Charnwood District, 1999
Tyler’s First Historic District is Listed in the National Register
On August 20, 1999 the Charnwood Residential Historic District, Tyler’s first historic district, was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Atop a gently sloping hill approximately one-half mile south of the Smith County Courthouse, the Charnwood Residential Historic District encompasses 12 blocks of late 19th and early 20th century residential development. Several land subdivisions conforming to a basic grid pattern comprise the district, which is bounded on the north by East Houston, on the east by South Oakland, East Wells and South Donnybrook, on the south by East Dobbs and on the west by Broadway. The district’s historic buildings developed sporadically between about 1870 and 1950 on parcels of varying sizes and shapes, with single family residences and related outbuildings predominating. Landscape features such as low walls of stone, concrete or brick are found throughout the district and reinforce its historic character as do publicly funded infrastructure elements such as brick paved streets and a stone drainage channel. The district includes Tudor Revival, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Queen Anne, and Ranch style residences with brick veneer or wood siding. A few are expansive, architect-designed dwellings, but most were built by local carpenters and contractors for middle and working class families.
The district is significant for its architectural design and high levels of craftsmanship, and for the way its reflects community development patterns in Tyler between 1870 and 1950. The Charnwood Residential Historic District contains 208 properties that contribute to the historic character of the district, including residences, garages, servants’ quarters, garage apartments, duplexes, apartments, landscaping features, and brick streets. Of the 208 properties 111 are single family dwellings, duplexes or apartment buildings. The remainder are domestic auxiliary buildings, landscaping and infrastructure resources.
Though now considered part of the central city, the Charnwood neighborhood’s location below Front Street was known in the 19th century as South Tyler. The neighborhood’s roots date to the 1860s when the rural south edge of town included only scattered homesteads and the private Charnwood Institute on large parcels of several acres. By the late 1880s the area was evolving into a cohesive neighborhood of modest dwellings on parcels of seven or fewer acres. Within a decade portions of South Fannin, South Broadway and East Charnwood featured merchant class dwellings on tracts labeled “town lots” by the county tax assessor. Barns, sheds, domestic employees’ quarters and other buildings provided support for these residential properties. Development along Charnwood, Broadway, Fannin and Houston accelerated after 1900 as district residents subdivided their parcels to facilitate construction of modest one and two story single family dwellings. This trend gained momentum in the 1930s, when the East Texas Oil Boom created a housing shortage and neighborhood residents responded by constructing infill housing and new additions throughout the district. Garages and garage apartments replaced barns in this period as automobiles became more prevalent. By the end of World War II development began on the last large parcel of land in the neighborhood. Throughout the district’s history development was shaped by a complex network of family, business and neighbor relationships, as well as investor and speculator efforts. The neighborhood continues to reflect this complex development history and contains the largest concentration of the oldest, most diverse, and best preserved properties in the city.
Community Celebration Held
The listing of the Charnwood Residential Historic District was celebrated on Tuesday, November 9, 1999 at 4:30 p.m. with a ribbon cutting and dedication of the neighborhood as Tyler’s first historic district, followed by a reception at one of the district residences. City officials joined neighborhood residents and Historic Tyler in this event.
The National Register Program
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the register is an honor and carries no direct restrictions. Properties may qualify for listing in the register if they are at least 50 years old, meet one or more of four eligibility criteria (Criterion A: broad patterns of history; Criterion B: association with a significant individual; Criterion C: reflective of excellence in architecture, craftsmanship or design; Criterion D: potential to reveal important information about the past), and retain sufficient exterior integrity to be recognizable to the date they were built, or to the period in which they gained significance. Properties may be listed individually, as part of a district, or as part of a multiple- property thematic nomination. When properties are listed in a historic district they are designated Contributing or Non-contributing based on their exterior physical integrity and association with the qualifying listing criteria. Financial benefits are available to qualifying Contributing properties including Federal income tax credits of 20 percent for the approved rehabilitation of income producing properties (including duplexes, apartments and dwellings converted to office uses). State funded grants also are available for rehabilitation and restoration of Contributing properties. The National Register program is administered by the National Park Service within the Department of the Interior.
Listing the District
Interest in a historic district for the Charnwood neighborhood began in 1995-96 when Austin based architectural historian Diane E. Williams conducted a historic resources survey in what is now the district. As part of the work of Phase II of a four-year survey project funded by the City of Tyler, Historic Tyler, Inc. and private donations, Ms. Williams identified the Charnwood neighborhood as a strong candidate for National Register listing. Neighborhood support for a district was high. Ms. Williams began preparation of the National Register nomination in 1997 with funding for research supplied by the City of Tyler, the Texas Historical Commission’s Certified Local Government grant program, Historic Tyler, Inc. and a private donor. A series of meetings with neighborhood residents and property owners kept district residents informed of the nomination’s progress and provided an opportunity to discuss the National Register program. Many residents provided research materials and photographs, which enhanced the project’s success. Most of the research was conducted using records in Tyler including materials at the Smith County Courthouse, the Smith County Historical Society Archives, the Tyler Public Library and Smith County Title Co. Additional research was carried out at various repositories in Austin. During the research phase, Historic Tyler raised funds for the actual writing of the nomination, with funding received from district residents, Historic Tyler, and the Vaughan Foundation. In 1998 Ms. Williams prepared the nomination and submitted it for review to the Texas Historical Commission State Board of Review. The Board of Review traveled to Tyler to tour the district on November 13, 1998 and on November 14, the Board recommended the district for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A (broad patterns of history) and Criterion C (architecture). The nomination was then sent to the Keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., where it was again reviewed, and was finally listed on August 20, 1999.
Additional National Register Listings and Potentially Eligible Properties
During the four-year survey conducted by Ms. Williams many individual buildings and several historic districts were identified as potentially eligible for listing in the National Register. In addition to the Charnwood Residential Historic District, six individual Tyler properties are currently listed in the National Register. They are the: Goodman-LeGrand House; Ramey-Grainger House; Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House; Carnegie Library; John B. and Ketura Douglas House; Smith County Jail. Nominations for two other buildings are currently underway, and a community development history of Tyler is being prepared in anticipation of additional historic district nominations. More information on the National Register program, on the Charnwood Residential Historic District, and on properties potentially eligible for individual and district listing is available from Historic Tyler, Inc. Historic Tyler On Tour 2001.
Tyler Morning Telegraph newspaper article - follow link to read article
Charnwood National Historic District Nomination - Review this document to determine if your property is contributing or non-contributing to apply for a National Register of Historic Places Plaque.
Application Form for a National Register of Historic Places Plaque.
