2015 March Oak Cliff

Where is Oak Cliff?

How the boundaries of our neighborhood define us and divide us

Sure, there are Dallas neighborhoods that would feel right at home in Austin, and we know where to find them all. Artists, musicians, designers, writers, chefs–we’re proud to be the Realtors-of-choice for our city’s most creative residents. If you’re looking for a more imaginative way of life here in Dallas, call 214.526.5626 or visit davidgriffin.com.

PATIO

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BESTOF VOTING RUNS FROM MARCH 1ST-MARCH20TH

WHO CARES?

Just a few reasons to really take notice of local elections

We’re going to write about something during the next two months in print and online that most of us care little about.

Local elections. Specifically city council elections.

How do I know we don’t care?

Generally, not much more than 20 percent of us decide it’s worth the trouble to vote in city council races. And heaven forbid there’s a council runoff election on a rainy day — then we’re looking at school board-election turnout numbers, with a few thousand voters making the decision.

We also know what happens when we write a story on our advocatemag.com daily news website about politics or education: Readers scroll on by.

Maybe a comparison would help: If we write about both a new neighborhood restaurant opening and a city council policy initiative on the same day, it’s likely that 10 or even 15 times the number of people will read the story about the restaurant.

Think about that: 10 times the readership for a story about food, while only a fraction of us care about the latest shenanigans at city hall, most of which cost us a lot of money.

Just as an example, how many of us know the council will be handing about $270,000 of our tax dollars to six protestors because it voted to approve (with the exception of councilmen Griggs, Kingston, Davis and Medrano) an ordinance so illegal that a judge wrote a 62-page opinion ridiculing it?

How many of us know the Dallas Convention Center is angling for another $250 million or so in expansion money, even though it has tens of millions of dollars in outstanding debt from the last couple of expansions?

How many of us know a quasi-govern-

mental agency has basically said that even if the city council votes to block the Trinity Toll Road, the agency may just go ahead and build the billion-plus-dollar road anyway?

And speaking of the Toll Road, how many of us have any idea how close it is to becoming a reality, even though no one — not even the mayor or council members — can honestly tell us what is going to be built and how much it’s going to cost?

What about the horrible condition of city streets (nearly $1 billion in deferred maintenance)? Shouldn’t we be concerned about how that type of negligence will eventually affect our home or business property values, not to mention our vehicles?

During the next couple of months leading up to the May 9 elections, the candidates will be talking about whatever we as neighbors ask them, and they’ll be filling the mailboxes of the few of us identified as likely voters with mailers telling us how great they are. (If your mailbox isn’t full of candidate boasting, you’re considered an unlikely voter whose opinion doesn’t count.)

There are a lot of great things happening in Dallas these days — the economy has improved, home values are increasing, and people are finding jobs again. But in order to keep the momentum going, we need to be smart about our next moves, and we need to start reinvesting in our city’s infrastructure to benefit the people already living here, rather than spending hundreds of millions more trying to impress the people who don’t.

Candidates have talked about repairing our streets since I moved to Dallas 17 city elections ago. The streets are worse today than ever, and no elected official has paid any price for promising action and then hiding the ball.

The least we can do is make them show us the ball during the election and then keep an eye on it after they’re elected.

The three-card monte hustle needs to end one of these days, and it can end only if enough of us keep our eye on the ball. Every day.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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MORE OF OAK CLIFF’S BELOVED DINING DIVES

When we featured three of our favorite Oak Cliff hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the February issue, we didn’t realize how controversial that would be. Many readers lamented that we didn’t list their favorites. We included all the dives we could fit in print, but Oak Cliff is so full of delightful restaurants that we wouldn’t pretend to be including all of them. We tried to choose a few, diverse places scattered around the neighborhood. By the wait for a taco or a table during peak times at El Si Hay, El Jordan and Gonzalez, we know you already know about them. But here are a few more Oak Cliff dive restaurants we love:

TIENDA SANTA ROSA:

This Salvadoran restaurant recently added a new location at 611 S. Hampton, and it is as much of a winner as the one on West Davis near Cedar Hill Avenue. Excellent pupusas served with outstanding curtido and addictive hot sauce.

LOS TORRES TAQUERIA:

This is probably no longer an unknown, actually. The Taco Trail launched it into the spotlight several years ago, and it recently made a list of best taquerias from the Dallas Morning News. But still, homemade corn tortillas, braised goat, Sinaloa-style barbacoa. Don’t forget they’re closed on Tuesdays, but if you do, head down Clarendon to Fito’s or Tacoqueta.

