Levi-Moses House

The Levi-Moses House is an exceptional example of an eclectic residence that displays Italian Renaissance and Prairie School stylistic influences. Further, it is one of the few original residences of the prestigious Edgewood Addition (1912) surviving on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Jr. Boulevard -- (MLK, formerly Forest Avenue), the principal streetcar route across South Dallas. Designed by popular Dallas architect, H. A. Overbeck, and built around 1915, the Levi-Moses House was part of the last exclusive addition of fine residences developed in South Dallas. Many of the Edgewood Addition's original Revival-style residences remain intact along South Boulevard and Park Row, two streets that run parallel and north of MLK. However, of the handful of original residences remaining on MLK, few retain their original architectural design. MLK, the only major east-west crosstown streetcar line in South Dallas, succumbed to the incremental commercialization and re-development that is typical along such carlines. Today, it is hard to recognize MLK for what it once was -- the most prestigious address in an exclusive neighborhood. The near-total destruction of MLK's original architectural fabric prevented its inclusion in the South Boulevard/Park Row Historic District (N.R. 1979). However, two noteworthy houses on the street, the Levi-Moses House (2433 MLK) and the Levi-Topletz House (2603 MLK), are among the most outstanding individual residences in all of South Dallas. Furthermore, the Levi-Moses House is an exemplary model of the type of prestigious home promoted in South Dallas by real estate-streetcar partnerships spanning four decades. The Levi-Moses House, which is nominated under Criterion C in the area of Architecture, and is associated with the historic context, The Development of East and South Dallas: 1872-1945.

The Edgewood Addition was the culmination of a quarter-century of development spawned by the construction and extension of streetcar lines through South Dallas to promote real estate sales in the area. New, fashionable trends in residential architecture found full expression in the Revival styles and Prairie School-influenced designs of the addition, distinguishing this neighborhood from earlier ones with Victorian-era and Craftsman houses. The identity of the addition was further defined by the many prominent Jewish families who built their homes near Temple Emanu-El (razed) when it was relocated in 1913 from The Cedars, an earlier prestigious Jewish neighborhood, to the corner of South Boulevard and Harwood Street. The original owner of the house, Charles G. Levi, and his son-in-law who succeeded him were among the many influential Jewish business and civic leaders who built homes in the Edgewood Addition between 1912 and 1932 that reflected their wealth, position and taste. Charles Levi was an investment banker when he commissioned H. A. Overbeck to design his house around 1915. Levi lived in the house with his wife, Virginia, his children, and his son-in-law, from 1915 until his death in 1918. Mrs. Levi continued to reside in the house with her daughter, Mina, and son-in-law Jacob Moses, until her own death about 10 years later. Jacob Moses was president of the Slaughter Mayfield Company, a tailoring and merchandising firm when he came to live on Forest Avenue in 1915. By 1935, Moses was primarily involved in brokering oil and gas leases and other investment real estate. Moses and his wife resided in the family home until about 1945 when the house was sold. Moses and his father-in-law, Charles G. Levi, were typical of the prosperous Jewish businessmen who owned the architect-designed homes of the Edgewood Addition during the first part of the 20th century.

Dallas architect H. A. Overbeck, who designed this house, was responsible for a number of other similarly detailed houses in the Edgewood Addition, including the Marcus Levi House at 2707 South Boulevard, a contributing building in the South Blvd./Park Row Historic District (N.R. 1979) and the Levi-Topletz House at 2603 MLK. Although more remains to be learned about Overbeck's career, the Levi-Moses House appears to be typical of his early 20th-century residential designs. In addition to his domestic buildings, Overbeck served as the architect of many commercial and institutional buildings in Dallas during the 1910s, including the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas buildings (1912) and the Dallas County Criminal Court and Jail building (1913).

The Levi-Moses House is indicative of the type of houses built in the prestigious Edgewood Addition and is one of the best-preserved and most significant architectural landmarks in South Dallas. The home incorporates features of the Italian Renaissance and Prairie School movements, and many similarly detailed houses are found nearby, most notably the Levi-Topletz House and buildings in the South Boulevard/Park Row Historic District. The Levi-Moses House is also a vivid reminder of the type of dwellings that once fronted onto MLK (formerly Forest Avenue) but have been replaced with post-1945 commercial buildings. The 2-story garage/apartment behind the house is also significant because of its close association with the house and its similar architectural features.