Posted 8:08 pm Sunday, March 17, 2013
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Some of Tyler’s homes date back to 1800s
Welcome Azalea Trail visitors. I know you’re here to see our beautiful spring flowers, but if you look beyond the blooms you’ll discover really cool buildings along the trail that tell the story of Tyler.
One of the first sections of the trail (the portion on Houston, Fannin and Charnwood) passes through the Charnwood Residential Historic District. Some homes here date back to the late 1800s. You’ll see homes (some have been adapted for business use) in many styles: Tudor, classical, colonial, craftsmen, Queen Anne and ranch. It was one of the city’s first affluent neighborhoods.
The impressive building at 605 S. Broadway was built in 1903 as the home of Thomas Ramey, an early business leader whose family has been active in civic affairs for decades. It houses the of-fices of a law firm.
The house at 700 S. Broadway was built in the early 1900s for another early Tyler business leader, Walter Connally. It is one of the best examples of an architectural style called Texas Prairie.
At 911 S. Broadway sits the Woman’s Building. It was built in 1932 by the Tyler Woman’s Forum as a community meeting place. I have no idea how they did it but a handful of determined women raised enough donations during the Great Depression, a time when people were hurting for money, to
fund construction.
During World War II, women gathered there to roll bandages to be sent to battlefronts. It still is used by the Woman’s Forum.
From the Woman’s Building, look east across Broadway and you’ll see Hogg Middle School. It is named after James S. Hogg, a Tyler attorney who was elected governor in 1890. He was the first native Texan to serve in the office.
As the trail passes Bergfeld Park, notice the amphitheater. During one year of the Great Depression the Sears store in Tyler was the only one in the nation to post a profit, thanks to money being generated from the East Texas Oilfield. The president of Sears had the amphitheater built as a “thank you” to the citizens of Tyler.
Enjoy the flowers and appreciate the history.
The house at 700 S. Broadway was built in the early 1900s for another early Tyler business leader, Walter Connally. It is one of the best examples of an architectural style called Texas Prairie.
At 911 S. Broadway sits the Woman’s Building. It was built in 1932 by the Tyler Woman’s Forum as a community meeting place. I have no idea how they did it but a handful of determined women raised enough donations during the Great Depression, a time when people were hurting for money, to
fund construction.
During World War II, women gathered there to roll bandages to be sent to battlefronts. It still is used by the Woman’s Forum.
From the Woman’s Building, look east across Broadway and you’ll see Hogg Middle School. It is named after James S. Hogg, a Tyler attorney who was elected governor in 1890. He was the first native Texan to serve in the office.
As the trail passes Bergfeld Park, notice the amphitheater. During one year of the Great Depression the Sears store in Tyler was the only one in the nation to post a profit, thanks to money being generated from the East Texas Oilfield. The president of Sears had the amphitheater built as a “thank you” to the citizens of Tyler.
Enjoy the flowers and appreciate the history.
