South Boulevard-Park Row Historic District
South Blvd. and Park Row from Central, Dallas, TXThe South Boulevard/Park Row District encompasses one of the few relatively intact neighborhoods of the early twentieth century to be found in Dallas. The significance of the area to the development and maturation of the City can be described in physical as well as social considerations.
Architecturally, the area is a lasting reminder of the exuberance of the twenties. Dallas, long a city concerned with its style and image, prided itself on its sophistication. The Chicago School, developed under the tutelage of Adler and Sullivan and continued by Wright was widely regarded as the fashionable look. Although the streets represent an overall eclectic mix (particularly the larger, more flamboyant mansions in the South) the overall Chicago motif predominates.
The architects represented in the district were the most prominent designers available in the region. Swiss Avenue (National Register 1974) boasted many of the same designers and a common visual bond is readily apparent. The firms of Lang & Witchell (Sanger Complex, National Register, 1975), Howard Myers, Hubbel and Greene, George Dahl (Fair Park), Roscoe DeWitt, H.A. Overbeck, and Hal Thompson were all active in the area.
The neighborhood developed rapidly after the 1913 relocation of Temple Emanuel El to South Boulevard at Harwood Street from its former location near downtown (Ervay at St. Louis). The move of this Reformed Jewish congregation was necessitated by the rapid growth of the congregation (a sign of Dallas' commercial growth, as many of the Jewish residents, were involved in mercantile-related activities) and its proximity to the developing area that extended in an axial path leading south from downtown from Dallas' really first residential neighborhood, the Cedars of Ervay.
The 1920's witnessed the evolution of the neighborhood to the focus of social, cultural, and religious activity of Dallas Jewry. Many of the City's most prominent families lived in the district. Probably the most well-known name is that of Herbert Marcus (2620 South Boulevard), co-founder and first president of the world-famous specialty store, Nei- man- Marcus. Linz and Kahn were two other important merchandizing families. Involvement in civic affairs followed commercial success for numerous residents.
In the early 1950s, the synagogues relocated to some of the more outer-lying areas of North Dallas, thus terminating South Boulevard's status as the Jewish community's focus. Yet the district maintained its eth- nic-racial homogeneity by becoming one of the first free-choice house locales in the city. After World War II, these single-family homes were bought by many well-to-do blacks who continue to reside there today. Many black educators, lawyers, merchants, business executives, and clergymen live in the district.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
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.