The 12-unit apartment building at 301 W. Leuda is a 2-story, wood-framed building covered with stucco over wire lathe. It is sited on two lots at the southwest intersection of West Leuda Street and St. Louis Avenue. It was constructed in 1936 by Pirl Steagall (aka R.E. Steagall) for his sister, Annie Duke. Steagall used salvaged material throughout the building. It is designed in a vernacular interpretation of the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It is the building's massing with its hipped roof, overhanging eaves and projecting wings that convey an association with this style. However, it lacks certain other hallmarks such as arched windows or openings on the first floor and bracketed eaves. Arches are used on the railing wall surrounding the second story balcony and the eaves have exposed rafter tails. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and has three metal attic ventilators on it; two over the facade and one on the southern portion of the east wing. The 1/1 hung wood windows are generally paired or set in triplet groupings. Windows and doors are surrounded by simple wood trim with angular cut lintels. The building has a raised first floor, particularly on the front and east elevations. A partial basement is beneath the building and is accessed through an exterior stairway near the rear breezeway entrance. Basement windows at the northeast corner of the building have been boarded over.
The symmetrical facade of the modified U-shaped building faces north toward Leuda Street. It features a recessed entrance flanked by two projecting hipped bays. However, the porch over the entrance projects slightly out from the bays. The porch is accessed by a flight of concrete stairs flanked by stuccoed wing walls. The concrete porch floor is framed by stuccoed railing walls flanking the steps. Each wall has a large semi-circular opening for drainage. The railing walls are trimmed with coping and each is surmounted by two stuccoed square columns supporting the second story balcony. The centered entrance is flanked by 2/3-length sidelights and single 1/1 windows. The center glazed panel door opens to an enclosed breezeway between the two wings. The breezeway does not provide access to individual apartments but is only a passageway from the front to the rear of the building. The east and west walls under the porch each have an entrance to an adjoining apartment. The second floor above the porch has centered paired 1/1 windows flanked by single 1/1 windows. There is an entrance to the balcony from the east and west flanking apartments. The flanking bays each have a hipped attic dormer vent although the vent on the east bay has been infilled. There are two sets of paired 1/1 windows on each floor of each bay.
The side elevation legs are organized in a progressively setback pattern. The east leg (St. Louis elevation) is longer than the west and contains an addition on its southern end believed to have been constructed around 1941. The north end of this elevation has two sets of paired windows on each floor. This bay then steps back to another bay with a set of triplet windows on each floor and an entrance at its north end with a small hipped roof above it. This porch roof and others over the side entrances are supported by decorative turned wood brackets. The next stepped-back bay has two sets of paired windows on each floor. The southern setback bay has two smaller paired windows on each floor with the very southern end having a projecting 3-sided bay with paired windows on the east wall and single windows on the flanking walls. The north end of this set back has a side entrance and the small hipped porch roof above. The southern elevation of this wing has two sets of paired windows on each floor and a hipped dormer vent on the roof. The west elevation of this wing does not have the setbacks but features two entrances flanked by spindled engaged columns and covered by the small hipped porch roofs with turned wood brackets. There is a variety of paired and single windows on this elevation. A third entrance is located near the breezeway between the two wings. It does not have a porch roof over it.
The west elevation of the west bay features two sets of paired windows on each floor. The southern section of this elevation is set back with an entrance at the north end and a set of triplet windows on each floor. The rear (south) elevation of this bay has a set of paired windows on each floor and a hipped dormer vent on the roof. The east wall of this leg has no setbacks. It has a variety of window sizes and groupings, and an entrance near the breezeway between the two wings. Above the rear entrance between the two wings is a second story breezeway that forms a porch covering. The breezeway has two wood windows with transoms above. Below these windows, the wall is covered with a paneled wood wainscoting that appears to have been salvaged from a late 19th-century building, possible the house that was formerly located on this site. At the lower corners of the wainscoting are carved wood brackets.
The exterior of the building is largely unaltered. As mentioned, one dormer vent has been infilled as have basement windows at the northeast corner of the building. The stucco exterior has failed in some places and has been patched in others. A few areas on the roof have been patched with tar.