THE DOG HOUSE:

This is in West Dallas, and maybe they have hot dogs. I don’t know. But they for sure have one of the best tortas I’ve ever stuffed in my maw.

RESTAURANT Y PANADERIA LATINA:

Another great, affordable Salvadoran place.

—Rachel Stone

Launch

community | events | food

Melinda Imthurn: Photo by Rasy Ran

Q&A: Melinda Imthurn

Melinda Imthurn of Stevens Park Village started with the Women’s Chorus of Dallas as a singer more than 10 years ago, after she moved back to Dallas behind a stint in marketing. The chorus immediately needed a new director, so she volunteered to be on the search committee. When the new hire didn’t last long, she stepped up as director. That was December 2004. The chorus is gearing up for its biggest concert of the year, in honor of National Women’s Day, at 7 p.m. March 10 at City Performance Hall.

You’ve been with the Women’s Chorus of Dallas for over 10 years. What have been some memorable moments?

My first time directing the choir was a live radio performance. Because of the way things had gone with the previous director, we only had one rehearsal, and then we were on the radio. I have to tell you, I was terrified. I had experienced stage fright as a singer, but once we started, I just felt very calm. It just felt really right, and it always does. I’ve since overcome my stage fright as a singer as well, but every time, I get that little bit of extra energy, but it’s an excitement, not fear.

What are you proud of?

What’s unique about a women’s chorus? Obviously, we’re women. So bringing the focus to more music by women. Having events to celebrate whatever we should be celebrating as women. We do a Mother’s Day concert; this is our fifth year, in partnership with Texas Discovery Garden. And then the March concert for Women’s History Month. I really believe that something we need to have in Dallas is a choral event that celebrates that. I’m thrilled we’re celebrating the music of women. There’s so much great music out there by women composers, and it’s our job to promote it. We’re also commissioning women to compose works for us. We have a new commission from Jocelyn Hagen from Minneapolis and Julia Klatt Singer, based on her poetry.

How many events do you put on every year?

We do three or four per season. We always do something in December and then March and May, and then we might do something in October or June. This season we’ve got something in late May with the Metropolitan Winds. We also do community outreach. We collaborated with the First Presbyterian Church and did a concert at their location; they were doing a women’s health educational series. We do civic events, and we go to places where people can’t get out to hear music.

That must be very rewarding.

Yes, it really is. In December we did a program of holiday music at an addiction recovery center. And you can imagine how sad it might be to be in a place you can’t leave, like an addiction recovery center, at the holidays. And as we were performing, I looked over at these two women, and they were holding hands and crying. Sometimes you forget how moving the music can be, and it’s wonderful to be reminded like that.

You’re also a professor at Eastfield College. What do you teach?

I teach music and direct the choir and handle the voice department; I teach voice.

How long have you been doing that?

This is my fourth year. I taught at Mountain View for about five years.

Events

www.syncdallas.com

I got to build a program where there wasn’t one, which is something I really like to do. Then I taught music in public school. After graduate school, I got a job in the Northwest ISD [in Fort Worth]. I built a choir program at two schools there. That was fun, and I did that for two years. But I knew that the college-age student was what I really wanted to teach. I taught at [Tarrant County Community College] for two years. Then I built the Mountain View program. It’s still going, so I’m thrilled with that. We know that if students are involved with something they love on campus, they are more likely to finish their degree.

What else do you do?

I’m working on something with Dallas ISD right now. I’m working with nine schools [including Townview, Sunset, Molina, Carter and Kimball] as a mentor to choir directors, which is tons of

Sync’s Jen Lawson co-teaches this Texas-sized class on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. At the All Out Trinity event, Yoga on the Bridge benefits the Trinity Commons Foundation. Register @

Individual and relationship counseling. Adults and Teens, LGBT, Anxiety, Depression and Trauma. Licensed since 1981. Lifelong Oak Cliff resident, call this number for details about my Oak Cliff location in Kessler Park.

Imthurn leads a rehearsal at City Performance Hall. Photo by Rasy Ran

fun. I work with their choirs and find the areas where they’re doing well and maximizing those, and then identifying areas where they can improve. It’s really neat. These choir directors, they work a lot of hours. I thought I worked long hours, but they’re there from 6 or 7 in the morning to 6 or 7 at night, and there’s always something on the weekends, too.

What are you looking forward to?

