West Denton Residential National Register District Historic Home Tour

Walking tour for the West Denton District historic homes

The West Denton Residential Historic District is a primarily residential district in Denton, Denton County, Texas, approximately a half mile west of the Denton County Courthouse square. The district includes (in whole or part) ten divisions and subdivisions platted from the mid-19th century through 1925. The rectilinear street grid is irregular due to the different layouts of the various plats. Lot sizes also vary in the district, with larger lots (and correspondingly grander houses) on the district’s south end along Oak and Hickory streets. The historic resources are primarily single-family dwellings, but also include a public school campus, and a small number of multiple-family dwellings and modest commercial buildings. Examples of architectural styles in the district include those that were most popular nationally for upper- and middle-class families, with large Queen Anne and Period Revival houses in the south. The majority of the neighborhood, however, is composed of modestly scaled Craftsman Bungalow and Minimal Traditional houses through the central and north portions of the district. The older southern portion of the neighborhood includes nine residences built prior to 1900 and 92 residences constructed between 1900 and 1922. Home construction overall peeked between 1923 and 1929 with most houses completed before the Great Depression, while approximately 20% of the building dating to the period between 1930 and 1957. A few homes were architect-designed, but the majority were the result of collaboration between owners and builders, often working from plan books. While houses have been altered over time, most retain a good degree of integrity and convey a visual sense of the historic significance of the district. The neighborhood is still characterized by its “Silk Stocking” area primarily along Hickory and Oak streets, a large number of Craftsman Bungalows elsewhere, and the 1924 Senior High School campus. The period of significance spans from 1890 with the construction of the earliest extant building to 1957, after which new construction slowed considerably. Almost all of the 483 buildings were constructed during the period of significance. Of these, 332 are primary dwellings and 138 are ancillary buildings (detached garages, garage apartments, carriage houses and outbuildings). The district includes four noncontributing apartment buildings, three small commercial buildings (two contributing), and a five-building public school campus (two buildings of which contribute). A total of 377 buildings (78%) contribute to the district.