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The Leuda-May Historic District is composed of three 2-story apartment buildings, two garage/apartments buildings, and one contributing structure--a trash shed. The district is located approximately 3/4-mile south of downtown Fort Worth, Texas in a neighborhood of primarily single and multi-family dwellings. It is close to two former public school buildings that were recently converted to apartments. The neighborhood has suffered some deterioration over the last several decades with the demolition of nearby buildings and deferred maintenance on others. The three primary contributing buildings were constructed between c. 1923 and 1936 with an addition made to one of the buildings around 1941. They are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A at the local level of significance for their association with the Community Planning and Development of the city of Fort Worth. The buildings in the district replaced a late 19th-century dwelling originally located on the site, representing the need for multi-family units during the 1920s and 1930s to house the city's growing population. They are also eligible under Criterion C as excellent local examples of vernacular interpretations of designs influenced by Prairie School, Italian Renaissance Revival, and Colonial Revival/Bungalow styles. The two apartment/garages and one structure are contributing to the district as they were constructed during the period of significance which is defined as c. 1923-c.1941.

The five contributing buildings and one contributing structure under consideration are located in the F.A. Farmer's Subdivision of Block 26 of Tucker's Addition to the City of Fort Worth. Tucker's Addition was platted by W. B. and M. A. Tucker. The Tuckers began selling blocks (or lots as they were called in the deeds) in the addition before it was officially filed with the Tarrant County Clerk's Office in 1892. In 1876, the Tuckers sold what was then known as Lot 26 to C.H. Higbee for $400, with the deed noting that the property was one and one-quarter miles south of the city. The lot was then sold to James H. Field for $450 in June 1881. In July of that year, Field sold the lot to A. (Addison) J. Roe for the same amount.

A. J. Roe was among those Fort Worth pioneers who came to the city in 1876 following the arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. He established the Evans and Roe Lumber Company at Sixth and Throckmorton streets around 1886. Early city directories stated that the company carried "lumber, laths, shingles, sash, doors, blinds, bldrs' hardware, paints, oils, etc." The house he constructed in Tucker's Addition was sited in the middle of the block on top of a slight incline. According to an 1898 Sanborn Map and a c. 1907 photograph, the 2-story wood framed house faced north, had a full-height colonnaded balcony/portico, and a large cupola in the center of the side gable roof. Also sited on the property was a windmill, a 2-story stable with cupola, two small outbuildings, and another 2-story dwelling on the southern edge of the block. The perimeter of the property was surrounded by an ornate fence. The front of the house was accessed by a long drive from Leuda Street. Unfortunately, the historic photograph does not show much of the house's decorative details other than those features already mentioned. However, knowing that Roe was a lumber dealer, it is quite possible that the home featured many of latest building materials and decorative trim.

The blocks immediately surrounding the Roe House were sparsely developed or vacant until the first decade of the 20th century. In c. 1904, the Maxwell-Liston House was constructed at the northwest corner of May and Leuda streets (712 May Street). This 2-story house is a rare surviving example of a wood-framed turreted Queen Anne house in Fort Worth and was designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1985. The William B. Monning House, a 2-story Craftsman Style residence, was constructed across the street to the north at 312 W. Leuda Street in 1905. Monning was founder of the Monning's Department Store chain. A block north of the Monning House is the 1-story, wood-framed Craftsman-inspired former St. Paul Lutheran Church. It was constructed in 1919 as the second home of the German-speaking congregation. Immediately west of Block 26 is the Graham House at 401 W. Leuda Street, constructed in 1910. The style of this prominent 2-story brick house was influenced by the Prairie School with its hipped roof, wide overhanging boxed eaves, and large square porch columns. William M. Graham was a partner in the Innis-Graham Construction Company, a noted Fort Worth building firm in the early 20th century. A 1-story Free Classic Queen Anne house was constructed at 409 W. Leuda Street around 1901. In 1909, the Alexander Hogg School was built immediately south of the Roe property at 309 W. Terrell Avenue. This 3-story brick elementary school was constructed as part of the city's school modernization program of 1909-1910. It was designed by Marion L. Waller and built by the Innis-Graham Construction Company. Southwest of this school is the former Fort Worth High School/Jennings Avenue Junior High School, at 1015 S. Jennings Avenue. It was constructed in 1909-1911. The 4-story brick Classical Revival building was designed by the architectural firm of Waller & Field and constructed by the Innis-Graham Construction Company. Nearby, John B. Laneri built a large red brick and cast stone transitional Queen Anne house at 902 S. Jennings Avenue in 1904. Laneri established the Fort Worth Macaroni Company, now known as the O.B. Macaroni Company. The house was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1982. All of these properties are still extant with the two school buildings having been converted to apartments in 2000-01.