Doing more commissions and expanding the March event to include high schools. We’ve had the choir from Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School perform a prelude in the lobby of the City Performance Hall, and we would like to include more schools. There’s a sense in high school that mixed choir is the top choir. If you don’t make it into the top choir, then you’re in the girls’ choir. There are more girls than boys in choir; that’s just how it is. So it’s more competitive for the ladies. There’s this idea, at least in Texas, that the treble choir is the secondary choir. I would like for it not to be like that. I would like for them to be singing in the treble choir because it’s truly a great experience to sing with women, and there’s amazing music. We want them to see that singing with a group of women is a great experience and not something you do because you couldn’t get into the mixed choir. We’d like to have them sing with us and see what it’s like to keep singing after you’re finished with school. That to me is very exciting.

And do you still sing?

Oh, yes! Thanks for asking. I’m doing a concert at Eastfield on March 25. I’ll be doing a lot of Clara Schumann because I just love her. She was one of the first women doing things as a concert artist [in the early 19th century]. She wrote just gorgeous artistic songs. There are so many that are excellent. I’m having a ton of fun learning some music I didn’t know.

—Rachel Stone

MORE INFO

Season tickets for the Women’s Chorus of Dallas cost $25-$55. For more information, go to thewomenschorusofdallas.com.

Image courtesy of David Austin® Roses.

Out & About

Send events to editor@advocatemag.com

March 2015

March 7

All Out Trinity Festival

This day of events in West Dallas includes 5k and 10k levee runs starting at 8 a.m., the Gravelthon bike ride at 10:30 a.m., yoga on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge at 1 p.m., a 2-mile mass dog walk at 3:30 p.m., a market and more. Continental Bridge Park, Singleton at Beckley, allouttrinity.com, check the website for event fees

MARCH 2

Dr. Seuss

The Hampton-Illinois Library celebrates Theodor Geisel’s 111th birthday with books, stories and all things Dr. Seuss from 6-7 p.m. Hampton-Illinois Library, 2951 S. Hampton, 214.670.7646, free

MARCH 6-APRIL 3

‘Night Hatching’

Korea-born artist Bumin Kim offers an exhibition of her paintings and drawings, which employ thread as a medium. A reception for the artist is from 6-8 p.m. March 7.

Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org, free

MARCH 8

Mavis Staples

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Mavis Staples brings her outstanding voice to the Kessler. The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $35$67.50

MARCH 14

Smooth jazz

Jazz at the TeCo continues with trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Steve Cole performing.

The Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler, 214.948.0716, tecotheater.org, $60-$65

March 3

The March from Selma

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff presents a film tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and the thousands of peaceful protesters who participated in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery. The films start at 7 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, 3839 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, firsttuestdayfilms.org, free

March 27

Pleasant Grove

The reunion continues for psychedelic rock band Pleasant Grove with a show at The Foundry, which offers free shows every weekend. Eyes, Wings and Many Other Things opens.

The Foundry, 2303 Pittman, 214.749.1112, cs-tf.com, free

MARCH 19-23

The Texas shows this 1996 dark comedy by Joel and Ethan Coen in 35 millimeter. The Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson, 214.948.1546, thetexastheatre.com

MARCH 20

Spring equinox celebration

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff celebrates the spring equinox from 6:30-9:30 p.m. with a labyrinth walk, psychic fair, live music and more. Bring a lawn chair, snacks and drinks.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, 3839 W. Kiest, 214.337.2429, oakcliffuu.org, $10

MARCH 21

Poetry

WordSpace brings Irish poet Gene Barry to Lucky Dog Books for an 8 p.m. performance.

Lucky Dog Books, 833 W. Davis, 214.941.2665, wordspacedallas.com, free

Delicious

Boulevardier

—Rachel Stone

chef/owner Nathan Tate is busy working on his new restaurant, Rapscallion, which could open as early as May on Lower Greenville. The new place is kind of like the kid brother of Boulevardier — similar atmosphere, a raw bar — but with a lower price point and a Texas vibe. That place wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding success of Boulevardier, the French bistro in the Bishop Arts District, which opened three years ago. Boulevardier recently hired an exexutive chef, Carlos Mancera, the chef who created the wildly successful menu for Ten Bells. Mancera added a couple of items to Boulevardier’s winter menu. “He’s got a mussel dish on there that’s probably the best mussel dish we’ve ever done,” Tate says. Expect more of Mancera’s touch on the upcoming spring menu, alongside Boulevardier classics including the lamb neck and crawfish beignets. Boulevardier is one of the Oak Cliff restaurants that consistently draws diners from other parts of Dallas. But there are a few things locals should know. Every Tuesday, Boulevardier’s bartenders show off their skills by crafting cocktails from a particular spirit (recently, it was Buffalo Trace rye, for example). They come up with four or five concoctions, which are offered for $5 each. There are oyster specials every Wednesday. And then from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays, champagne and oysters are half price. “We’ve been here almost three years,” Tate says. “And I hope we’re here for another 10 years.”

