DFW in vintage photos

Whenever I shop antique stores, estate sales, or online, I'm always on the lookout for unique and original snapshots and slides. If it's a photo of somewhere I've been, or of a scene or situation I find interesting enough, then it's fair game as long as the price is right. And when it comes to places I've been, few vintage images are more interesting than those of my own hometown and surrounding areas. Here are sixty-nine rare images of DFW spanning every decade of the 20th century, all taken from my personal collection.

Houston Street Viaduct, 1945

The Houston Street Viaduct (originally known as the Dallas-Oak Cliff Viaduct) was constructed in 1911 to connect Downtown Dallas with the then recently annexed community and former independent city of Oak Cliff. It was built to replace earlier connections that were destroyed by the Great Trinity River Flood of 1908. The originally planned streetcar line that was intended to traverse the bridge was finally constructed more than one hundred years later, entering service in April 2015.

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, 1930s

The oldest major botanic garden in Texas, the 120 acre Fort Worth Botanic Garden opened in 1934. It has been identified by Southern Living Magazine as one of the South's fifteen most beautiful gardens. This photo, dating to sometime in the 1930s, depicts the rose garden covered with snow.

Lake Worth, 1916

Lake Worth is entirely self-contained within the city of Fort Worth, on the west fork of the Trinity River. The writing on the back of this photo identifies it as having been taken in 1916.

Dallas garage and service station, 1931

B&B Battery and Service Station was located at 4301-3 Live Oak, near where the Family Dollar stands as of 2024 and across the street from the Pizza Inn and Brake Stop auto shop. The writing on the back of the cabinet card reads "Bill's Garage & Service Station Live Oak & Peak St. Dallas Tex. 1931."

Dallas city limits, 1942

The series of snapshots of which this photo is a part confirms the location as Dallas, Texas, and not one of many similarly named towns in states such as Oregon, Georgia, or Arkansas.

Humble gas station, Dallas

The Humble branding appeared in Texas until 1962, when Humble stations in the state were rebranded to Enco (and then eventually to Exxon by 1972). I don't know exactly where in Dallas this photo was taken, but it's from the same set of vacation photos as the one following below.

Frontier Pontiac, Fort Worth

A quick bit of online research reveals Frontier Pontiac to have been on Commerce Street, and a 1958 glass slide likely used for advertising exists in the WBAP-TV archives held by the UNT Libraries Special Collections. But prior to this, it was located on West 7th Street, and before that, on Taylor Street between 2nd and 3rd. The dealership moved from Taylor to West 7th in November 1940. The building in the photo appears to me to be the one on Taylor Street, which places the date of this photo sometime between December 1936 (original opening day) and mid-November 1940, as deduced from period advertisements in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

5021 Ross Avenue, Dallas, 1910

I found this cabinet card photo inside an antique store in Oak Cliff. The view is facing northwest at the intersection of Ross Avenue and N Garrett Avenue, and the handwriting on the back of the card reads, "Lucile Olive & Kathryn [sic] taken at our old home 5021 Ross ave [unintelligible] Garrett - looking West on Garrett ave. Taken Jan. 1910." A bit of digging through the Dallas Morning News archives confirms the presence of a Katherine McLaurin at 5021 Ross Avenue, with a May 1916 blurb in the society pages announcing a meeting of the local chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812 at her home. Further society page items announce Miss McLaurin making her society début in November 1912 and marrying in April 1929, as well as announcing her daughter's society happenings during the 1950s. As of 2024, a car wash is located at this house's former location, and the entire visible neighborhood seen in the photo is long gone, its place occupied today by commercial entities and a parking lot.

Pennsylvania Avenue, Dallas, 1926

I don't know anything about the neighborhood shown in this photo, other than the fact that roof work is being done on the house second from the corner. The writing on the back identifies the scene as Pennsylvania Avenue in Dallas, Texas, and the year as 1926.

Construction of First National Bank Tower, 1964

The First National Bank Tower (known today as the National and also formerly known as Elm Place) opened in 1965 at 1401 Elm Street. This photo shows the construction of the tower as seen facing west from Thanksgiving Tower (itself renamed to Santander Tower in 2020), during the prior year.