When A.J. Roe died in 1909, he owned lumber yards in Fort Worth, Rhome, Weatherford, and Colorado, Texas, as well as others in West Texas. He also owned several ranches and, according to a local newspaper, was considered a wealthy man. He was survived by his wife, Jenny, and three daughters: Jennie Marie, Adelaide, and Mary. Mrs. Roe was a founder of Fort Worth's Christian Science community. Shortly after her husband's death, she moved to the Pacific coast, living with a colony of Theosophists, and was married for a second time. She later returned to Fort Worth and initiated some repairs to the property. In October 1917, a Materialman's Lien was filed for "labor and material for repairs and betterments upon a certain building." The work had been performed in June and July of that year. The sum of the lien was $540.

Mrs. Roe died in January 1918. The executor for her estate sold the property on Leuda Street to F.A. Farmer in November 1919 for $24,000. Farmer was listed as the president of the National Business College in the 1920 Fort Worth City Directory. His wife, Lillian, was listed as secretary-treasurer. The address for the college was given as the 800 block of St. Louis Avenue, the same address that was sometimes used for the Roes' residence. The address for the Farmers was given as 301 W. Leuda which corresponds to the northeast corner of the property. The Farmers executed a Mechanics Lien in December 1919 with A.C. Barber for $3,735 for the construction of a 50' x 100' school room. A second Mechanics Lien was filed in January 1920 with Barber for $900 for "an addition to the present improvements."

Little information has been found on the National Business College other than that offered in city directories. An advertisement for the college in the directory from 1920 boasted "Attend the South's Largest School of Individual Instruction" and listed the following features and classes: a large campus, plenty of room, new building, individual instruction, individual desks, secretarial, stenographic, bookkeeping, and abstracting courses, as well as courses for shorthand, typewriting, salesmanship, and accounting. A similar ad appeared in the 1922 City Directory. In that directory, the Farmers' address was listed as 800 St. Louis, the same as the college. In the 1923 directory, the college was listed at 912 1/2 Main Street and the Farmers were no longer associated with the school.

Even before the subdivision was officially platted, Farmer began selling the lots, with the date of sale for many recorded as June 22, 1922. The warranty deeds specified the placement and minimum cost for the improvements. For instance, Farmer sold Lot 12 (311 W. Leuda Street) to Ben Zimmerman for $2,250. The deed stated that the grantee would build "a private dwelling or apartment house to cost not less than $3,000." Lots 4, 5, and 6 (south of the Farmers' two lots) were sold for $5,250 with the same restrictions. The fact that the deeds mentioned apartments tends to suggest that the Farmers may have encouraged the construction of such buildings in the subdivision.

Available records indicate that by 1926 apartment buildings or duplexes were constructed on all of the lots with the exception of Lots 1-3. Lot 3 (812 St. Louis) appears to have remained vacant until around 1950 when a 2-story single family house was constructed there. Lots 1 and 2 were reserved for the Farmers' residence. Farmer took out a building permit in June 1922 for a six-room residence at 800 St. Louis valued at $2,000. Deed records from January 1925 indicate that the property contained "a large two-story frame dwelling, servants house and garage." Considering the value of the building permit and the fact that the deed record from January 1925 mentions the presence of a large two-story frame dwelling, it is possible that the Roe House had been moved to Lots 1 and 2 and that the building permit was for the servants house. A descendant of subsequent owners of the two lots recalls family members saying that the Roe house was sited at this location.

One of the earliest multiple family units to appear in the subdivision was the 4-unit apartment building at 311 W. Leuda. As mentioned previously, the Farmers' sold this lot to Ben Zimmerman on June 22, 1922 for $2,250. The apartment building constructed there first appears in the 1923 City Directory. It was called the Roseland Apartments in the 1924 City Directory, the same year it was purchased by Irene Barrow for $15,000. The 1930 City Directory indicates the presence of a rear dwelling of some type on the property. It is possible that the present 2-story concrete block/wood frame garage/apartment on the property (now designated as 309 W. Leuda Street) was constructed around that time. The current structure also appears on the 1951 Sanborn Map and the tax card for the property. Mrs. Barrow sold the property to R.E. Steagall for $14,000 in 1946 (see paragraph below for more information about the Steagalls). Steagall sold the property to Andrew J. White in 1947 for $22,500. It then changed owners two more times before being purchased by Alice Austin, Pirl Steagall's daughter, in 1952 and remained in the Austin family until purchased by the current owner in 2001.

