| Historical
Marker: |
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. |
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