Castle Heights
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This historic Waco neighborhood exhibits distinctive design features. W.T. Herrick and W.L. Wollett platted Castle Heights in 1923, naming it for nearby Cottonland Castle and its elevation above the commercial district. Notable elements included curved streets, traffic circles, and excellent local examples of architectural revival styles such as Tudor, Colonial, Georgian, Classical and Mediterranean. For six years Castle Heights was an independent village, voting to incorporate in Sept. 1939; the City of Waco annexed the area in Dec. 1945. The cohesive collection of early and mid-Twentieth Century homes reflects a break with the existing urban grid, and links Castle Heights to national trends of suburban planning and development. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Platted in 1923 by W. T. Herrick and W. L. Wollett and named for the nearby Cottonland Castle, Castle Heights broke from Waco's rigid street grid with curved streets and traffic circles. Its homes showcase revival architecture — Tudor, Colonial, Georgian, Classical, and Mediterranean. For six years the neighborhood was an independent village before voting to incorporate in 1939 and being annexed by Waco in 1945.
Why it matters
The neighborhood embodies the early-twentieth-century suburban-planning movement that transformed how American cities grew.
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Related people
- · W.T. Herrick
- · W.L. Wollett
Themes & tags
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