Deed records indicate that the apartment building at 805 May Street was constructed in 1925. The Farmers sold the lot in January 1925 to A.C. Barber for $1,500. Barber was the party who held a Mechanics Lien on Lots 1 and 2. Barber in turn sold the property to Andrew Drenan Hunter, a credit manager for the Southwestern Paper Company, on May 6, 1925 for $3,000. An affidavit filed by Hunter in August 1925 stated that he had taken out a loan for $8,500 and had caused "certain improvements to be erected . . . consisting of a certain dwelling house and out buildings." The building first appears in the 1926 City Directory. Hunter and his wife, Shirley, were listed as occupants along with three other tenants. The 1927 City Directory indicates that the Hunters were no longer living there and that only three of the apartments were occupied. Until the mid-1930s, the building appears not to have been fully rented. The Hunters sold the building to R.E. Steagall in 1928. R.E. Steagall's correct name was Pirl E. Steagall, but he frequently used the former name as well as the name R.E. Stegall. In 1930, Pirl E. Steagall sold the property to his brother R.J. Steagall, who in turn sold it to their mother, Mrs. Barbara Steagall [recorded as Stegall in the deed records] that same year. The property continued to be owned by members of the Steagall-Austin family until it was purchased by the current owner in 2001.

The last apartment building constructed on the block was the one at 301 W. Leuda Street (Lots 1 and 2). In 1931, following financial difficulties, the Farmers were forced to sell the property at 800 St. Louis [301 W. Leuda Street] through public auction. Ernest O. Boaz purchased it for $4,000. City Directories suggest that Boaz rented out the property until selling it to Annie Duke in 1935. In 1935, presumably under Mrs. Duke's ownership, a 30' x 40' stucco-covered garage/apartment was constructed along the west side of Lot 2 overlapping 15' onto the east side of Lot 11. The building was constructed on metal and wood stilts so that cars could park beneath it. This building now has the address of 807 May Street but was formerly designated as 805 May Street, rear. In 1936, Mrs. Duke, along with her husband, Edny, entered into a contract with her brother, R. E. Steagall (aka Pirl Steagall), for the construction of a 2-story stucco-covered 12-unit apartment building. A correction to the property's tax record indicates that an adjustment was made in the value of the building in 1940 because it was constructed of old lumber. Pirl Steagall's grandson, James Austin, recalls that family members said that material salvaged from the Roe House was used in the construction of the building. Wood paneling, trim, and doors more common to a house constructed in the late 19th-century can be found throughout the building. Even the garage's wood stilts shaped like turned columns suggest that salvaged materials were used for it. City Directories and physical evidence indicate that an addition of two additional units was made to the rear of the east wing of the apartment building around 1941. These two buildings remained in the Duke-Steagall-Austin family until sold to the present owner in 2001.

Prior to 1900, most of the city's residential development was confined to downtown neighborhoods. The construction of streetcar lines after that date made it possible for residents to live further away from the downtown core, thereby fueling residential development elsewhere. As discussed above, some development occurred in the Tucker Addition prior to 1900 but substantially more occurred following the extension of the streetcar lines south of downtown. The Tucker Addition was served by two north/south streetcar lines, one running along the western boundary on Jennings Avenue and the other running through the middle of the addition on South Main Street. The Jennings Avenue line was located one block west of the proposed district and the Main Street line was located two blocks to the east.

In 1900, Fort Worth had a population of nearly 27,000. The city experienced a tremendous growth following the arrival of the Armour and Swift packing plants in 1902. Although the packing plants were located on the North Side, all of Fort Worth experienced an increase in population. In addition, the city continued to be an important railroad center which helped to attract manufacturing facilities. By 1910, Fort Worth had a population of 73,312, an increase of nearly 175 per cent from 1900. During this period, the South Side tended to attract more middle-class residents than the North Side. This was most likely due to the environmental hazards produced by the Stockyards and its associated industries.

Among the building types needed in the growing city were apartments or flats as they were commonly called in that era. By 1910, free-standing buildings designed as apartment complexes with no commercial space on the lower floors became popular as a means of providing housing for middle-and upper-income residents attracted to the city. Several apartment buildings were constructed on the western edge of downtown Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram cited the Madrid at Fifth and Lamar as the "premiere" flat of Fort Worth. It was followed by the Sanguinet flats and then the Sanguinet apartment house at Tenth and Lamar. Another built around the same time was the Cordova at 507 Taylor. None are extant.

