Vickery Place, Dallas facts for kids
Vickery Place is a historic neighborhood located in East Dallas, Texas. It's bordered by Goodwin Avenue to the north, North Central Expressway (US 75) and Henderson to the west, Belmont to the south, and Greenville Avenue to the east. While some people might think Vickery Place is part of the M Streets area, it's actually just south of the Greenland Hills neighborhood. Vickery Place has become a much more popular place to live recently. Property values have grown a lot! This is because it's very close to Downtown Dallas and Uptown. It's also right next to exciting shopping and entertainment areas like Lower Greenville Avenue and Knox-Henderson.
What's the History of Vickery Place?
Vickery Place is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Dallas. It's full of beautiful homes built in styles like Prairie, Craftsman, and Tudor. You'll also find many old, tall pecan trees here. The Vickery Place area was first created in August 1911. It was made from parts of three different farms.
At first, about 500 building lots were planned. The neighborhood was then bordered by the H&TC Railroad (which is now North Central Expressway or US 75) to the west. Goodwin Avenue was its northern border. The Richardson Pike Ross Ave Extension (now Greenville Avenue) was to the east. And Bonita and Melrose Avenues were to the south. Over the years, Vickery Place grew and its borders changed to what they are today.
On June 28, 2006, the Dallas City Council made Vickery Place a Conservation District. Everyone in the community worked together to make this happen. Their goal was to stop old, historic homes from being torn down. They also wanted to prevent new, much larger houses from being built that didn't fit the neighborhood's style.
Schools in Vickery Place
Students in Vickery Place attend schools within the Dallas Independent School District. The neighborhood is zoned for Geneva Heights Elementary School. This school is located in Lower Greenville. Students also go to J. L. Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School. There is also a special K-8 magnet school in the Vickery Place area. It's called Solar Preparatory School for Girls at James B. Bonham.
The Story of Bonham Elementary
James B. Bonham Elementary School used to serve most of the Vickery Place community. It opened in 1923 as the Vickery Place School. The building was designed by C.D. Hill. In December 1939, the school's name changed to James B. Bonham. This was done to avoid confusion with the town of Vickery, which joined the school district later.
Bonham Elementary was a very successful school. It won the National Excellence in Urban Education Award in 2009. It also received the Blue Ribbon School Award in 2010. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) even rated it as "exemplary" for many years.
However, the number of students at Bonham Elementary started to drop. In the 2011-2012 school year, it had just over 200 students. This was much fewer than it could hold. The number of children living in the area went down a lot. This happened as the neighborhood changed and became more expensive. Because there were so few students, the school district decided to close Bonham Elementary in 2012.
After Bonham Elementary closed, its students were sent to Geneva Heights Elementary (then called Lee Elementary). The teachers and principal from Bonham were moved to a new school. The old Bonham building was empty for a while. In 2016, the Bonham campus became a special school for girls. It focuses on STEAM subjects, which means Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.
