Kessler Park Historic District

The Kessler Park Historic District is a remarkably intact residential area in Oak Cliff's most architecturally significant neighborhood. The district has a high concentration of the 1920s and 1930s dwellings and boasts many outstanding local examples of Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The district is eligible at a local level under Criterion C in the area of Architecture, as part of the historic context Suburban Residential Development in Oak Cliff, Dallas, 1887-1944. The period of significance is from the sale in 1923 of the first parcel of land in the development to 1944, the fifty-year cutoff date at the time of nomination. It includes four separately developed additions, all of which share the name Kessler in their titles, hence the district's name. Few post-1944 buildings intrude upon its historic character and ambiance. Properties excluded solely on the basis of their construction date may be considered as Contributing upon reaching 50 years of age.

City directories and Sanborn maps reveal that much of the historic district was developed in the late 1920s and 1930s. Kessler Park's grand, formal mansions were home to many of Dallas' most influential political and business figures. While the district failed to surpass the prestigious reputation of Dallas' affluent Highland Park, it still was recognized as a place of lavish and architecturally graceful residences situated within a thoughtful and coherent urban plan. Kessler Park's unique features and many amenities (such as the Stevens Park golf course) attracted many locally prominent citizens who often erected houses that symbolized their financial wealth, social status and standing in the community.

The origins of the Kessler Park development date to March 19, 1923, when R.H. Stewart sold a parcel of land in northern Oak Cliff to S.A. Temple. Ten days later, these men dedicated the Kessler Square Addition. The addition comprised ten blocks in the southern part of the Historic District, along Windomere, Edgefield, Clinton, and Winnetka avenues, between Colorado Boulevard to the north and Stewart Drive to the south.

The houses in Kessler Square are on small lots and are rather simple in design. The house at 1035 N. Edgefield (1930, Site No. K6-4921) is a good example of the diminutive plan of most of the houses in this addition. It illustrates the Spanish Colonial Revival style quite well, with detailing such as a flat roof, stuccoed wall, and a prominent doorway arch (McAlester, pp. 416-7, 429).

The second addition in the historic district, known as the Kessler Highlands Addition, was filed on November 30, 1923, by J.B. Salmon, president of the Kessler Highlands Development Company. The bulk of this subdivision consists of long, rectangular blocks that run east to west (8/ii). However, unlike the strict gridiron plan of the first addition, the portion of Kessler Highlands within the historic district is slightly asymmetrical in the plan. The main north-south thoroughfare, Tyler Avenue, is west of the district's center.

The rhythm and regular setbacks of the houses in Kessler Highlands follow that of Kessler Square. The lots and houses are small, again differentiating this addition from the later Kessler Park additions to the northwest. The houses on the south side of Salmon Drive are all good examples of the Tudor Revival style, with steeply pitched roofs, side gables, tall, narrow windows, arched doorways, and decorative chimney pots. A similar row of Tudor Revival-style houses can be found one street down.

The bungalows at 811 and 815 Stewart have craftsman details, such as large square porch columns and exposed rafters and brackets. While this plan and detailing were popular throughout Oak Cliff, craftsman detailed bungalows were rare in Kessler Park.

Occasionally, houses with an eclectic blend of styles can be found within the Historic District. The 2-story brick house at 951 Turner combines Prairie School details such as its hipped roof and long, narrow iron window railing, with Italianate roof brackets and arched windows. In addition, the fine ironwork above and within the projecting entry porch resembles the French Colonial buildings of New Orleans.

The third phase of the district's development occurred in 1924 when R.H. Stewart conveyed a tract of land to the North Texas Trust Company, E.S. Owens, president. On April 19, 1924, the company filed a plat for the Kessler Park Addition, which was immediately north of the Kessler Square Addition. Unlike the two earlier subdivisions, the Kessler Park Addition was irregularly shaped with large lots on each side of the circular Canterbury Court.

The fourth and final addition to the historic district was the Second Section of Kessler Park, filed for record on August 23, 1924. Like much of the other property in the district, the North Texas Trust Company was involved in its development. This addition featured winding circular streets within an 11-block area in the northwest corner of the district.

The houses in both the third and fourth Kessler Park additions exhibit irregular placement and setback. While much larger than properties in the first two sections of the historic district, these houses utilize the same range of styles. For example, the house at 1227 Windomere is similar to the smaller Tudor Revival-style residences on Salmon Drive. The 2-story brick house at 1206 N. Clinton is also a good example of the Tudor Revival style, with its unique faux thatch main roof and front porch roof. The massive Tudor Revival 2-story brick house at 1414 W. Colorado has retained many superb details of that style including faux half-timbered gables, bowed faux thatch roofline, diamond-paned windows, and a massive chimney. Castellated cast stone window surrounds draw the eye from the chimney on the north (main) facade to two massive octagonal cast stone columns on the east (side) facade.

The 2 1/2-story brick house at 950 N. Mont Clair features typical Colonial Revival detailing. This includes a side-gabled pedimented roof, a symmetrical front facade, and a small, 1-story porch with a decorated crown supported by slender Ionic columns and pilasters.

The Kessler Park additions also feature larger Spanish Colonial Revival-style homes, such as the house at 1215 Winnetka. Although similar to the smaller Spanish Colonial Revival style houses found in the Kessler Square Addition, this house illustrates the more elaborate detailing applied north of Colorado Boulevard. Spanish Eclectic details include a low-pitched roof of Spanish tile, a stucco facade, and elaborate wooden door surrounds. Mature trees and gentle landscaping help to integrate this property into the rest of the neighborhood.

George Kessler, a landscape architect from Kansas City, Kansas, advocated the integration of greenbelts in urban developments. He had spent part of his childhood in Dallas but moved away while still a youth. He returned as a nationally recognized landscape architect in 1907. The four additions that comprise the Kessler Park Historic District were named for him, however, research has failed to establish a direct connection between Kessler and the development.

In 1910 he was hired by the City Commission and the Fair Park Board to develop a master plan to manage Dallas' rapid growth in the early 20th century (see context statement for more information). He recommended that the city acquire more parkland, and in recognition of the growing influence of the automobile, he suggested that the city improve and standardize street construction and improvements. For Oak Cliff, he called for the creation of a greenbelt boulevard to serve as a tie between Oak Cliff and greater Dallas and he spoke of the need for the construction of levees on the Trinity River since flooding had proven to be a serious impediment to the area's development.

Although never fully implemented, the Kessler Plan, as his report came to be known, influenced residential development in Oak Cliff and other parts of Dallas. The Coomb's Creek greenbelt in the northern part of the district complied with Kessler's desire for more parks and green space in the city. Concurrently, increased use of the automobile opened new lands for development, and the natural landscape and craggy terrain that would comprise the Kessler Park Historic District suddenly became more appealing. Soon it was developed as an affluent residential neighborhood.

The Kessler Park Historic District retains a high degree of architectural and design integrity. Since its development in the 1920s, the district has remained an affluent neighborhood in Oak Cliff, with most of its houses continuously occupied by their respective owners.

The historic buildings have been well maintained and preserved, and restoration activities have been limited due to the sensitive care home owners traditionally have shown toward their properties. The district boasts many outstanding local examples of Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Kessler Park is an interesting experiment in the democracy of design. Earlier additions featuring modest dwellings were juxtaposed with those sporting mansions. Overall, the district demonstrates an evolution of design, as George Kessler's ideas became more important with each addition to the subdivision.