The construction of apartment buildings was not confined to the downtown. Fort Worth's South Side received more than any other quadrant in the city. The Royce Flats, a four-unit building, were located at 1218 S. Hemphill. The Parker Flats containing four units, were located at 1220 S. Hemphill. The seven-unit Hemphill Apartments were located at 1308 S. Hemphill. Others included the 2-story brick Monticello Apartments at 309 Broadway, a 3-story brick apartment building at Broadway and St. Louis, a 2-story brick building at 208 W. Daggett, a 2-story frame building on Galveston, and the fourteen-unit Markeen Apartments (NR 2001) at St. Louis and Daggett. The Markeen Apartments differed from the others mentioned in that they were composed of two 2-story brick buildings. Of all of these buildings, only the Markeen Apartments survive.

Free standing apartment buildings continued to be constructed in the second decade of the 20th century in the South Side. These included the 2-story four-unit Bridgeman-Hesterly Apartments at 917 Lipscomb Street (ca. 1913), a 2-story brick apartment building at 704 S. Jennings Avenue (ca. 1915, demolished c. 2000), the 3-story Dunn Haven Apartments at 1228 S. Adams (ca. 1915), the 2-story Reeves Apartments at 1830 Sixth Avenue (ca. 1917), and a four-unit apartment building at 1004 Eighth Avenue.

Fort Worth's population grew from 106,482 in 1920 to 163,477 in 1930. Much of this growth had occurred by mid decade as the city's population was estimated as 159,000 in 1926. This increase was partially attributed to the influx of money and people as a result of the West Texas oil boom. Large and small developers alike responded to the housing needs by constructing more apartments throughout the South Side. These buildings could be found along major streetcar lines such as South Hemphill or tucked inside the middle of neighborhoods such as the apartments at 311 W. Leuda and 805 May Street. Most of these apartments were two or three stories and constructed of brick. They were built to blend into the surrounding residential neighborhoods and their designs reflected those of the adjacent housing stock. Most were comprised of single buildings although some were built as apartment courts with two buildings mirroring each other. The one notable exception to the 2 and 3-story apartments on the South Side was the Forest Park Apartments constructed in 1927-28 at 2306 Park Place Avenue. It is a 12-story brick building sited on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River. This building type was more common in a downtown setting than in a streetcar neighborhood.

As mentioned previously, all but three of the lots in the F.A. Farmer's Subdivision had been built upon by 1925. The nine primary buildings were either 2-story duplexes or apartment buildings. Most of these buildings also had garage/apartments associated with them. Of these nine, only five survive: 311 W. Leuda, 805 May Street, 811 May Street, 813-15 May Street and 817 May Street. The building at 811 May Street is a 2-story stuccoed Classical Revival/Bungalow hybrid apartment building with a full-width two-tiered balcony/porch on the facade. The building at 813-815 May Street is a 2-story Airplane Bungalow duplex with brick on the first story and stucco on the second. The apartment building at 817 May Street is a 2-story Bungalow with brick veneer on the first floor and stucco on the second.

During the Depression of the 1930s, larger cities such as Fort Worth experienced population growths. Many people from rural areas moved to cities for better job opportunities. Fort Worth's population grew from 163,447 in 1930 to 177,662 in 1940. Although single-family residences continued to be built throughout Fort Worth's South Side during the 1930s, few apartment buildings were constructed during that era. The only 1930s-era apartment building documented in Tarrant County Historic Resources Survey: Phase III Fort Worth's Southside (1986) was Annie Duke's apartment building at 301 W. Leuda Street. This does not mean to suggest that this apartment building was the only one built on the South Side during the 1930s but it is a strong indicator that few such buildings were constructed. The addition of this building in 1936 resulted in a block filled with either 2-story apartments or duplexes with the exception of the vacant lot behind 301 W. Leuda Street. It is interesting to note that these apartments and duplexes were built by a number of individuals, not a sole developer. This accounts for the variety of architectural styles found in the surviving buildings. Windshield surveys of the Near South Side of Fort Worth reveal that this was not a common practice in this area or that few similar areas have survived.

By the late 1930s, Pirl Steagall, along with his son Robert E. Steagall, either owned or managed all but three of the major apartments and duplexes on the block. The exceptions were 311 W. Leuda and 813-15 and 817 May Street. One of the Steagalls purchased 311 W. Leuda Street in 1946 and then sold it the following year. Pirl Steagall's daughter, Alice Austin, purchased it in 1952. Also during the 1940s, the Steagalls owned or managed rental property across the street on the east side of the 800 block of St. Louis Avenue and the Hollywood Apartments at 415 S. Adams, a few blocks northwest of the district under consideration.