Polytechnic, TX (present-day Polytechnic Heights in Fort Worth), 1920

The present-day neighborhood of Polytechnic Heights, now a part of Forth Worth, was once an incorporated municipality in its own right. Originally founded in the 1850s, it was absorbed into Fort Worth in 1922. The area was still an independent town at the time of this photo, which is identified on the back as having been taken in August 1920 and depicting a thirteen-year-old named Bereniece on the "prairie."

Louthian & Purvis Feed & Fuel store, circa 1905-1910

This cabinet card depicts the Louthian & Purvis Feed & Fuel store in the Fort Worth area, which I believe to have existed sometime around 1905-1910. The store appears to have been essentially lost to history, with available newspaper archives having no mention of either it or of the adjacent F. McInnis Carpenter & Job Shop pictured in the photo. Nevertheless, I was able to piece togeher some information with a bit of research. On the back of the cabinet card are written three names: John Purvis, Andrew Dobson, and Olin Louthian. My attempts to research these names in newspaper archives came up empty, but I did come across a genealogical record for an Olin Van Louthian, born in 1885 to Lafayette Doak Louthian and Harriett Jane Hawkins, aka Harriett Jane Hawkins Purvis Louthian. Harriett had a son named John Harvey Purvis, born in 1875 from a previous marriage to Lemuel Francis Purvis. The Louthian & Purvis enterprise was thus not a partnership of unrelated parties as I had initially assumed, but was instead the business venture of a blended family run at least in part by the two siblings. The seller of this photo was able to provide me with a cabinet card image of the blended Louthian-Purvis family, taken in 1890, which helped confirm the relationships and dates. I'm guessing the feed store photo dates to around 1905-1910 based on how old the brothers would have been at the time. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find evidence of the store's exact street address.

The original photo is severely faded, and I've had to employ quite a bit of digital editing magic to bring it back to life.

Installation of printing press, 1963

This is one of a set of seven Kodachrome slides dating to November 1963. The view is of the corner of Camp (present-day San Jacinto) and Griffin Streets downtown, at the current location of the DART West Transfer Center. The men are said to be installing a printing press. The business appears to be the Hooker Printing Company, later Hooker-Ballew.

Looking out from the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, 1960

This is from another Kodachrome slide, dated December 1960 per the handwriting on the border. The view appears to be from the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, looking out from one of the rooms.

State Fair of Texas Midway, 1953

The State Fair of Texas is an annual institution, dating back to 1886 and occurring nearly every fall since with the exception of during the World Wars and the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Midway has definitely grown and changed in the years since this photo was taken.

Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas, 1950s

The current incarnation of Big Tex made his debut in 2013 after the original's loss in a 2012 flash fire. In this 1950s era photo, the original can be seen standing proudly over the fairgrounds.

Pan-American Exposition, 1937

The Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition was held at Fair Park in 1937 and ran from June through October. It followed upon the previous year's Texas Centennial Exposition, which greatly outperformed it in terms of both attendance and exhibitors. This tintype photo is one of two identical copies I have dating from this event.

DFW Airport tower and AMFAC Hotel, 1982

This panoramic view of the airport tower and hotel was originally created by taping together two snapshots. I've stitched them together and corrected the exposures here so they fit together more seamlessly.

Dallas as seen from the air, 1964

This aerial view of Downtown Dallas dates to May 1964.

View facing east on Elm Street, Dallas, circa 1940s

I found this real photo postcard inside a Dallas antique store. The view depicted is of Elm Street, facing east.

Titche-Goettinger building, 1950s

The Titche-Goettinger department store first opened in 1902 at the corner of Elm and Murphy Streets. Increased volume led to a move to the (now historic) Wilson Building in 1904, then to the construction of a new flagship building at Saint Paul and Elm Streets in 1928. The new Titche–Goettinger flagship opened in 1929 as an ornate seven-story retail space with a basement and five floors dedicated to retail merchandise and the remaining floors and sub-basement used for business purposes. The building was expanded in 1955, with the Titche-Goettinger name giving way to Joske's in 1979, and hthe entire space eventually being closed in 1987 following its acquisition by Dillard's. Today the building is owned by UNT and operates as a mixed use apartment/retail space which also houses the Universities Center. This undated slide of the Titche-Goettinger logo on the side of the building likely dates to the 1950s.

Pacific-Akard Parking Garage, circa 1956

The Pacific-Akard Parking Garage opened in July 1956, boasting a capacity of 350 cars with exits on both Akard and Pacific Streets. The Thurman Randle store at ground level specialized in firearms, fishing tackle, and photography equipment, ultimately closing in 1959. Its space was subsequently occupied by various food establishments, now (as of this writing) home to an adult bar by the name of Carpé Lounge. The structure is still in use today as a private parking garage.