It is on the interior of the apartments at 301 W. Leuda Street where it is even more obvious that late 19-century salvaged materials were used in the construction of the building. The use of this material makes each apartment unique. The walls were constructed of either wide wood planks or bead board which was then covered with a variety of wallpaper patterns. In some areas, the bead board was left exposed. Even the ceilings were often covered with wallpaper. Some apartments had wood paneling added at a later date. Various types of interior trim is used around doors and the doors themselves can be either glazed oval, 2-panel, 4-panel, or 5-panel, some with decorative trim. In some instances, the wood floors have been covered with linoleum. There are several floor plans but each is mirrored on the second story. The upper northeast apartment illustrates some of the unusual features found in the building. The wall between the kitchen and dining room has two high wood windows that allow for the passage of light between the rooms. The west wall of the kitchen is of carved wood paneling.
Most of the apartments are one-bedroom with a kitchen, living or dining rooms, one bathroom, and closets. Some have butler's pantries. The kitchens have simple wood paneled cabinets and ceramic tile countertops and backsplashes. The kitchens also typically have built-in ironing boards. The bathrooms have similar paneled cabinets and built-in medicine cabinets. Many retain the original fixtures. Some bathrooms have vanities. The vanity in Apartment E particularly reveals the use of salvaged material with a piece of spindled ball trim below an upper cabinet and other decorative trim around a mirror. Bathroom floors can be either hexagonal tiles laid in decorative patterns, square ceramic tile in a variety of colors or similar tile broken in pieces and laid out in a mosaic pattern. The apartments retain other original decorative details such as door hardware and light fixtures. Interior double dogleg stairs lead to upper story apartments in some instances.
Deferred maintenance has resulted in damage to ceilings, walls, and floors, but overall, the interior retains a high degree of integrity.
The building sits on a slight incline. A concrete retaining curb follows the concrete sidewalk along the front (north) and east elevations. A small obelisk-shaped concrete pier is located at the junction of these two sidewalks. Concrete stairs and sidewalks lead from the east elevation sidewalk to the building's side entrance stairs. A concrete driveway is located along the southern elevation of the east wing and another concrete drive is located on the west side of the building. Several concrete parking pads are along the west elevation of the east wing.
Date of construction: 1936 Source of Date: Mechanics Lien and Tax Records
Date(s) of Alteration(s): c. 1941 addition on southern end of east wing; others unknown
Has building been moved? No
Description of physical appearance:
The Leuda-May Historic District is approximately 3/4 mile south of the edge of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It is located in a neighborhood that was developed primarily from the 1880s through the 1930s. Historically, it was a residential neighborhood with several churches and schools nearby. Over the last several decades, there has been some demolition of historic buildings resulting in vacant lots or the construction of a few commercial properties. The extant historic buildings date from the early 1900s to c. 1950. The district itself is composed of five contributing buildings and one contributing structure built between c. 1923 and 1936 with an addition to one of the buildings around 1941. Three of the resources are 2-story apartment buildings, two are 2-story garage/apartment buildings, and the structure is a small stuccoed trash shed. The designs of the three primary buildings are vernacular interpretations of the Italian Renaissance Revival style, Prairie School, and a Colonial Revival/Bungalow mix.
309 W. Leuda Street, Fort Worth (formerly designated as 311 W. Leuda Street, rear)
This 2-story garage/apartment is historically associated with the apartment building at 311 W. Leuda Street. It has no distinctive style. The front gabled building is set back on the lot and faces Leuda Street. It has exposed rafter tails and an asphalt shingle roof. The first floor (garage portion) is constructed of concrete block. The garage doors are on the north elevation and are paired sliding wood batten with cross board trim. A small pent roof is above the sliding doors. There are no other openings on the first floor. The second story is sheathed with 117 siding. The north elevation has a centered 1/1 wood hung window with a smaller 1/1 wood hung window to the left. The east elevation has one 1/1 hung window. A concrete stairway along the west elevation leads to a concrete landing in front of the second story entrance at the south end of the building. Pipe railing is located along the right side of the stairs and around the landing. A wood shed roof is above the entrance. The south elevation has one 1/1 hung wood window. The second story interior is composed of a small efficiency apartment with a walk-in kitchen, small bathroom, and a living/bedroom area. The floors are covered with linoleum.
The garage is accessed by a concrete drive that is shared with 301 W. Leuda and 807 N. May Street.
The date of the building has been estimated as c. 1930. In the 1930 Fort Worth City Directory, there is a rear address given for 311 W. Leuda Street. The building also appears on the 1951 Sanborn Map.
Date of Construction: c. 1930Source of Date: City Directory
Date(s) of Alteration(s): Unknown
Has building been moved: No
Contributing Structure
Behind 309 W. Leuda is a small, 3-sided trash shed. The structure has a small gabled roof sheathed with asphalt shingles. The walls are stuccoed with the south elevation being open. It was probably constructed around 1935-36 as its wall material is similar to that used on 807 May Street (1935) and 301 W. Leuda Street (1936). It appears on the 1951 Sanborn Map.
