Historic Resource Survey Report Phase I: Downtown Core Longview, Gregg County, Texas Prepared for The City of Longview, Texas and The Texas Historical Commission Certified Local Government Program by Preservation Central, Inc., Historic Preservation Consultants September 30, 2016 Historic Resource Survey Report Phase I: Downtown Core Longview, Gregg County, Texas Prepared for The City of Longview, Texas and The Texas Historical Commission Certified Local Government Program by Preservation Central, Inc. Author: Terri Myers, Historian Contributors: Karen McGraw Kristen Brown September 30, 2016 2016 Historic Resource Survey: Longview, Gregg County, Texas Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... iii Map of Longview, Gregg County, Texas .......................................................................... iv Introduction ............................................................................................................................... v Map of Sector 1 Survey Area ............................................................................................. vi Professional and Public Input ................................................................................................. vii Historic Context Organization .................................................................................................. x HISTORIC CONTEXT ............................................................................................................... 1 Historic and Architectural Resources of Longview: 1870-1970 .............................................. 2 1) The Railroad Comes to East Texas................................................................................. 2 Longview Townsite: 1870 ............................................................................................ 4 The County Seat ............................................................................................................ 6 Rebuilding: 1877-1880 ................................................................................................. 7 2) Period of Growth and Prosperity: 1880-1900................................................................. 9 Residential Development ............................................................................................ 10 African-American Presence in Longview ................................................................... 11 The Junction ................................................................................................................ 12 Early Additions to the City of Longview .................................................................... 15 3) Longview’s Progressive Era: 1900-1919 ..................................................................... 15 Bodie .......................................................................................................................... 16 Business and Industrial Expansion ............................................................................. 17 Residential Growth, Architectural Trends, and Additions .......................................... 19 African-American Additions: Mobberly’s South and Rembert’s “Old Field” ........... 21 Civic Progress ............................................................................................................. 23 4) Longview in Decline: 1919-1929 ................................................................................. 24 Longview Race Riot of 1919 ...................................................................................... 24 Lingering Malaise in the 1920s................................................................................... 26 5) Oil!: 1931-1941 ............................................................................................................ 27 Suburban Expansion in the 1920s ............................................................................... 31 North Longview Additions ................................................................................... 32 Southside Additions .............................................................................................. 34 6) World War II Projects: 1941-1945 ............................................................................... 37 7) Postwar Development Boom: 1945-1966..................................................................... 38 Housing and Suburban Development ......................................................................... 40 Downtown Longview in the Postwar Era ................................................................... 43 REFERENCES, SURVEY, METHODOLOGY, DELIVERABLES, AND SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................... 46 References Cited ..................................................................................................................... 47 Historic Resources Survey ...................................................................................................... 49 i 2016 Historic Resource Survey: Longview, Gregg County, Texas Research Methods ................................................................................................................... 49 General Research .............................................................................................................. 50 Advanced Research ........................................................................................................... 52 Survey Methods ...................................................................................................................... 53 Windshield Survey ............................................................................................................ 53 Map of “Downtown Core” Survey Area .................................................................... 55 The Downtown Core Project Area ............................................................................. 56 Field Investigations .................................................................................................... 58 Reconnaissance-Level Survey ......................................................................................... 59 Map of Survey Sectors ............................................................................................... 61 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 62 Property Types .................................................................................................................. 62 Construction Dates ............................................................................................................ 62 Architectural Styles ........................................................................................................... 63 Priority Assessments ......................................................................................................... 63 Potential Historic Districts ................................................................................................ 64 Map of Propsed South Main and White City Historic Districts ................................. 65 Map of Proposed Junction Historic District................................................................ 67 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 68 Future Survey Efforts ........................................................................................................ 68 Historic Designations ........................................................................................................ 68 High Priority Resources .................................................................................................... 68 Table: High Preservation Priority Properties .................................................................... 69 Potential Historic Districts ................................................................................................ 72 The “Hundred Acres” ....................................................................................................... 72 Deliverables ............................................................................................................................ 73 Specifications .......................................................................................................................... 74 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................. 75 Appendix A .................................................................................................. (Appendix Binder) Appendix B ........................................................................................... (Survey Form Binders) Appendix C .................................................................................................. (Appendix Binder) Appendix D .................................................................................................. (Appendix Binder) ii 2016 Historic Resource Survey: Longview, Gregg County, Texas Abstract This Historic Resource Survey Report describes the activities, findings, and recommendations of an intensive-level survey of historic resources conducted in downtown Longview, Texas, in the spring and summer