Neighborhoods

M Streets East Conservation District

In 1923 brothers Frank and Fletcher McNeny joined the trend of suburban development in Dallas when they bought, platted, and subdivided 98 acres of the Bennett farm on the eastern fringes of the city to create Greenland Hills Addition. The McNeny brothers installed water, sewer, and gas mains, as well as arranged the newly paved streets and sidewalks in such a way as to preserve the area’s natural topography. Today, M Streets East Conservation District is part of the Greenland Hills Addition, and is bound by Skillman Road on the east, Greenville Avenue on the west, McCommas Boulevard on the north, Vanderbilt Avenue on the south.

When it opened, the M Streets area (named for the concentration of streets beginning with the letter M) proved very popular among young professionals new to the Dallas area who were looking for a neighborhood that offered both proximity to downtown and affordable houses. With its collection of period revival houses, shaded streets, and lots that could accommodate garages, the M Streets area retained its popularity among buyers even during the Great Depression.

In 2003 the eastern portion of the M Streets neighborhood separated to become M Streets East Conservation District in order to preserve the neighborhood’s original collection of Craftsman bungalows, Colonial, and Tudor Revival houses. Now, more than eighty years after its initial development, the historic architecture, variety of styles, and canopies of oak and pecan trees define the M Streets East Conservation District, and help the neighborhood maintain the look and feel of an early twentieth century American suburb.

Author: Michelle Stanard
Editor: Michael Hazel
Photos: Michelle Stanard