Swiss Avenue Historic District - Dallas, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 48.074 W 096° 46.231
14S E 708757 N 3631453
Swiss Avenue, founded as Swiss Boulevard in the early 1900's, was the focal point of the new exclusive residential area of Dallas, known as Munger Place.
Waymark Code: WMZN85
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/06/2018
Views: 2
NRPH Nomination Form"Munger Place was founded by R.S. Munger, who had become widely known throughout the Southwest in the late Nineteenth Century as a pioneer in the manufacturing of cotton gins. Unable at first to interest manufacturers in his new devices, Munger established his own enterprise, the Continental Gin Co., in Dallas in the 1880's. He later located his company in Avondale, Birmingham and Prattville, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; and Bridgewater, Massachusetts. In 1902 Munger retired from the management of his ginning companies and became involved in real estate. Aware of various housing developments in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, Munger decided to establish a new residential area in Dallas.
Munger Place was the third Dallas area within the city to be developed as an "exclusive residential district." Special features of the district insured the most modern conveniences for its residents. Lots in Munger Place were raised one to four feet above street level so that water would drain away from the house. All water, sewage, telephone and electric lines were installed in alleys, ranging from 15 to 40 feet in width, to avoid disfiguring the architecture of the houses. The streets were paved, parkways were landscaped/ and sidewalks were concreted. Furthermore, Munger Place was located within a convenient distance to the central business district.
Today Swiss Avenue contains unique examples of early Twentieth Century architecture and is the only area of the former district that has maintained its integrity as a neighborhood."