The Great Depression

Prior to the stock market crash in October, 1929, only a small number of homes had been built in the barely-established Greenway Parks subdivision. Only 14 more were built during the depression era which followed. Those 14, however, were designed by some of the most notable architects in Dallas at that time.

O'Neil Ford was one of Texas most revered architects in 1933. He had just left the office of David R. Williams and established his own studio at 2200 Cedar Springs Rd. staffed by a small group of artisans and craftsmen, most of them members of his own family. Like his mentor, Williams, Ford's education had been the careful study of Texas' regional architecture. Ford and Williams had worked together in developing the "Indigenous House", a style of architecture which can be described as "logical for the region, and having grown, purely by functional methods, into a form of art. "Neil", as he was called by friends, employed his brother, Lynn, to craft and execute metal light fixtures, grillwork, wood moldings and doors for Neil's designs.

5366 Montrose built by O'Neil Ford193 for Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd B. Smith has recently been extensively remodeled.

Among Ford's first solo commissions were two homes built in Greenway Parks. Neil's close friend, Henry Nash Smith, insisted that his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd B. Smith retain Ford to design their home at 5366 Montrose. The Smith's daughter, Betty Winn Campbell, who lived in the family home until her death in June, 2000, told the story about Neil and her mother going "round and round" over the open design of the stairway. In the end the architect deferred to his client. Her mother won a victory that Betty agreed was a big mistake. The problem was that Mrs. Smith wanted to be able to sneak up the stairs without being seen (which were visible through the front door in Ford's plan) in order to take the curlers out of her hair, before she answered the doorbell. She convinced Ford that the stair should face the opposite direction, accessible from the front hall and the kitchen instead of the entry hall so it would not be seen from the door.

At the time of the interview, the home had many beautiful and unique hand-crafted signatures of the Ford family including Lynn's wood medallions and furniture designed by Neil, although the upholstery, long since worn, has been replaced.

In 1933 Ford was also commissioned to design a home for Dr. J.T. Mills at 5310 Montrose, a single story house with curved interior walls and an unusual button mounding detail on the dining room wainscot.

5522 Waneta (parkway view) was designed by Charles Dilbeck and built by Dines and Kraft for Mr. & Mrs. M.E. Moses

Between 1935 and 1941, the Dines and Kraft company built at least 12 homes in Greenway in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Charles Dilbeck, the popular and prolific Dallas architect who designed very distinctive, eclectic style homes all over the city of Dallas was the architect of several Dines and Kraft houses as well.

Dines and Kraft Homes

Other Greenway Parks residences attributed to Charles Dilbeck

5522 Waneta (parkway view) was built by Dines and Kraft. Note the similarities between this house and 5414 Drane which faces Stemmons Park.	5414 Drane was designed by Charles Dilbeck and built by Dines and Kraft in 1935 built for N.R.Crozier, Dallas' Superintendent of Schools.