Pig Stand No. 2, Oak Cliff
by Paula Bosse
Waiting in cars for pig sandwiches
by Paula Bosse
I’ve seen a cropped version of this photo, but not the full image. It’s great! I don’t mean to keep posting about restaurants, but seeing this photo was too good not to share. (As I type this, it’s available on eBay, here.)
It shows Pig Stand No. 2 at 1301 N. Zang in Oak Cliff, probably about 1928. It appears that this was the second “No. 2” — it was announced that this brand-new building had just begun construction in January 1928.
Work was started last week on the new Pig Stand, Zang’s Boulevard and Colorado Street, for the Pig Stands Company, a Dallas institution, now operating in 39 cities in 12 states. The ornamental building has been adopted as a standard design for the many future stands now contemplated over the country by this concern. In this building will be embodied modern sanitary features complying with all requirements and laws. It will be faced with brick and highly colored tile with ornamental stone trimmings and a clay tile sweeping roof in several shades. The exterior as well as the interior will be illuminated electrically with the cornice and ornaments decorated out in varied contrasting colors. The Pig Stands Co., starting less than five years ago with small capital, has developed into a national institution. Architects F. J. Woerner and Co. designed and will supervise this work, while M. W. McDade will have charge of the construction. (Dallas Morning News, Jan. 26, 1928)
At the right is the Oak Cliff/Tramway Auto Laundry at 1307 N. Zang.
I love the couple in the rumble seat!
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Sources & Notes
Photo currently available for sale on eBay, here.
Read a history of Dallas’ Pig Stand empire — long considered to be the first-ever drive-in restaurants, a revolutionary contribution to American social culture — in the Texas Monthly article “The History of the Pig Stands” by Daniel Vaughn (Feb. 2015).
Architect Frank Woerner designed many notable commercial and residential buildings in Dallas, including the Stoneleigh Hotel, the Couch Building across from SMU, the old Union Depot in Deep Ellum, and the beautiful home of Max Rosenfield on South Boulevard.
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Copyright © 2023 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
The photo is certainly worthy in its own right, but the appearance of the Franklin touring car (fourth from the leftmost in the original image) puts it over the top. It’s likely the oldest and in many ways the best car shown here.
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Interested in the Auto Laundry next door. Looks to be a drive-through car wash.
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Cool photo!
It was killing me that I couldn’t quite read the smaller text on the signs so I found this photo of Pig Stand #29 on Broadway in San Antonio in 1931 that shows the signs clearly:
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Can you check if a pig stand was located on Forest Ave near the Ceda Crest bridge
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#28 Dallas at 1611 Forest Ave.
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The last one recently closed in San Antonio. The neon sign was saved!
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Does anyone have a photo of Kate’s Sandwich Shop that was on Swiss Avenue in 1929/30? Thanks very much.
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I couldn’t find any info on a sandwich shop named “Kate’s” in the directories from this period. Do you have an address on Swiss? Or estimation of general location? Or the full name of the owner?
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I believe it was across the street from United Mirror & Glass, which was located at 2606 Swiss Avenue. Thanks very much!
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I apologize. The above reply to Ms. Bosse’s response is from me, Elaine Garrison.
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Hi Elaine.
At that time, the United Glass & Mirror Co. was at 2614 Swiss. I mentioned it — and there’s an ad for it, with a drawing of the business — in this post on Bonnie & Clyde: https://flashbackdallas.com/2016/07/06/mrs-hartgraves-cafe-and-bonnie-clyde-earning-paychecks-on-swiss-avenue/.
I looked at all the street directories between 1927 and 1932, and there was only one address in that block which was *always* a cafe: 2631 Swiss — I don’t see a “Kate” anywhere but there was a Bettie’s Cafe/Betty’s Cafe at that address between about 1930 and at least 1932 (other names associated with a cafe at 2631 Swiss during that time were McGregor, Stewart, and Shafer — there was a LOT of turnover there!).
No photos, I’m afraid. The only thing I have a photo of in that block was the building which housed The Dallas Express, the city’s premier black newspaper — you can see it in this post: https://flashbackdallas.com/2016/07/10/the-dallas-express-a-look-inside-1924/ — after the newspaper offices closed, it was briefly a “sandwich shop,” in 1931.
–Paula
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Dear Ms. Bosse. Thank you so much for that information. It is very helpful. I really appreciate you taking the time to check this out for me.
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Paula, are you still on this site? I am researching Cliff Towers Hotel and I have many questions. Do you know when the Pig Stand #2 closed on Zang Blvd.
Richard Hohman
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I don’t know when it closed, but it disappeared from the city directory in 1963. The last classified ad I see in the Dallas Morning News is from June 1962.
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[…] your eyes on “Pig Stand No. 2, Oak Cliff” — 1301 N. Zang, taken about 1928. This might be the first people-in-a-rumble-seat photo […]
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