Date of Construction: c. 1935-36Source of Date: Similarity to buildings at 807 May St. and 301 W. Leuda
Date(s) of Alteration(s): Unknown
Has structure been moved: No
Roseland Apartments, 311 W. Leuda Street
The 2-story apartment building at 311 W. Leuda Street is constructed of red brick over hollow tile. The brick has been painted an off-white. It is sited at the southeast intersection of West Leuda and May streets and faces north. Its architectural style is strongly influenced by the Prairie School. It features such hallmarks of the style as a low-pitched hipped roof (covered with asphalt shingles) with wide overhanging boxed eaves and ribbons of windows. Of particular note are the fine divided-light wood casement windows located at the front corner rooms on each floor. These window types are found on few, if any, other apartment buildings on Fort Worth's South Side.
The building has a modified T-shape with the top of the "T" facing Leuda Street. The symmetrical facade is organized into five bays. The center bay contains the entrance which is accessed by a flight of six concrete stairs. The entrance's design reflects a Colonial Revival influence as it is framed by wood pilasters surmounted by a pediment. A sunburst design decorates the interior of the pediment. The wood French door is protected by a wood screen door. Above the entrance is a single 1/1 hung wood window.
On either side of the entrance is a porch/balcony bay. The first story porches are surrounded by a brick railing wall with the corners rising up to form square columns supporting the upper story balconies. The balconies are surrounded by a brick railing wall with keystone-inspired cutouts. Cast coping trims the balcony walls and the front wall of the lower porches. The balconies have no roofs but are partially protected by the wide overhanging eaves. Access to the porches/balconies are provided by wood French doors. Each of these doors are flanked by single 1/1 wood windows. The outer bays of the facade contain two sets of paired wood casement windows on each floor. A course of brick headers forms a nearly continuos sill/belt course beneath the second story windows and is found on all elevations.
The east and west elevations are identical and are organized with the north bay (upper portion of the "T") projecting out from the rest of the building. This portion of the building has three sets of paired wood casement windows on the east and west facing walls and two sets of paired casement windows on the south walls. The rest of the east and west elevations have a smaller single 1/1 wood window on each floor with paired 1/1 wood windows toward the southern end of the elevations.
The center of the rear or south elevation has a recessed bay. This bay has a centered entrance flanked by single 1/1 hung wood windows. The second story has the same fenestration pattern with a large 1/1 window replacing the door opening. The outer bays each have paired 1/1 windows on each floor.
The exterior of the building retains a high degree of integrity but has suffered from deferred maintenance. The eaves have rotted in some places. Foundation problems have resulted in cracks along the mortar joints. A historic photograph indicates that the building was painted by the early 1950s. Such cracking may have been the reason for the painted brick walls.
The interior of the building is divided by a central hallway with stairs to the upper floor. There are four apartments in the building; two on each floor. Each apartment has the same floor plan with reversed arrangements flanking the hallway. The interior walls are plaster on wood lathe. The window and doors are surrounded by simple wood trim that has been painted. Some of the wood floors have been covered with linoleum.
The front entrance provides access to the lower two apartments and the stairs to the second story. The stairs have square wood paneled newel posts and a simple square balustrade. When entering the apartments from the hall, the first room is a large living room which provided access to the front porch or balcony through a French door on the north wall. A large closet has been added on the south wall closest to the hall entrance. Passing straight through this room, one enters the sunroom which has the feel of an enclosed porch due to the large casement windows on the three walls. Interior screens cover these windows. A hall leading south out of the living room passes a built-in phone shelf and a small bathroom. The bathroom is illuminated by one small window. The walls are covered with a faux tile wainscoting and have a built-in wood medicine cabinet. At the end of the hallway at the outer corner of the building is the bedroom. A large closet with three doors is located on one wall. There are paired windows on the outer and south walls. The kitchen is located at the opposite corner of the rear hall. It has simple wood cabinets and ceramic tile surrounding the sink. There is an entrance from the kitchen to the rear hallway. The rear hallway also provides access to the stairs to the upper floor as well as the rear entrance to the building. Some historic iron and porcelain light fixtures remain in the apartments.
The interior of the Roseland Apartments retains a high degree of integrity. However, the plaster walls have suffered severe cracking. The closets in the living room are additions and where placed where fireplaces once existed.