BOULEVARDIER

408 N. Bishop 214.942.1828

dallasboulevardier.com

AMBIANCE: ROMANTIC

PRICE RANGE: $12-$36

HOURS: 4:30-10 P.M. TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY; 4:30-11 P.M. THURSDAYSATURDAY; AND 11 A.M.-3 P.M. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Bone marrow with toast, onion marmalade and parsley salad: Photo by Kathy Tran

Best of 2014 in Oak Cliff

And the winners were

Pizza: Home Run Pizza

This might not be the trendiest spot in town, but it is a solid neighborhood favorite. Home Run Pizza opened in 1986, and the family-run business still delivers tasty, affordable pies in a 1973 Volkswagen bug.

Breakfast/Brunch: Jonathon’s

Husband-and-wife partners Jonathon and Christine Erdeljac opened their tiny restaurant on Beckley near Zang in May 2011, and they’ve kept a constant stream

of happy diners ever since with their chicken and waffles and other brunchcentric dishes.

Coffee: Espumoso Caffe

This family-owned coffee shop opened in the Bishop Arts District almost six years ago. Clara Fernandez, who owns the shop with her husband and son, makes from scratch most of the shop’s pastries, including empanadas, flan, tres leches cake and maple-pecan and lemon bars.

Burger: Hunky’s

Hunky’s owner Rick Barton opened the Oak Cliff location in 2006, after 20 years with one location in Oak Lawn, and the timing couldn’t have been better. “I’m extremely happy with the Bishop Arts location,” he says. “I’m very proud of it and proud of the Bishop Arts District and its growth and progress over the past five or six years.”

Dessert: Panadería Vera’s

Alfonso Vera worked in high-end bakeries for years until he and his wife, Julia, bought a West Davis bakery in 1995 and opened their own place, Vera’s. They bake and decorate cakes for any occasion, and

the most popular cake is vanilla with strawberry filling, says daughter Naomi Vera. “I think it’s because it has fresh-cut strawberries in the middle with whipped frosting,” she says.

Gift shop: Rose Garden Remake

Buy a candle; help empower women. Kelly Wiley opened her secondhand store 16 years ago as a way to earn a living herself while helping formerly incarcerated women gain work and life skills. Her charity, 2000 Roses Foundation, also helps with housing and mentorship.

Pet services: Oak Clips

Oak Clips sells pet foods and accessories, including some neighborhood-made doghouses, collars and leashes. Owner Mari Mendoza’s philosophy as a groomer is to treat every pet like family. “Every animal is different,” she says. “Some you can do quickly. Some are older or they have health problems and they require a lot more time and effort.”

NEXT UP IN OUR READER’S CHOICE CONTEST: Best patio. Vote for your favorite at oakcliff.advocatemag.com/bestof

OAK CLIFF

YOU ARE HERE

Story by Rachel Stone | Photos by Danny Fulgencio

THE ORIGINAL TOWN OF OAK CLIFF comprised just about one square mile east of what is now Marsalis and north of what is now Clarendon.

The

When the suburb of Oak Cliff annexed into the city of Dallas in 1903 with a population around 3,700, it had expanded west as far as Willomet in Winnetka Heights, but was still contained north of Clarendon.

Nowadays the most generous perspective views Oak Cliff as an 87-square-mile section of the city south of the Trinity, from Interstate 30 to the DeSoto city line at Interstate 20, and from Interstate 45 to the Grand Prairie city line past Walton Walker freeway. That’s about a third of the total landmass of Dallas.

The Advocate covers a relatively small portion of that area, about 10 square miles roughly from Interstate 30 to Ledbetter, and from Cockrell Hill Road to Interstate 35. That’s the area some have taken to calling “North Oak Cliff,” which is controversial, but more on that later.

The physical boundaries of Oak Cliff are debatable, but you know you’re here when you’re home.

geographic boundaries of Oak Cliff are debatable

ORIGINAL OAK CLIFF

Farmers began settling the areas now known as Oak Cliff as early as the 1830s, when this was the Republic of Texas. William Henry Hord arrived from Tennessee in 1845 with his wife and family and three slaves and settled 640 acres just south of the Trinity River on Cedar Creek. This settlement, which became known as Hord’s Ridge, had homes, a gristmill, a boardinghouse and a tavern.

When Thomas Marsalis bought Hord’s land and adjacent acreage in 1887, he renamed it, as real estate developers will do. Since the oak-tree-shaded land was situated above the Trinity, he branded it Oak Cliff and began marketing it as a resort destination. Marsalis eventually went broke, but he invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into infrastructure, including roads and plumbing. Oak Cliff incorporated as a town in 1890 with about 2,500 residents.

