Wilson Block -- Dallas TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Benchmark Blasterz
N 32° 47.320 W 096° 47.118
14S E 707401 N 3630030
The Wilson Block was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1978
Waymark Code: WMRJ5M
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/26/2016
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
Views: 2

The Wilson Block is a group of four Queen Anne-style homes in East Dallas built by Frederick P. Wilson and his wife Henrietta Frichot Wilson in the late 1890s. The homes are located at 2902, 2906, 2910 and 2922 Swiss Ave in East Dallas.

Today the homes are owned by the Meadows Foundation (part of Preservation Dallas). They are preserved for the future and occupied by social service agencies.

Two identically-named historic markers commemorate the history of this block:

(1)

"WILSON BLOCK

This historic neighborhood is located on land patented in 1838 to Illinois native John Grigsby. Dallas businessman Frederick P. Wilson and his wife Henrietta Frichot Wilson acquired the site in 1898 and built their residence (2922 Swiss Avenue) and six other houses. Owned by the Wilsons for almost eighty years, the houses became the nucleus of the Wilson Block. Several early Dallas leaders rented homes here. Similar in composition, the houses in the neighborhood are representative of the city's lifestyle at the turn of the century. (1983)"

And (2)

"WILSON BLOCK

Swiss native Jacob Nussbaumer, a colonist in the pioneer La Reunion settlement of the Dallas area, purchased this land prior to the Civil War. In 1898 his wife Dorothea and children sold it to her niece Henrietta Frichot Wilson (1864-1953), the daughter of La Reunion settlers.

Henrietta and her husband Frederick P. Wilson (1863-1923) built their residence at this site in 1899 and later constructed six additional homes as rental property. Together the houses were the center of a residential area known as the Wilson Block of Swiss Avenue. The neighborhood was the home of many early Dallas leaders, including Charles D. Hill, who became one of the area's prominent architects, and Dr. Theodore L.E. Arnold, an early Dallas ophthamologist whose son Charles pioneered in microphotography.

The various architectural styles represented in the historic Wilson Block reflect Victorian and Queen Anne influences. The homes feature similarities in composition, including frame construction, clapboard siding, decorative shingle patterns, gabled roofs and intricate ornamentation.

Today the Wilson Block serves as a reminder of Dallas' rich heritage and early development. (1983)"
Street address:
2900 Block of Swiss Ave
Dallas, TX


County / Borough / Parish: Dallas

Year listed: 1978

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Social History/Architecture

Periods of significance: 1900-1924; 1875-1899

Historic function: private dwelling

Current function: Office

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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