A low concrete retaining curb encircles the property at the public sidewalk. A wide concrete sidewalk extends from Leuda Street to the front stairs. Another concrete sidewalk extends from the May Street sidewalk and runs eastward across the back of the building. To the east of the building is a shared concrete driveway and the garage/apartment at 309 W. Leuda.
Date of construction: c. 1923 Source of Date: Deed Records, 1923 City Directory
Date(s) of Alteration(s): unknown
Has building been moved? No
805 May Street
The apartment building at 805 May Street has an irregular rectangular massing. It is 2-stories with a low pitched hipped roof and overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and has a centered hipped dormer vent. The walls are sheathed with a striated red brick veneer. Architecturally, it is a vernacular blend of Colonial Revival and Bungalow styles. The Colonial Revival style is revealed in the symmetrical massing and the Bungalow influence is shown through the brick porch piers, wood balustrade, and exposed rafter tails.
The symmetrical facade features a centered entrance flanked by multi-light sidelights and surmounted by a multi-light transom. It has a wood French door protected by a wood screen door. This entrance leads to a central hallway and the stairs to the upper floor. It is flanked by entrances that lead to the lower story apartments. The north entrance has a 3-light paneled wood door and the south entrance has a wood French door. Each is covered by a wood screen door. To the outer sides of these doors are 1/1 hung wood windows. The center two-thirds of the facade is covered with a porch/balcony. The porch has two square brick columns that support the upper story balcony. The balcony is surrounded by a simple slatted wood balustrade which has two corner and one centered pedestal-like pier. The lower porch floor is of concrete and is surrounded by the same simple slatted wood balustrade with short brick piers with cast caps at the corners and flanking the front step.
The second floor of the facade has a centered balcony entrance with a French door. To the right and left of this door are paired 1/1 hung wood windows. The window sills are composed of brick headers. Between the windows and doors and the eave is a wide wood cornice.
The north elevation has the same fenestration pattern on each floor. Starting at the east end, it consists of paired 1/1 hung wood windows, followed by two shorter 1/1 hung wood windows, and then by two sets of paired 1/1 hung wood windows.
The rear or east elevation has a projecting bay on the north half with a set of triplet windows on each floor. The south wall of this bay has an entrance on the first floor with a 3-light wood panel door and wood screen door over it and a 1/1 hung wood window on the second floor. The southern portion of the east elevation has paired 1/1 hung wood windows near the corner and then a smaller 1/1 hung wood window with the same arrangement on the second floor. Near the north end of this portion is an entrance with two doors. The south door leads to stairs to the upper story, the north entrance leads to a hallway to the lower story apartments. Above these doors is one 1/1 hung wood window on the second floor.
The south elevation has a projecting bay on the east end. This bay has a set of triplet 1/1 hung wood windows on each floor. The west elevation of this bay has an entrance on the first floor with a 3-paneled glazed door and a wood screen door over it. Above the entrance is one 1/1 hung wood window on the second floor. The western portion of this elevation has two sets of paired 1/1 hung wood windows and one single 1/1 hung wood window on each floor.
The exterior of 805 May Street has a high degree of integrity. One slight alteration is the replacement of the original French door to the north apartment on the front elevation with a 3-light panel door. Cracking mortar joints have been repaired in a few areas.
The interior of 805 May was originally composed of four apartments. Although city directories tend to suggest that it remained a 4-plex throughout the 1940s, court records from the late 1940s indicate that there were at least six apartments in the building by 1946. There were eight units when the current owners purchased the property in 2001. Originally, beginning from the front entrance, the interior was divided into a living/dining room with the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom toward the rear of each apartment. Modifications called for the creation of separate units with the original bedroom, kitchen and bathroom in one unit and the front rooms divided into another unit. In the new units, the kitchens were divided from the front room by double French doors and bathrooms were created from closet space. The original kitchens featured simple paneled wood cabinets with ceramic tile countertops and backsplashes. An interesting feature is the fold-out kitchen table and the built-in ironing board cabinets. The narrow bathrooms feature hexagonal tile floors and built-in wood medicine cabinets. Both the historic kitchens and bathrooms have faux tile wainscoting. The wood floors throughout the apartments have been covered with linoleum. Some original light fixtures remain as do the original telephone cabinets.
The interior of 805 May Street has undergone alterations but it is easy to discern the original room configurations. Many historic features of the original interior remain.