Between 1940 and 1950, the city's population grew from 177,662 to 278,778, an increase of 57%. This increase was due to the influx of workers seeking defense-related jobs during World War I, and the return of veterans after the war. Due to wartime restrictions, little housing was built by private developers during the first half of the decade. Government housing, such as Liberator Village near the Convair (Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation) defense plant, provided some new housing, but many had to make due with the existing housing stock.

Contrary to expectations, many defense workers chose to stay in Fort Worth and other large cities following the war. In addition, they were joined by returning veterans, resulting in a serious housing shortage across the country. Locally, the Chamber of Commerce made pleas to property owners to notify them of any unrented houses, apartments, or rooms. Some property owners made alterations to existing buildings to accommodate more tenants. It is apparent that by 1946, the Steagalls had converted 805 May Avenue from a four-plex to a six-plex.

The housing shortage during the 1940s became so dire as to cause federal action to prevent owners of rental property from charging exorbitant rents. In March 1942, a Rent Department was established within the Office of Price Administration (OPA). It designated defense-rental areas where concentrations of defense workers were causing rents to escalate. Maximum rents were established and rental regulations were enforced. In 1947, the functions of the Rent Department were transferred to the Office of the Housing Expediter (OHE). There were eight regional offices of the OHE. Region V was headquartered in Dallas and served the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The OHE was terminated by Executive Order 10276 of July 31,1951. Its functions were transferred to the Office of Rent Stabilization (ORS) of the Economic Stabilization Agency and to the Housing and Home Finance Agency.

Rent controls were popular with tenants as they provided protection from hikes in rents and unjustified evictions. They were less popular with property owners and managers, realtors, and others in the business community. Following the war, landlords claimed that the rent controls caused undo hardships on their community at a time when many other price regulations were being abolished. They also expressed the concern that rent controls stifled the building of new apartments and prevented owners from making needed repairs because they were not making enough money from their property. Even the local newspapers supported the abolition of rent controls through editorials on the subject.

As the owners of rental property in the F.A. Farmer's Subdivision, Pirl Steagall and his son, Robert E. Steagall, were accused of trying to evict tenants unlawfully and overcharging rents. The case was heard in the federal court in Fort Worth in the late 1940s. In August 1950, Judge T. Whitfield Davidson ordered the Steagalls to make restitution of $5,782 to 51 tenants, many of whom had lived in apartments at 301 W. Leuda and 805 May. Davidson was among those who had criticized the continued practice of rent controls prior to his final judgement on this case.

The three primary buildings in the district, 301 W. Leuda Street, 311 W. Leuda Street, and 805 May Street are excellent local examples of apartment buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s. The Roseland Apartments, located at 311 W. Leuda, is an outstanding local example of a Prairie School-inspired apartment building. This building was constructed in 1923. Of particular note are the fine, divided-light casement windows found on the corner sunrooms, a feature found on few surviving apartment buildings on Fort Worth's South Side. The building at 805 May Street, constructed in 1925, is a good example of an eclectic blend of Colonial Revival and Bungalow style features. Both Period Revival and Bungalow style architecture were popular in the 1920s for residential construction so it is appropriate that an apartment constructed during this time would reflect these influences. The Italian Renaissance Revival-inspired building at 301 W. Leuda is unique in that it was constructed in 1936 at a time when few apartment buildings were being constructed. Its stucco exterior is also unique in that few apartment buildings in Fort Worth were constructed of this material. Another unusual aspect of the building's design is the incorporation of salvaged material, both on the exterior and the interior. The two contributing garage/apartment building in the district also illustrate the desire of owners to create additional living quarters on a property, thereby increasing income, and at the same time accommodate the increasing need of tenants to have parking facilities for their vehicles. This is especially true of the building at 807 May Street as it accommodated at least nine vehicles while providing living space above.

The boundaries of the district are composed of Lots 1 and 2 and 11 and 12 of F.A. Farmer's Subdivision of Block 26 of Tucker's Addition to the City of Fort Worth. The buildings on these lots have had an intermingled history of shared access. The physical layout of the district illustrates this commingling of facilities. In addition, the other buildings at 811, 813-15, and 817 May Street are currently under separate ownership and those owners object to being part of a historic district.