Maple Avenue
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of twelve subdivisions of the North Dallas Improvement Company. Maple Avenue was developed after a streetcar line was extended to this area north of the growing city of Dallas in 1884. Many leading citizens built elegant Victorian mansions along this avenue. Among these were the manager of the "Dallas Morning News." The land agent for the Texas and Pacific Railroad, the owner of Briggs-Weaver Machinery, and two Dallas mayors. The house on this site, built in 1907 by pioneer realtor John P. Murphy, remained in his family for nearly 50 years.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Maple Avenue rose as one of twelve subdivisions of the North Dallas Improvement Company after a streetcar line reached the area in 1884, opening it to the city's growing elite. Leading citizens—newspaper managers, a railroad land agent, a machinery magnate, and two Dallas mayors—lined the street with elegant Victorian mansions. The home on this site, built in 1907 by realtor John P. Murphy, stayed in his family for nearly fifty years.
Why it matters
Streetcar suburbs like Maple Avenue reshaped American cities in the Gilded Age, letting the prosperous escape downtown for fashionable residential districts.
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Related people
- · John P. Murphy
Themes & tags
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