when her family moved into the neighborhood. “They had been planting the same flowers at the same entrances for way too long. So we changed the soil and planted different flowers.”
While each of the entrances into the neighborhood have their own personalities, how they make the residents feel is the same.
“A lot of people feel grounded in our neighborhood,” Houghton said. “There’s busyness all around us but then you come into our neighborhood and it’s quiet and like a safe harbor.”
That feeling is not by accident, Robert said.
“We have worked really hard over the years with programs like the Expanded Neighborhood Program” where neighborhoods can hire off duty police officers to patrol their community. “We tell everybody that if you see something, say something and we have people who watch out for each other.”
“I think it’s a real coup to have a neighborhood school where parents can walk their children to school or send them to school and not be afraid,” Dottie said.
New Neighbors Hope to Carry On the MPUM Legacy
There are still some original residents living there, who bought and built their Merriman Park/University Manor homes in the 1950s, but approximately one-third of the 700 homes in the neighborhood have changed hands within the last several years, Houghton said. One would think that with that type of turnover, the neighborhood vibe would change. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“There is a culture in this neighborhood, we are a very eclectic neighborhood,” Robert said.
“When new people move in, we just don’t stand around and stare at them. We go up and introduce ourselves and welcome them to the neighborhood.”
Gretchen Seller, who moved into MPUM in 2020, knows first hand how much of a difference that makes to feeling at home.
“I just really feel like we have found this gem,” Seller said. “I did not grow up in a neighborhood like this. I was in a busy area. It means a lot for my family to be here, to know our neighbors, to feel safe. It’s the people that make it special.”
A Solid Foundation
At the end of May, a new slate of officers will take over the MPUM neighborhood association.
“When we moved here in 1987 there was already a neighborhood association and those folks set the foundation for the community and a social foundation,” Robert said. “That foundation has gone forward.”
“There’s been a new sense of energy in the last couple of years,” Seller said. “There’s a sense of excitement. I meet new people on walks, and new families. It’s a special place.”
“Bill, Robert, and Dottie are the heart of the neighborhood,” Seller said. “I hope I can carry on their legacy.”
If Seller and the new neighborhood association board members are successful, then the oasis that is the Merriman Park/University Manor neighborhood will continue for generations to come.
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I grew up in MP. My father built our home in 1956 to accommodate our growing family. I was born in 1957! I lived there until I was 18. I have wonderful memories of the neighborhood and I am still friends with my classmates. We lived on Winchester and had a large pecan tree in the front yard.
Thank you for the article
I wouldn’t be surprised if that pecan tree is still there. The trees and canopies are sensational. Thank you for the read.
I was 4 when my family built a house on Kingsbury in 1961. The very first person I met was a little girl my age that lived across the street and we have been best friends for 63 years! It was an awesome place to grow up.
Now that is a story all by itself. I’m so glad you enjoyed the story. I very much enjoyed getting to know Merriman Park/University Manor.
I grew up in Merriman Park on Town North across from LL Hotchkiss and went to School there all through Elementary. I moved in, in 1976 and just sold my Parents House in December of 2024 and retired to Florida. I tell ya I do miss the old neighborhood. It was a great neighborhood to grow up in so many kids my age when I was young. I still have friends that I met back when I was a kid from the neighborhood. I do hope the new residents keep up the tradition. That neighborhood is a rare gem.
My fiancé’ and I just bought the house I grew up in on Winchester. My family moved here in 1967 and sold the house after their youngest (me) went off to college. My brothers and I have so many fond memories of growing here. We are still friends with many of our neighbors that we grew up with. It is truly a special place.
It is the loveliest of neighborhoods. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Have a great rest of the week.
I grew up there also, on Whitehill St and later as an adult bought the family home from someone else. Many of the same neighbors were still there and I enjoyed my time as a Merriman Park homeowner. My parents moved to Moss Farms area which is also a great family neighborhood.
I grew up In Merriman Park, my family moved there in 1967. It was a beautiful and quiet neighborhood back then. I walked to and from school everyday. Unless it was raining, my Mom would pick us up. Summers were fun, our elementary school would have a summer program that we could play softball, do crafts, and play all kinds of organized games. I always went to Bible school in the summer at the Town North Baptist Church. On occasion I drive through the old neighborhood to reminisce about all the good times and fun I had with all of my friends. I love driving by my old house, the people that own it have taken spectacular care of it, it still looks beautiful!
Hi Robin, we were elementary school classmates. I grew up on Town North Dr. My family moved there over 63 years ago. My mother still lives in the house I grew up in, so although I live in Austin, I visit the old neighborhood regularly. It was a great place to grow up and I love visiting often.