Robert and Marie Stubbs House
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Mississippi native Robert Campbell Stubbs (1869-1927) moved to Dallas in 1887 and established a paving business with his father, George W. Stubbs. In 1897, R. C. Stubbs married Marie M. Henke (d. 1957) of Berlin, Germany. Dallas' economic growth and the coming of the automobile age after the turn of the 20th century led to a great demand for Stubbs' expertise in modern paving techniques. By 1922, he had patented vibrolithic paving and was noted as one of the chief authorities on paving in the United States. His business success led to the construction of this house in the fashionable Swiss Avenue neighborhood. Completed in 1926, the Stubbs House may have been the work of Dallas architect Otto H. Lang. The design drew upon features of England's Tudor manor houses, a style popular in American residential architecture between World Wars I and II. Hallmark features of the style, including the steeply pitched roof, half-timbered gables, distinctive chimneys and low pointed-arch entry, are present in the house, which was home to Robert and Marie Stubbs and their two children. A separate two-story garage and staff quarters also reflects Tudor characteristics. Following R. C. Stubbs' death just one year after the house was completed, Marie continued to live and entertain here until 1940. The house subsequently was converted into apartments, but was returned to single-family use in the 1970s. Prominently sited at the head of Swiss Avenue, the Stubbs House is a significant part of Dallas' architectural history. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Campbell Stubbs came to Dallas from Mississippi in 1887 and built a paving business just as the automobile age created enormous demand for modern streets; by 1922 he had patented a 'vibrolithic' paving method and was regarded as a leading national authority. His success paid for this stately Tudor-style home on fashionable Swiss Avenue, completed in 1926 and possibly designed by Dallas architect Otto H. Lang. Stubbs died a year later, and his widow Marie entertained here into 1940 before the house passed through use as apartments and back to a single family.
Why it matters
The house links Dallas's early-twentieth-century boom and the coming of the automobile to the elegant residential architecture that prosperity made possible.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Robert Campbell Stubbs
- · Marie Henke Stubbs
- · Otto H. Lang
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Junction of the Texas & Pacific and Houston & Texas Central Railroads
Dallas, TX
Dallas cemented its place as North Texas's commercial hub when the Texas & Pacific and Houston & Texas Central lines crossed here in 1873. City and county leaders had paid the H&TC $5,000 to bend its route toward town, then engineered a legislative rider forcing the T&P to cross near Browder's Springs — conveniently close to the courthouse — before sweetening the deal with bonds and right-of-way along what became Pacific Avenue. The result was one of Texas's first rail crossroads.
Eagle Ford Community
Dallas, TX
Eagle Ford took root beside an important crossing of the Trinity River's west fork, where settlers like the Hortons arrived in 1844 and built farms, a grist mill, and a cemetery. Railroad and depot land donated by James Horton spurred the village until the line pushed on to Fort Worth and the town began to fade. A new chapter opened in 1907 when Michigan investors founded a Portland cement company here, drawing Mexican immigrant workers whose descendants — among them decorated World War II soldier Eladio Martinez — enriched the community's culture.
Bankhead Highway in Garland
Garland, TX
As the automobile transformed America, the 1916 Federal Aid Road Act poured matching funds into highways and spurred creation of the Texas Highway Department in 1917. One result was the Bankhead Highway, the nation's second transcontinental route, running from Washington, D.C., to San Diego and passing straight down Main Street in Garland. Local boosters seized the opportunity, paving the road and lining it with repair shops, service stations, and restaurants until the Interstate era eclipsed it in the 1950s.
A.J. Head Service Station
Garland, TX
The Bankhead Highway—America's second transcontinental east-west route, born of the 1916 Federal Aid Road Act—ran through Garland and fueled a boom of roadside businesses. A.J. Head opened this filling station in 1947, and over the years it housed a tire shop, auto repair, welding, a bail bond office, and a discount store to serve highway travelers. Designed by Robert Otis Lagrone in the Streamline Moderne style, its curved brick wall and metal canopy captured the sleek, horizontal look popular in the 1930s and 1940s.