Hampton Hills, Dallas facts for kids

Hampton Hills is a cool neighborhood in Oak Cliff, a part of Dallas, Texas in the USA. It was built way back in the 1920s! This area is bordered by Clarendon Drive to the north, Wright Street to the south, Oak Cliff Boulevard to the east, and Hampton Road to the west. Hampton Hills started in 1924 and has about 300 homes. These homes include classic wood-frame bungalows, brick and stone Tudor-style houses, and cozy post-war cottages. It's one of the best places in Dallas to see original old architecture!

A Look Back: How Hampton Hills Started

On September 14, 1924, an advertisement appeared in The Dallas Morning News newspaper. It announced the creation of Hampton Hills. The ad said the new neighborhood would be easy to reach from Dallas using the streetcar line. It also promised all the "modern improvements" like paved streets, sewers, water, gas, and lights.

Building a Community

By November, a big ad campaign began. It was aimed at workers and managers who wanted to live close to their jobs. Hampton Hills was called "Oak Cliff's Ideal Home Place." It featured nice lots, wide parkways, and high ground that drained well. The person who developed the neighborhood, Alf W. Sanders, even built his own home there. He also set up a sales office for his Hampton Hills Realty Company. That sales office building still stands today!

Newspaper articles in November 1924 announced a "completely developed subdivision" on the new Hampton Place streetcar line. Ads for Hampton Hills Realty Company highlighted how convenient the neighborhood was. They also talked about its great views and amazing value. The ads even mentioned how close it was to streetcars and schools.

The Homes of Hampton Hills

A.W. Sanders built many of the homes in Hampton Hills. He used styles like American Craftsman and Tudor. These homes often had small garages behind them. The houses were charming, like something from a storybook, with wood siding, brick, and stone.

Even today, you can see beautiful stained glass in many windows. The brick and stone work on the houses is also very unique. Inside, many homes have archways, hardwood floors, and cheerful bathrooms. They also have galley kitchens with cute breakfast rooms and built-in cabinets. These cabinets often sparkle with special mirrors and stained glass. Some fireplaces even have different types of wood and built-in bookshelves next to them. These were favorite touches from the builder.

New Homes After World War II

Building new homes slowed down a lot during World War II. This was because materials were strictly rationed for the war effort. After the war, there weren't enough homes for soldiers returning and their families.

To help with this problem, a realtor and builder named Wiley Roberts decided to finish building homes in Hampton Hills. In October 1945, Roberts said he would build 25 new brick homes in the neighborhood. They would cost about $8,000 each. In August 1946, The Dallas Morning News reported that Roberts' son, Bill, a Navy veteran, would join his father. Together, they would complete 40 new homes in Hampton Hills.

During this time, home styles had changed. They became more "minimal traditional," which meant they had less fancy decoration. Wiley Roberts and Sons built well-made cottages. These homes often had roofs that weren't too steep, small covered porches with simple pillars, and simple floor plans. They sometimes had windows that wrapped around corners. These post-war homes are usually not perfectly even on both sides, with the front door off-center. They might have garages attached or separate. Since they were the last homes built, they often sit on corner lots.

Community Life

In February 1951, a new group called the Hampton Hills Garden Club started meeting. They met in the small chapel at Rosemont Christian Church. Their meetings usually had a speaker and a social time. The club seems to have stopped meeting in late 1976.

In 1990, a group of residents formed the Hampton Hills Neighborhood Association. This group works to protect the neighborhood's special architecture. They also try to make life better for everyone living there. The group meets every month at Rosemont Christian Church.

Notable Residents

Hampton Hills has been home to some interesting people.

Laster Baskem Bruton

One notable resident was Laster Baskem Bruton. He came to Dallas in the late 1920s to start the Southwest Division of the Hygienics Products Company. In 1928, he and his wife, Sarah Estella Stratton Bruton, bought a newly built Tudor-style cottage at 1510 Hollywood Ave.

L.B. Bruton became a respected businessman. He was a Mason and a Methodist. His wife often hosted church gatherings at their home.

Virgil Oliver Stamps

Another important resident was Virgil Oliver Stamps. He was a gospel singer and promoter. He helped make gospel music very popular and available throughout East Texas and the southern USA. He is well-known for writing the music for the famous song "When the Saints Go Marching In".

After going to several music schools, he worked with James D. Vaughan. He ran the Vaughan Publishing Company office in Jacksonville, Texas, from 1915 into the 1920s. In 1924, Stamps opened the V.O. Stamps School of Music in Jacksonville. His friend J.R. Baxter became his business partner. In 1927, they changed the company name to the Stamps-Baxter Music Company.

Their company quickly became the top gospel music business in the country. They wrote songs, published music, and supported musical groups and radio shows. Baxter managed the business east of the Mississippi River. Stamps ran the operations in the western U.S. from his Dallas office. This early success allowed Stamps and his wife, Addie, to buy a new home at 1611 Hollywood Ave. They lived there with their teenage son, Ware.

Stamps-Baxter helped bring gospel music to more people. They broadcast it nationally on the radio and encouraged public performances. Stamps and his singing group started a noonday radio show on KRLD radio in Dallas in 1936. This show made him, his company, and gospel music more widely known. The radio show was so successful that Stamps-Baxter became the most successful publisher of shape-note music in America. The company's yearly Stamps-Baxter School of Music was the largest trainer of gospel singers in Texas and the South well into the 1950s.

Stamps passed away from heart disease on August 19, 1940. Thousands of people attended his funeral. In 1973, he was honored in the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. The Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame also honored Stamps in 1997. He has also been recognized in the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a pioneer of gospel music.

Getting Around: Accessibility

Hampton Hills is very easy to reach from several major freeways. This makes it simple to travel locally and to other regions. Interstate 30 is to the north, I-20 is to the south, Loop 12/Spur 408 is to the west, and I-45 is to the east. Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 67 cut through Oak Cliff. They help with north-south traffic in the area.

The Dallas Executive Airport, run by the city, is just a few miles from Hampton Hills. Both Dallas’ Love Field airport and the busy Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport are only about 30 minutes away from the neighborhood.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has a huge network of light rail lines, regional trains, and bus services. All of these are easy to get to from the Hampton Station. This station is right next to Hampton Hills, at the corner of Hampton Road and Wright Street.