Old Reliable Restaurant, circa 1910

The Old Reliable Restaurant was located on Main Street in old Downtown Dallas, near the either recently completed, or still under construction Praetorian building. The writing on the back of this cabinet card identifies the man standing in front of the door as Wood Harwood, nephew of someone named "Ben" who is suggested to be the owner. Whether this Wood was related to Alexander Harwood, County Clerk from 1850-1854 and the person for which the present-day Harwood Street is named, I haven't been able to determine. I'm guessing the photo dates to around 1910, based on the writing identifying its location "in front of" the Praetorian Building, which opened in 1909, and the pre-renumeration street address of 348 Main which is visible in the photo. 348 Main Street (now 1516 Main St.) would have been the address before the 1911 re-numbering of city streets in Dallas.

Elm Street, Dallas, circa 1906

This real photo postcard, posted in January 1906, depicts the intersection of Elm and Lamar Streets, facing east on Elm. Everything shown in this image is long gone today.

Cleaners near the Arcadia Theatre, Dallas, 1939

Despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to confirm the location of Star Cleaners, but wherever it was located, it was evidently in the neighborhood of the old Arcadia Theater on Greenville Avenue. The developer stamp on the back of the photo bears the date of April 14, 1939, and the movie poster on the storefront window advertises The Cowboy and the Lady, released by United Artists in November of 1938. The "Arcadia" logo on the poster is consistent with what appeared on the Arcadia sign around that time, so I'm fairly confident in authenticating this photo as having been taken in Dallas.

Facing east toward Dealey Plaza from the Amtrak line bridge (now DART rail), 1970s

Dallas's most infamous area is shown in this 9 x 13.5 inch photo print, looking down from the Amtrak line bridge and facing east. The view today is somewhat different - the clock which sat atop the red courthouse building until 1919 has since been restored, and the 72-story Bank of America building now stands tall in the background.

Interior of Moreland Drug Store, Fort Worth, likely 1940s

Moreland's Rexall Drug was located in the still operating Westcliff Shopping Center, which opened in 1945. Moreland's was known for its soda fountain and food. This undated photo purports to show the interior during this classic period.

Baker Hotel, 1970

The Baker Hotel opened in 1925 on the site of the former Oriental Hotel, which was built in 1893 and demolished in 1924. The Baker was itself demolished in 1980, and today the 37-story Whitacre Tower (One AT&T Plaza) occupies the space at the corner of Commerce and Akard Streets. This photo depicts the former grand hotel ten years before its unceremonious end.

Downtown Dallas at night, 1920s

This RPPC shows an amateur photo of Downtown Dallas at night. It was addressed to a recipient in Detroit, Michigan, and the sender was evidently quite impressed during his stay, writing: "Dear friend, Trust you are well. This is a view of Dallas. Fort Worth is almost as large. One building is 28 stories. Wonderful country down here. Go to our plant in morning." The postmark is partially illegible, but based on the postcard backing and the stamp, I believe this dates to the early 1920s.

Shriners Parade, Dallas, circa 1923

This image depicts a local Shriners chapter on parade through Downtown Dallas, circa 1923 or 1924 from what I can tell. The Strand Theatre and Washington Theatre office give away the location as Elm Street, between Field and Akard Streets.

Facing east on Main Street, Dallas, 1928

This view is of Main Street in Downtown Dallas, facing east toward present-day Field Street, as given away by the Guarantee Clothes Shop, Norfolk's, and Dallas Trust & Savings Banks.

Main Street in Grapevine, circa 1900-1908

One of the few reproduction photos in my collection, this was originally taken from a real photo postcard produced sometime between 1900 and 1908. This particular image is fairly widely circulated on reproduction postcards. The city of Grapevine lays claim to having the oldest downtown area in Tarrant County.

Lee Park in Dallas, unknown date

The controversial Robert E. Lee statue was removed from Lee Park in 2017, with the park itself reverting back to its original name of Oak Lawn Park before being given its present name of Turtle Creek Park in 2019.

Texas School Book Depository, 1966 and 1973

Nothing really needs to be said about the significance of the Texas School Book Depository building. These three Kodachromes are part of a larger collection dating to 1966 and 1973.

