Ridglea and Ridglea Hills

HISTORY

The Ridglea area, including Ridglea Hills and Ridglea West, lies approximately six miles west of Fort Worth's Central Business District. It encompasses eight surveys, from the 1850 Allen Beard Survey to the 1889 Walter Houston Survey, the main part being included in the 1880 Albert Rusk Survey.

A. C. Luther came to Fort Worth from Tennessee in the 1920's and bought three miles of pasture land along what later became Camp Bowie Blvd., for $400 an acre. His brother, J. T. Luther, credits him with being "The Father of Ridglea". J.T. left the University of Missouri to join his brother in Fort Worth, and with Earl Wilson, who arrived in 1945 after serving the the Air Force, formed the A.C. Luther Realty Co. and Luther Bros. & Wilson Inc.

M. E. Berney, a partner in the Anderson-Berney Realty Co. in 1928, established the golf course in 1935, making it a semi-public course. The fee charged for playing the 18 holes in 1938, was 50 cents.

Other early owners of the land in 1932, were Elizabeth Brants and Mrs. Olive Seybold.

The residential areas began to be platted in 1946. Luther Bros. and Wilson, Inc. began buying more land in the Ridglea Hills area. A.C. Luther raised Angus cattle, grazing them on the land. As portions were sold for residential lots, he moved the fences and continued to graze the cattle on the unsold empty lots.

In 1952, the Luthers and Wilson dissolved he company. L.T. Luther and Wilson formed the Ridglea Contruction Company. They began building high quality commercial buildings along the north side of Camp Bowie Blvd. The first tenant was Gordon Boswell Florist, who is still there.

A popular gathering place in the 1950's was the Western Hills Hotel, which stood on the south side of the 6400 block of Camp Bowie Blvd. High School graduation parties around the pool and special drinks with orchids in the bar drew all ages. When I-30 was built and took much of the highway traffic away from Camp Bowie and Hwy. 80, the owner of the hotel, Hank Green, sold the Western Hills Hotel and built Green Oaks Inn where the main activity followed. Western Hills Hotel burned down in 1969.

A.C. Luther and Hank Green joined forces and built the Ridglea Country Club which opened in late 1954. One of the first events held at the club house was the wedding reception of Ted Klein and Wini Lyle in January 1955. When Wini's mother, Mrs. J. M. Lyle, called the club asking about arrangements, table cloths, dishes, etc., no one knew the answers since this was the club's first event.

When the Ridglea Country Club was built, Luther thought it needed a wider boulevard leading to the front gates. To build this street, three houses which his company had built and sold earlier, had to be bought from the owners and torn down.

Luther Lake is one of the focal points of the neighborhood. It is beautiful all year but becomes a real attraction during the Christmas season with the reflection of lights on the water. A.C. Luther was also instrumental in developing the Westover Hills and Crestwood neighborhoods.

NEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTION

Rolling hills, some rather steep, trees, curving streets and Luther Lake make this neighborhood a peaceful and delightful place to live. The homes, mostly ranch style, brick and single story are generally well maintained. Clayton Road, one of the main streets in the neighborhood, circles through the area and has recently been furnished with several stop signs and speed "humps" to discourage fast driving.

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS

The Westside Neighborhood Association formed to address zoning issues, crime watch, Food Bank collections and carry on beautification projects. At one time the monthly newsletter reached 471 families.

SCHOOLS

Elementary
Mary Louise Phillips, 3020 Bigham, 377-7270
Ridglea Hills, 6817 Cumberland, 377-7345
Luella Merrett, 7325 Kermit, 377-7245

Middle
Wm. Monnig, 3136 Bigham, 377-7250

High School
Arlington Heights, 4501 W. Rosedale, 377-7200
Western Hills, 3600 Boston Ave., 560-5600

OTHER INFORMATION

Nearest fire station: 4416 Southwest Blvd., , emergencies 911
Nearest medical facilities: All Saints Hospital, 7100 Oakmont Blvd, 346-5700, and Harris Hospital, 6100 Harris Pkwy., 346-5000, both in City View
Nearest Post Office: 3020 Cherry Lane, 244-5239
Nearest grocery shopping: Camp Bowie Blvd.
Nearest mall: Ridgmar Mall
Nearest park: Berney Park, Ridglea Hills Park
City Council District Number 3
School District Number
Voting Precinct Numbers: 4118, 4129, 4342, 4136

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.