Junius Heights is Dallas' largest historic district, a neighborhood of more than 800 homes in East Dallas, Texas (USA) situated east of Munger Place, south of Swiss Avenue and southwest of Lakewood.[1] It is relatively rectangular, bounded roughly by Gaston Avenue on the NW, Paulus Avenue on the NE, Reiger Avenue on the SE, and Henderson Avenue on the SW.

Junius Heights
Location of Junius Heights

Overview and history

Junius Heights was built at what was the eastern edge of the city of Dallas in the late 1910s and construction continued into the 1930s. Most of the houses are Craftsman and Prairie style bungalows with a smattering of other styles. The neighborhood was served by the Junius Heights streetcar line until streetcar service was discontinued in Dallas.

The neighborhood was cut in two in the early 1970s when Abrams Road was extended from Junius St. to connect with Columbia Ave. The landmark Junius Heights columns were moved at the same time. The original plan called for them to be demolished but a neighborhood effort resulted in them being moved instead.

In 2006 the community became known as a historic district.[2]

In 2010 Junius Heights was named "Best Place for Families" during its listing on This Old House's "Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010".[3]

Composition

Most residences are single family houses with most constructed in the period 1906-1940. In 2011 some houses were recently constructed. In 2011 Dawn McMullan of D Magazine wrote that the "city within a city" vibe in East Dallas is "even more so in Junius Heights because of its proximity to restaurants and retail."[2]

Demographics

As of 2011 it had about 700 families.[2]

Landmarks

Landmarks in and near Junius Heights include:
• the Lakewood Theater and Lakewood shopping center outside the northern tip of the neighborhood
• the Lakewood branch of the Dallas Public Library at Abrams Rd. and Worth St., adjacent to the district
• Woodrow Wilson High School (Official Dallas Landmark, State of Texas Historical Marker, recognition by the National Trust for Historic Preservation) at Columbia Ave. and Glasgow St., near the district
• J.L. Long Middle School on the Woodrow Campus (City of Dallas Landmark)
• Lipscomb Elementary School at Worth and Lowell Sts.
• Junius Heights Baptist Church at Reiger Ave. and Augusta St.
• St. John Methodist Church at Beacon and Columbia Aves.
• Juliette Fowler Communities at Abrams Rd. and Reiger Avenue, and
• a small commercial center at Junius St. and Henderson Ave.

Education

The neighborhood is served by the Dallas Independent School District (DISD).[4] Residents are zoned to William Lipscomb Elementary School (grades PK-5),[5] J.L. Long Middle School,[6] and Woodrow Wilson High School.[7]

Lipscomb is inside the Junius Heights Historic District, and Woodrow Wilson is adjacent to the historic district. Dallas Public Library operates the Lakewood Public Library, which is also inside the historic district.[4]

In addition to Junius Heights, Lipscomb also serves Munger Place and Swiss Avenue. By 2008 DISD made the school only serve grades K to 3, with grades 4 and 5 from the Lipscomb zone assigned to Mata Elementary. By that year parents campaigned for the return of grades 4 and 5 to Lipscomb.[8] In 2008 Lipscomb began serving the 4th grade.[9] As of 2019 Lipscomb now serves all elementary grades.

Mata, now Eduardo Mata Montessori School, a K-8 school, gives second admission priority to people zoned to Woodrow Wilson High.[9] Therefore Junius Heights is one of the neighborhoods with priority for the school.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Junius Heights Home Tour Information". www.juniusheights.org. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11.
  2. 1 2 3 McMullan, Dawn (July–August 2011). "Junius Heights: The Walkable Neighborhood". D Magazine. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  3. ↑ "Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010". 10 February 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Junius Heights Historic District Map". Junius Heights Historic District. Retrieved 2019-11-09. PDF (includes map of the district, which indicates the locations of Lipscomb, the library, and Woodrow Wilson) and "Junius Heights Historic District". City of Dallas. Retrieved 2019-11-09. (includes map of the district)
  5. ↑ "2019-20 William Lipscomb Elementary Attendance Zone Grades PK-5" (PDF). Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  6. ↑ "2019-20 J. L. Long Middle Attendance Zone Grades 6-8" (PDF). Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  7. ↑ "2019-20 Woodrow Wilson High Attendance Zone Grades 9-12" (PDF). Dallas Independent School District. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  8. ↑ Fischer, Kent (2008-02-18). "Lipscomb parents want their school back". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  9. 1 2 Nicholson, Eric (2015-11-02). "Will Gentrification Destroy Dallas' Public Schools, or Will It Save Them?". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  10. ↑ "Dallas ISD could open pre-K centers, create a Montessori school". The Dallas Morning News. 2014-02-13. Retrieved 2019-11-09.

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