Opening Day in Reverend J. Frank Norris murder case, 1926

The shooting of Dexter Elliott Chipps by Baptist Pastor J. Frank Norris at the First Baptist Church in Fort Worth made headlines around the country. This 1926 press photo, an original print distributed by King Features Syndicate (now out of copyright as of 2022), depicts the inside of the Austin, TX courtroom on the opening day of jury selection.

Dallas County school bus, circa mid-1940s

This image depicting a Dallas County school bus dates back to the mid-1940s, based on a Mesquite High School student photo for the 1943-44 school year I found in the same collection.

Denton High School, 1949

This small 2 x 3 inch photo depicts Denton High School as of 1949. This building, at 709 W Congress Street, became the present-day Calhoun Middle School when the high school was relocated to Fulton Street in 1957.

Denton Creek, 1920

This photo of two men standing before Denton Creek dates (evidently) to 1920. The identities of the men and their exact location along the creek's path are unknown.

College of Industrial Arts (now Texas Woman's University), 1921

Texas Woman's University was founded as the Girls Industrial College in 1901, with its first building (known affectionately as "Old Main") being constructed in 1903. The school was renamed to the College of Industrial Arts in 1905 and Texas State College for Women in 1934, finally gaining its current name of Texas Woman's University in 1957. This photo depicts "Old Main" as of October 1921.

Church in Fort Worth, circa 1900-1910

I obtained this cabinet card via an online auction. The church is unidentified, but it appears to me to be the original St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church at Lamar and W. 7th Street (demolished in the 1920s). The photo itself was conclusively taken between 1900 and 1910 - the handwriting on the back references the Texas Holiness Association using the church, and that organization is known to have ceased activity in 1910, ten years after its formation.

Pouring concrete for Coppell Road, 1918

These are two from a set of three photos I have depicting the paving of Coppell Road. Exactly where along the road's path these were taken is unknown.

Reunion Tower, 1978

Construction of Reunion Tower was completed in 1978. Today, the tower offers a spectacular view of Downtown Dallas from the west.

New Fort Worth Club building, circa 1926

The Fort Worth Club bills itself as "a premier social, business, and athletic club." Organized in 1885 as the Commercial Club, the name was changed to the current one in 1906, and the current club building was constructed in 1926. This stereoview depicts the building sometime around its opening.

Fort Worth flood, 1922

Fort Worth has been ground zero for quite a few floods since its founding, with notable examples occurring in 1908, 1922, 1949, 1957, and, more recently, in 2022. Every vintage flood photo I've seen to date has been either a reproduction of an old photo postcard or a press photo still covered by copyright. This reproduction RPPC depicts north Main Street during what is most likely the big flood of 1922.

Red River Rivalry, 1953

The Red River Rivalry is an annual football game held at the Cotton Bowl, where the Texas Longhorns square off against the Oklahoma Sooners. This Kodachrome slide depicts the 1953 match, which the Longhorns would go on to lose 19-14.

Grapevine homecoming parade, 1972

The homecoming parade down Main Street is an eagerly anticipated event in the city of Grapevine. This image is a detail of a color slide in my collection dated Jan 1973 on the paper border, so this photo was most likely taken in the fall of 1972.

Southland Life building observation deck, 1961

The Southland Life Building (today part of the Sheraton-Dallas complex on Olive Street) opened in 1959, with an observation deck at the top of the tower. Sixty years' worth of fading have taken their toll on this photo, though I restored the colors as best I could.

White Plaza Hotel (originally the Hilton Hotel), 1975

Originally opening in 1925 as the Hilton Hotel - the first hotel with the Hilton name - this fourteen-story edifice at 1933 Main Street became the White Plaza Hotel following its sale in 1938. Multiple renovations and name changes followed over the years, resulting in what is today the Hotel indigo Dallas Downtown.

7th Street streetcar in Dallas, unknown date

Dallas was once home to a network of streetcars, dating back to the 1870s and ultimately killed by the Dallas City Council in 1956. This photo depicts a streetcar on 7th Street in Oak Cliff.

View facing the Grassy Knoll, 1973

This Kodachrome slide, which I picked up via an online auction, pictures the Kennedy assassination site a decade after the event. You can see the "Fort Worth Turnpike" sign at left, which has today been replaced by a sign referencing Interstates 30 and 35E.

