The Duchess Grill

Above, a generic matchcover imprinted with info for The Duchess Grill in classic colors. Below an ad from a 1942 city directory. Notice the different depictions of the phone number. This stretch of McKinney Ave. between Armstrong and Knox is now a strip of brick buildings called The Knox Street Mall. Hard to tell how old it is.

El Sombrero Motor Courts

I can't remember the last time I heard "Harry Hines" called "Hines Blvd." I remember staying at the Anchor Motel on Hines back in 1964 when we moved to Dallas. By the 80s the motels were all a bunch of dumps. There were plenty of honky tonks, too, but mostly industrial type buildings, manufacturing, printing, and such. Now there are a lot of Asian businesses and a new light rail running through the area may enliven it even more.

Zuppas Fine Foods

Opened March 7, 1940 at Northwest Highway and Kate, just west of Preston Road.

James P. Baugh, Architect     -     S. J. Churchill, General Contractor

The eatery was billed as "Dallas' Newest Drive-In or Come-In Restaurant", and featured a system of microphones in the parking area where waitresses could turn in their orders, which would then be ready by the time they walked to the kitchen. The opening day menu featured an eight-course dinner which cost One Dollar and featured entrees as varied as broiled Kansas City Sirloin Steak, Baked Long Island Duckling, and Broiled Spring French Lamp Chops on Toast.


It probably wasn't the best timing to open an establishment with an Italian-sounding name; in June restaurants serving Italian food or with Italian names in Dallas received bomb or death threats as the world went to war against Hitler and Mussolini. Some proprietors blacked out the "Italian" references in their buildings' signs.

ahh, prejudice.... it never goes out of style.

Braniff Building

Braniff moved into their new world headquarters in December 1958. See The Braniff Pages. Another view of Exchange Park from Red Oak Kid's collection

First National Bank Building

Designed by Thomas E. Stanley and George L. Dahl, the 52-story First National Bank Building was briefly the tallest building west of the Mississippi when it opened in January 1965. It would have been 96 feet higher, but for safety concerns from the Federal Aviation Agency. The glass-sheathed tower was set on an 8-story base of sculptured marble, which covered the entire block bordered by Elm, Field, Pacific and Akard Streets.

The building has seen some hard times; it is now known as Elm Place.

Seven Seas

I guess this theme park came and went while I was living elsewhere, or maybe it's that I remember so little of the 70s. In operation from 1972-76. Dig that "H.R. Pufnstuf" bird and the crazy clothes.

Brown Cracker & Candy Co.

Opened in 1903 at 603 Munger Ave. in what is now the West End market district. They were in business until at least the early 1940s.

Thank you to the anonymous reader who mentioned Clyde Barrow may have worked here. I found a reference in Jeff Guinn's book, "Go Down Together", which says Clyde worked at the Brown Cracker Company around 1925-1926 when he was 15 or 16 years old, for a dollar a day. Not for long, though; he moved on to another factory that paid 30 cents an hour, more than twice as much for an 8 hour day. Guinn's book on Bonnie and Clyde was a pretty good read, though quibbler that I am, I have some doubts about his grasp of Dallas geography.