Page 21 - Waxahachie, TX Residential Design Guidelines

IntroductIon

residential development. Streetcar service expanded to the area
and connected the university with downtown and other parts of the
city.

As Waxahachie continued to grow, it offered more of the amenities
generally associated with larger, more established cities. The
Sims Library, provided to the town by farmer Nicholas P. Sims in
his will, was built in the Greek Revival style in 1905. In 1912, an
interurban line connected Waxahachie to Dallas 30 miles to the
north. This electrical rail system, running along Brown and North
College Streets, vastly undercut the price of steam‐rail passenger
service to Dallas and operated on a more frequent and reliable
basis. By 1914, service extended to Waco 60 miles to the south.
The interurban rail operated successfully for over 30 years until the
popular use of automobiles forced its closing in 1949.

A Sanborn map from 1909 illustrates the eastern portion of what is now the West End Historic District.
Residential properties illustrate a range of setbacks but wood is always utilized as a primary material (indicated
by the use of yellow) and front porches (indicated by dashed lines), although a range in size, are also a key
component of residential structures.

Waxahac hie Residential design guidelines 13