A concrete retaining curb abuts the public sidewalk. Along the north side of the property is a retaining wall of two courses of rusticated concrete block. A concrete driveway runs along the south side of the property and provides access to 807 May Street.
Date of construction: 1925 Source of Date: Deed Records
Date(s) of Alteration(s): c. 1945, others unknown
Has building been moved? No
807 May Street (formerly designated as 805 May Street, rear)
The building at 807 May Street straddles two lots so that the east half of it is on Lot 2 and the west half is on Lot 11. It is most visible from Leuda Street and is constructed of similar material as the building at 301 W. Leuda Street and has some of the same features. It is a 2-story garage/apartment building with a wood deck with metal pipe railing surrounding the east, north, and west sides. It has a hipped roof with exposed rafter tails and hipped dormer vents on the north and south elevations. The second story is supported by wood and metal posts with old turned wood columns used to support the north end of the upper deck. There are six parking stalls on the east side and three on the west. The north end of the west elevation ground level has an enclosed storage area covered with beveled wood siding and an entrance to an interior stairway to the upper floor. Overall, the building has no distinctive architectural style.
The second story is covered with the same stucco siding found on 301 W. Leuda Street. Wood stairs provide access to the entrance on the north elevation. This entrance has a glazed wood paneled door. A small shed porch roof is above the entrance and is supported by metal poles. To the left of the entrance are paired 1/1 hung wood windows. The east elevation has three sets of paired wood windows. The windows in the small sunroom addition at the south end of the building are covered with louvers. The west elevation has two sets of paired 1/1 hung wood windows and two smaller 1/1 hung wood windows.
The exterior of 807 May Street retains a high degree of integrity with the exception of the sunroom addition on the southeast corner of the building. This addition does not appear on the 1951 Sanborn Map.
When entering through the north entrance, one passes the landing for the interior stairway and then enters the kitchen. The simple paneled wood cabinets are located on the north wall. The countertop is covered with ceramic tile as is the backsplash. The backsplash has alternating patterned tiles of leaves and birds. The south wall of the kitchen has a built-in ironing board cabinet, a closet for the water heater, and another small closet. South of the kitchen is the bathroom. It has hexagonal tiles on the floor, faux tile wainscoting (although decorative ceramic tile is used above the bath tub) and a built-in medicine cabinet with vanity and three drawers below. Besides a tub, the room also has a separate built-in shower. To the south of the bathroom is a bedroom. The wood floor is exposed in this room but has been covered with linoleum or suffered water damage in other rooms. The east half of the apartment was divided into a separate apartment. It is not known when this alteration took place but it existed in the late 1940s. The north room of this apartment contains the kitchen.
The partition walls of this building are constructed of wide wood planks and in many instances, wallpaper has been applied directly to it as well as on the ceiling. A variety and sizes of doors are used, including four panel and five panel. The doors and wood trim have been painted white.
The interior retains a high degree of integrity with the exception of the addition of the second apartment although the interior configuration is similar to the original layout. One other alteration is the addition of the small sunroom at the southeast corner of the building.
The building is mostly surrounded by paved parking or drives except for a small area near the northwest corner. The rear of the building is attached to the garage for 812 St. Louis Avenue by a carport between the two buildings.
Date of construction: 1935 Source of Date: Tax Records
Date(s) of Alteration(s): unknown, possibly 1940s; post 1951.
The 12-unit apartment building at 301 W. Leuda is a 2-story, wood-framed building covered with stucco over wire lathe. It is sited on two lots at the southwest intersection of West Leuda Street and St. Louis Avenue. It was constructed in 1936 by Pirl Steagall (aka R.E. Steagall) for his sister, Annie Duke. Steagall used salvaged material throughout the building. It is designed in a vernacular interpretation of the Italian Renaissance Revival style. It is the building's massing with its hipped roof, overhanging eaves and projecting wings that convey an association with this style. However, it lacks certain other hallmarks such as arched windows or openings on the first floor and bracketed eaves. Arches are used on the railing wall surrounding the second story balcony and the eaves have exposed rafter tails. The roof is covered with asphalt shingles and has three metal attic ventilators on it; two over the facade and one on the southern portion of the east wing. The 1/1 hung wood windows are generally paired or set in triplet groupings. Windows and doors are surrounded by simple wood trim with angular cut lintels. The building has a raised first floor, particularly on the front and east elevations. A partial basement is beneath the building and is accessed through an exterior stairway near the rear breezeway entrance. Basement windows at the northeast corner of the building have been boarded over.
