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HISTORY
Mistletoe Heights sits on the
bluffs overlooking the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, approximately
two miles southwest of the Fort Worth Central Business District.
The area is bordered by Rosedale Street on the north, the railroad
tracks on the east, Park Place on the south and Mistletoe Drive
on the west.
The 640 acres in Mistletoe Heights
are included in the 1854 Ethelbert S. Harris Survey. This land
was considered rural when Harvie C. Lawrie of Colorado, owner
of the land in 1890, laid out the streets by "setting a
two and one-half inch oak wagon spoke stake at the corner tree
thereof," according to plat records.
In November, 1892, Mistletoe
Heights Land Company purchased the land, subsequently naming
it Mistletoe Heights. Around this time the land was considered
too expensive for farm land and too far out for development.
The existing streets at that time had names such as Feldhauser, Zang and Estabrook, but after completion of platting in 1910 by Mistletoe Heights Realty Company, they were renamed to what they are today. Originally,
lots could be purchased for $100, but by 1926, were selling for
around $1,500.
Mistletoe Heights second phase
of annexation by the City of Fort Worth was in 1922, and was
opposed by residents over a school dispute. Mayor Cockrell accused
the residents of non-support of the city, even though they were
getting city services, and earning their incomes in Fort Worth.
The dispute was resolved and nearby Lily B. Clayton Elementary School was constructed in 1922. The school originally contained four classrooms, but was enlarged in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration, WPA., and again in 2005.
Deed restrictions in Mistletoe
Heights prohibited the selling of homes to minorities, a provision
which is illegal today. It also specified that alcohol could
not be sold from properties, and that homes must cost at least
$5,000 and could not be of frame construction.
Twenty-one homes in Mistletoe Heights are listed as historically significant in the Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey. Mistletoe Heights is now in an historic district to help preserve the historic nature of the neighborhood. A Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission of the City of Fort Worth is now required before any changes can be made to teh exterior of the homes in the neighborhood. This zoning ensures that values will be maintained in this lovely neighborhood.
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