Mont Del

HISTORY

Mont Del Estates occupies a hilly area with breathtaking views seven miles west of the Fort Worth Central Business District. It is part of the 1858 James Rogers Survey and is in the city limits of Benbrook. The neighborhood is bounded by Bryant Irvin Blvd. to the east, Loop I-20 to the south, the Clear Fork of the Trinity River to the west and Legend Road to the north.
Early owners of the area now known as Mont Del, were Katherine G. Hutchins in 1933, Mrs. Chloe Werner in 1937, J.E.R. Chilton in 1943 and Dr. Thomas J. Cross in 1941. Dr. Cross, a medical doctor, owned about 200 acres of the hilly open land. In the early 1960's his health began to fail and, worried about what would happen to the land, he called on his three sons-in-law to help. One son-in-law, Phillip W. Bradbury, an architect, formed the Mont Del Corporation and bought all the land from Dr. Cross and began development in 1964, with phases continuing until 1970.

The land had a sewer running through it but no water. Bradbury dug a well, put in a water system and added a storage tank. The streets were finished in October of 1965, and his house was the first one built, at #6 Bounty Road East. Porter Randall, a newscaster, bought a lot and right away the area became very popular. The views were fantastic and the atmosphere was one of country living. The City of Benbrook ran a water line to the area and added a larger storage tank which is still there today. Mont Del was called "Pill Hill" for a time because of the large number of doctors who moved to the area.

Mont Del Estates is restricted to single family residences. Building restrictions include the following: construction of brick or stone, approved roofing material, attached garages or garages connected by a covered breezeway and a minimum 2,400 square feet floor plan. This was one of the city's first areas to have underground utilities. Although difficult to dig in the rocky soil, they preserved the views.

Country Day Estates adjoins Mont Del and lies at the foot of the Mont Del hills, between Mont Del and the Clear Fork of the Trinity River and Southwest Blvd. This land was originally dairy farms owned by J. R. Bryant in 1936, and the Irvin family, namesakes of Bryant-Irvin Road.

The Country Day Estates land is included in the 1858 James Rogers Survey and is in the city limits of Benbrook. Development of this land began with the start of the Fort Worth Day School in 1968, which became Country Day School in 1969, a private college preparatory school. The residential area was first purchased by Phil Bradbury from Allen Connell of First National Bank. To finalize the sale, Bradbury had to locate Connell on his yacht in the Mediterranean. Bradbury then sold the land to Enterprise Development of New York, bought it back in 1978 and began development.

NEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTION

The homes located atop the hills of Mont Del have wonderful views. The streets are curved and trees planted when the area was developed have grown to good size. A small lake, complete with ducks, nestles in the valley at the entrance to the area. Homes are of all descriptions, from ranch style to contemporary, single and two-story. Many homes incorporate decks to take advantage of the view.

Country Day Estates homes are newer than those in Mont Del with some continuing to be built. There are a few apartments and town homes and some commercial structures, particularly along Southwest Blvd. Trees accent the river.

SCHOOLS

Elementary
Ridglea Hills Elementary, 6817 Cumberland Rd., 377-7345

Middle
Wm. Monnig Middle, 3136 Bigham Blvd, 377-7250

High School
Arlington Heights High, 4501 W. Rosedale, 377-7200

Private School - All Grades
Country Day School, 4200 Country Day Lane, 732-7718

OTHER INFORMATION

Nearest fire station: 4416 Southwest Blvd., emergencies 911.
Nearest medical facilities: All Saints and Harris Hospitals, City View
Nearest post office: Benbrook Station, 9500 Hwy. 377 S.
Nearest grocery shopping: Tom Thumb in City View
Nearest Malls: Hulen and Ridgmar Malls
Nearest Parks: Mont Del Park and Clear Fork Park
Nearest Library: 3628 Bernie Anderson Ave.
School District Number:
Voting Precinct Number: 4339

WILLIAMS TREW

FORT WORTH REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

Williams Trew is a Fort Worth real estate brokerage specializing in residential real estate and offering some commercial real estate properties throughout Tarrant, Parker and Johnson Counties and serving the following cities: Aledo, Azle, Arlington, Benbrook, Burleson, Crowley, Fort Worth, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Haltom City, Keller, Kennedale, Mansfield, Mid-Cities, North Richland Hills and Watauga.