Queen City neighborhood is a South Dallas Fair Park Area Plan focus area

Queen City neighborhood is a nationally recognized African-American community whose buildings date from 1915 to 1945. Portions of the neighborhood were placed on the national register in 1995. Architecturally it is recognized for its late 19th and early 20th century American movements: bungalow/craftsman style homes. 

The neighborhood is two miles southeast of downtown, and once served as the physical nucleus of South Dallas’ African-American suburban development. It is located only a few blocks south of what was known as the “color line,” which until World War II delineated African-American residential development from white neighborhoods to the north and west.

The nationally recognized historic boundaries of Queen City include the approximately eight blocks south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The district includes the equivalent of four blocks along Atlanta Street, extending from Cooper Street on the northwest, to Eugene Street on the southeast and the 3700 block of Dildock street parallel to and immediately east of Atlanta Street.

Queen City became a focal point for African-American business owners, artists, musicians and professionals. During this area planning process, Ms. Eva Jones, Queen City neighborhood association president and task force member, began working with other communities along with the office of Historic Preservation to request that Queen City be recognized locally as a historic district to preserve and protect the historical structures within Queen City. As of June 3, 2024, the Landmark Commision authorized a hearing to consider initiation of the historic designation process to establish a historic overlay district.

Future Vision

With local landmark designation, Queen City will be recognized both locally and nationally as an essential asset to the history and culture of African-American life in Dallas, Texas. New construction homes within the historic district will blend seamlessly with the existing homes.

The future placetype for the area is community residential, which encompasses the largest percentage of land within Queen City and is primarily made up of single-family homes. Parks such as the Exline recreational facility, schools, and places of worship like Salem Institutional Baptist Church are interspersed throughout, providing focal points for community activity. Spaces like the Hayden Grocery Store should be identified for a historical marker by the community. Through historic preservation efforts, Queen City can stabilize and preserve the remaining historic character and charm of the Tudors, bungalows, and other architectural styles from Warren Avenue to Eugene Street.

Recommendations

Queen City will continue the process of becoming a historic overlay district through the Historic Preservation Office. 

1. The community will identify new boundaries of the historic district and select the most favorable architectural styles to preserve. 
2. The remaining homes outside of the historic overlay district will follow any future updates to the residential design standards in the planned development 595, including consistent roof styles, building heights, access and placement of garages, and front porches. 
3. It is also recommended that the Queen City Neighborhood Association starts the process of identifying historical places and spaces for historical markers.

Queen City is one of five focus areas in the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan. These serve as key areas where efforts and resources should be concentrated to address specific challenges, unlock potential, and stimulate development. These areas were chosen based on their ability to drive meaningful change, such as boosting economic activity, improving community infrastructure, and enhancing quality of life. 

Read about the future vision and recommendations for the other four focus areas:

• 2nd Avenue
• Elsie Faye Heggins Street
• Malcolm X BLVD corridor
• Martin Luther King Jr. Dart Station

This content was pulled directly from the City of Dallas draft of the South Dallas Fair Park Area Plan, pages 39 and 50. Only minor spelling, grammar and punctuation changes were made.