National Register Listing

Romine Avenue Historic District

2300--2400 blocks of Romine Ave., N side, Dallas, TX

The Romine Avenue Historic District encompasses a two-block area of Romine Avenue between Octavia and Latimer streets in South Dallas and includes a small but cohesive grouping of Tudor Revival-inspired domestic buildings that were built between 1926 and 1938. The district is an important part of South Dallas' African American heritage and is representative of the concerted effort undertaken by the City, local financial institutions, and powerful community organizations such as the South Dallas Improvement League to establish racially based sections of town. Houses in the district were built exclusively for African Americans; however, they are larger and more substantial than most other residences in the area, and historically were occupied by prominent members of the Dallas African American community. Moreover, the brick- and stone-faced exteriors, Tudor Revival detailing and limited alterations distinguish these buildings from most others in South Dallas, setting them apart as an elite enclave among more modest neighborhoods in the area. Although the Romine Avenue Historic District is not the oldest or largest neighborhood in South Dallas, it is significant for its historical associations and its architectural integrity and design. The district is nominated under Criterion A in the areas of Ethnic History (black) and Community Planning and Development, and Criterion C in the area of Architecture, both at the local level. It is associated with the historic context, The Development of East and South Dallas: 1872-1945.

Local significance of the district:
Architecture; Black; Community Planning And Development

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.