Kennedy memorial at Dealey Plaza, 1966

Another image from my collection of JFK-related Kodachromes, this slide shows a makeshift Kennedy memorial at Dealey Plaza, facing west toward present-day Interstate 35E.

Hotel Dallas, 1960

Originally constructed in 1917 as the Jefferson Hotel, the hotel was renamed to Hotel Dallas in 1953 and eventually demolished in 1975.

Valentine's Day on Main Street, Dallas, circa 1930s

This adorable photo depicts two children standing on Main Street in Dallas, standing behind an advertisement for the Special Electric Telegraph Company. Pictured behind them is the Standard Paint & Paper Co., located at the present-day 2022 Main Street, and in the distance across the street is the office complex still standing at 2121 Main, construction of which was completed in 1930.

Republican National Convention, 1984

The Republican National Convention chose the Dallas Convention Center as the site of its 1984 Presidential nominating convention. The organization's presence in the city was protested by various groups, among them a consortium of musicians and clubs in Deep Ellum who staged an "anti-RNC" series of performances.

Love Field, circa 1950s/1960s

Love Field was the main airport servicing Dallas until the opening of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in January 1974. I don't have an absolute date for this photo, but I'm guessing it dates to the 1950s or 1960s.

Dog show in Mesquite, 1970

This is one of a set of three photos I have from this dog show in Mesquite, my old hometown. The year was given by the seller as 1970, and the location, based on period Dallas Morning News articles, appears to be Samuels East Park, now Samuell Farm.

State Fair of Texas main entrance, circa 1954

This 1950s Kodachrome slide shows that not a lot has changed over the years when it comes to Fair Park, at least as far as getting in and out of the complex during the State Fair. The décor and the colors change to reflect the era, but the lines on the inside remain.

Behind the Dealey Statue, 1956

This 1956 Kodachrome pictures an unidentified man standing behind the statue of George Bannerman Dealey, publisher and civic leader who had died ten years earlier.

Gravel truck and Ellison Furniture & Carpet Company, circa 1950s

The Ellison Furniture & Carpet Company constructed the pictured warehouse complex around 1911. The three buildings at the far left of the image are still standing today as part of the Tindall Square complex, located at 505 Pecan Street on the eastern edge of the Fort Worth business district.

Lake in Handley Park, Fort Worth, circa 1906

Handley was a small, unincorporated town located between downtown Fort Worth and the city of Arlington. The "lake" pictured in the photo is "Lake Erie," a one-time recreation/resort area built and maintained by the Northern Texas Traction Company as a means of cooling its nearby power plant. Although the postcard identities the park's location as Fort Worth, Handley was not officially absorbed into Fort Worth until 1946. The postmark on the back of the card dates this to December 1906 or earlier.

Dallas Convention Center, 1977

The Dallas Convention Center, known today as the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, opened in January 1973. As of this writing, it is targeted for a demolition and rebuild as part of a $4 billion project.

Adolphus Hotel Century Room, Dallas

The Adolphus Hotel has been a cultural landmark in the Downtown area for over a hundred years. Upon its opening in 1912, it held the title of tallest building in Texas, exceeding the height of the Praetorian Building by 128 feet and offering luxury accommodations in the style of Old Europe. The 4,400 square foot Century Ballroom, opened in the 1920s, remains a sought-after space for large scale events, wedding receptions, and the like to this day.

Dallas office, January 1941

This approximately 5 x 7 inch mounted photo depicts a lonely figure inside a office building somewhere in Dallas. The calendar on the wall dates the photo to January 1941, eleven months before World War II arrived at America's doorstep via Pearl Harbor.

Will Rogers statue, Fort Worth, 1953

This first of four castings of "Riding into the Sunset," the famous Electra Waggoner Biggs sculpture depicting Will Rogers and his horse "Soapsuds," was installed at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in 1942. This photo of the casting dates to 1953.

Plano city dam, circa 1907

This RPPC of the old Plano city dam, otherwise known as the Water Works Dam, appears to be one of a series of images published at an unknown date. The card is postmarked August 1907. Another image from this series is held by the Plano Public Library.

Looking toward Downtown Dallas, 1995

We finish here with one of my very own photos, taken through the windshield of my first car with a Nikon Zoom-Touch 470 AF point and shoot camera when I was all of sixteen years old. At only (almost) 29 years of age as of this posting, this is just shy of old enough to legitimately quality as "vintage," but here it is anyway.