Swiss Avenue
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This wide boulevard was a muddy country lane in 1857, when Swiss immigrant Henri Boll named it in honor of his native land. Swiss Avenue was lengthened and paved as part of Munger Place, an exclusive 140-acre residential area developed in 1905 by cotton gin manufacturer R. S. Munger (1854 - 1923). To assure the unified appearance of the neighborhood, Munger imposed such building requirements as $10,000 minimum cost and two-story height. At the same time, the houses are unique because residents were free to choose from the variety of architectural styles popular during the early 20th century, including Tudor Revival, Georgian Revival, and Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie style. Dr. R. W. Baird's Classical Revival residence at 5303 Swiss Avenue was the first one erected here in 1905. By 1920, about 200 elegant homes had been built in the Munger Place addition. Residents included prominent lawyers, bankers, merchants, industrialists, and doctors. In recent years, the Swiss Avenue area declined, and some of the old homes were demolished or divided into apartments. Efforts of the Historic Preservation League and interested citizens to save the neighborhood resulted in the city of Dallas designating it as the city's first historic district in 1973.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
What began as a muddy country lane, named in 1857 by Swiss immigrant Henri Boll for his homeland, became one of Dallas's grandest boulevards. In 1905 cotton-gin manufacturer R. S. Munger paved and extended Swiss Avenue as the spine of his exclusive Munger Place development, imposing minimum costs and two-story heights while letting owners choose from Tudor, Georgian, and Prairie styles. By 1920 some 200 elegant homes housed the city's lawyers, bankers, and industrialists, and after mid-century decline, citizen preservationists won the neighborhood designation as Dallas's first historic district in 1973.
Why it matters
Swiss Avenue charts the making of the American streetcar-era elite suburb and the rise of the historic-preservation movement that later fought to save such neighborhoods.
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Related people
- · Henri Boll
- · R. S. Munger
- · Dr. R. W. Baird
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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The Louis Wagner Home
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Louis Wagner, a German immigrant who became a successful Dallas businessman, built this residence in 1884 with his wife Anna, daughter of early Swiss Avenue–area settler Jacob Pretz. Originally standing on Bryan Street, the house was moved to its present location in January 1977 to rescue it from demolition and then restored to its turn-of-the-century appearance. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1979.
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