West Jefferson in the Truman Years
by Paula Bosse
W. Jefferson & S. Bishop (click for very large image)
by Paula Bosse
Here we see West Jefferson Blvd. in Oak Cliff, looking east from just west of the intersection with South Bishop. Not being proficient in dating automobiles, I’m unsure of the date, but the Hoffman Optical Co. (seen on the right) did not appear in the 1948 city directory, but was there by 1951. The current view from this intersection can be seen on Google Street View here. Even though the visual blight of those telephone poles is unappealing, I have to say, I prefer the livelier W. Jefferson of 60-something years ago.
If you squint, you can just see the Texas Theatre in the distance on the left — under the pointy roof, behind the “New Car” billboard. Here’s a magnified detail (click to see a larger image) — you can (barely) see “TEXAS” spelled out on the vertical sign.
The first thing I noticed in this photo is this odd black vehicle driving away from the photographer — I keep seeing a bulky version of Harold’s customized hearse from the movie Harold and Maude. What is this?
Here are the businesses that occupied the couple of blocks seen here (from S. Bishop to S. Zang) in 1951:
1951 city directory (click to read!)
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Copyright © 2016 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
Paula I have a photo from the mid 50’s, that includes the power poles. These were used to power the electric buses used in that time period. I remember a power grid of wires above and a metal contact that rose up from the bus roof. At night you would see arching as the bus changed lanes or turned at street corners. That odd truck is actually a pickup truck with a tarp frame mounted in the back. Another great photo Paula…
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I would never have guessed that was a pickup truck!
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At the time of the photo the power lines would have been powering the Jefferson Car of the trolley system. The tracks are barely discernible in the photo. They remained uncovered for years after the trolleys were discontinued in 1956. The same power lines were kept and powered buses, though it seems to me that I recall that the Jefferson bus was not electric.
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A trolley car can be seen in the distance, right side of the street on the tracks near the median where the power poles are.
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I am not sure dating the cars would help much. Some of those cars with their separate fenders, tall hoods and vertical grilles are early 1940s, but I think the partially hidden car near the center of the bottom half of the photo, http://i.imgur.com/GQPG2OU.png , is a 1949 Chevrolet: http://i.imgur.com/RuUCOkk.jpg
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What’s the vehicle that looks like a Volkswagen van?
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That is an International Harvester Metro Van: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Harvester_Metro_Van
I don’t know the year.
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Saw this image at the Dallas Public Library: http://i.imgur.com/VwOiXBx.jpg It is dated 1951 and the Republic National Life sign is not there. Looks like they moved out in 1950: http://goo.gl/l3KgZi So that narrows the date of the photo down to 1949 or 1950.
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That van is, I think, a delivery van for things like dairies, Manor Bakery, and the like. They were designed for driver-salesmen who would be expected to make many stops in their daily routes.
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It appears to belong to the laundry company at 400 W. Jefferson.
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The van is indeed a Metro delivery van., and common for city delivery. As I follow the thread I am wondering however if we are mixing two subjects, the other being the Ford pickup with a canvass pointed out by Paula. Top 10 Records is still on that corner today…
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I was just wondering what the delivery vehicle was because it reminds me so much of a VW van which I know wasn’t around back then.
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Actually, VW vans did exist then, as the VW Transporter. But not in the U.S. for a few more years.
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My husband’s grandfather had a Real Estate and Insurance business inside the tower at some point in the 50s but I don’t know when. We still have the phone… Rollins Real Estate. Thanks for this glimpse of what Jefferson looked like when he was working there!
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The lighter-colored two-door sedan on the far left is a ’46 or ’47 Hudson, and I do barely see a ’49 Chevy coming toward the camera position, so this probably is ’49 or ’50. Great shot.
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Thanks, Steve!
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Paula – I love your posts, especially these fro Oak Cliff, since I live over here ( since 1998).
Im curious about areas further west on Jefferson. In addition to the LO Daniels Mansion, Ive heard there were other big Victorian and Arts and Crafts houses that were in the area of today’s CVS, El Rancho Grocer and Jeff-Davis Center.
We live in Ravinai heights now and Ive heard stories about the Cane / Ravinia Mansion at 2918 W. Jefferson for years and wonder if anyone has more info on it.
Keep up the good work!
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