Joffre-Gilbert House
Irving, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of Irving's best known early builders, A. Fred Joffre, and his wife built this airplane bungalow in 1919 in the original Irving townsite. Their daughter sold the home in 1936. Pioneer doctor Franklin Monroe Gilbert and his wife Dorothy, a nurse, purchased it in 1939. For nearly thirty years, patients came here night and day as they knew help was available for examination, medication and emergency treatment. At least one baby was delivered here. The Gilberts had Perma Stone applied to the house between 1947 and 1949 while retaining the character and defining features of the bungalow, such as the unusual stacked porch posts. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1999
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A. Fred Joffre, one of early Irving's best-known builders, put up this airplane bungalow in the original townsite in 1919, its distinctive stacked porch posts marking the era's craftsman style. In 1939 the home was bought by pioneer physician Franklin Monroe Gilbert and his wife Dorothy, a nurse, who for nearly thirty years received patients here day and night for examinations, medication, and emergencies—even delivering at least one baby under its roof. A Perma Stone facing added in the late 1940s preserved the bungalow's defining character.
Why it matters
Home-based practices like the Gilberts' were the backbone of community medicine in small American towns before hospitals became widespread.
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Related people
- · A. Fred Joffre
- · Franklin Monroe Gilbert
- · Dorothy Gilbert
Themes & tags
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