Marsalis and partner John S. Armstrong started the Dallas Land and Loan Co. and began parceling out residential lots in Oak Cliff, including the Ruthmeade Place neighborhood, just south of 12th. Marsalis also developed the park now known as the Dallas Zoo and surrounding neighborhoods, which are part of the original Oak Cliff.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Oak Cliff’s central business district surrounded the retail buildings, some of which are still standing, at Jefferson and Beckley.

Homes in Winnetka Heights began going up around 1910, and at the time, that often was referred to as “west Oak Cliff.”

The first homes in Kessler Park came along in 1923. Purists roughly consider

Homes in Winnetka Heights began going up around 1910, and at the time, that often was referred to as “west Oak Cliff.”

this — the Lake Cliff Park area, the zoo area, Winnetka Heights, Kessler Park, Kidd Springs and everything in between — to be the neighborhood called “Oak Cliff.”

If you live south of Clarendon, west of Hampton or east of the zoo, you’re just appropriating the Oak Cliff name, they say. Call it “South Oak Cliff,” call it “East” or “West” Oak Cliff, call it Red Bird or Wynnewood or Highland Hills or Lisbon. But don’t call it just “Oak Cliff.”

That’s a highly offensive position to take in a neighborhood that so fiercely identifies with its brand. Oak Cliff is more than the name of the neighborhood; it’s part of who we are.

SOUTH OAK CLIFF

The farming communities of Lisbon and Glendale, east of what is now Interstate 35, were annexed into Dallas in the early 20th century. In those areas of what is now Oak Cliff, farmers started selling off their land for housing developments in the 1910s and ’20s. A retail center at Ann Arbor and Lancaster Avenue became a central business district in the 1920s.

In 1912, G.G. Woodin of Chicago bought acreage between Oak Cliff and the village of Lisbon. Woodin named the development Trinity Heights, and he named all of the streets after states. Trinity Heights, roughly bordered by Ledbetter, the Santa Fe Railroad and the Veterans Administration hospital had about 25,000 residents by 1945. By the 1950s, the name Trinity Heights began to fade as real estate agents began lumping together all the developments and villages south of the original Oak Cliff as “South Oak Cliff”

Development began in the Wynnewood area in the 1940s. And South Oak Cliff High School was built in the 1950s.

David Kyle went to South Oak Cliff High School in the ’60s. He grew up in a neighborhood that he describes, depending on to whom he is speaking, as “Oak Cliff,” “behind the V.A. hospital,” or “Lisbon.”

He now lives in Kiestwood and still con-

siders the neighborhood “Oak Cliff,” with no modifiers.

South Oak Cliff High School was among the first schools in Dallas to integrate in the 1960s, and Kyle says he remembers the “blockbuster” era of white families selling their homes to black families, sometimes moving in the middle of the night so they wouldn’t have to confront their neighbors. Bigotry toward an influx of African-American neighbors resulted in white families moving out of Oak Cliff and to the suburbs in droves.

Under the old system of at-large City Council seats — members didn’t exclusively represent single districts until the 1990s — South Dallas and South Oak Cliff lacked political leadership. Few in power pulled for

those neighborhoods, and for decades they were neglected.

“The west side of Oak Cliff is flourishing in a way that is not happening on the east side of I-35,” Kyle says.

High crime and low economic success on the east side of I-35 made it important to those on the west side to distinguish between Oak Cliff and South Oak Cliff, constructing a definition of “south” that was more than geographical. Much like the South Bronx is defined more by demographics than geography, describing a neighborhood as “South Oak Cliff” sometimes can serve as code to indicate that it is in the “bad part” of Oak Cliff, rather than where it is on the map.

“The west side of Oak Cliff is flourishing in a way that is not happening on the east side of I-35.”

WHERE IS THE BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT?

Northern Dallasites and suburb dwellers know exactly where the Bishop Arts District is. It’s Emporium Pies and Hattie’s and Tillman’s Roadhouse.

Those really in the know might also point to Bolsa and Spinster Records and the Kessler Theater as favorite Bishop Arts District spots. If that perspective makes you cringe, then you must be from Oak Cliff.

The Bishop Arts District brand seeps outside its geographic boundaries

The boundaries of Bishop Arts are set very specifically in the 1992 Dallas City Ordinance that established the area as a conservation district. The official boundaries are Seventh Street, Melba, Llewellyn and Zang.

But to many outside the neighborhood, Bishop Arts is Oak Cliff, and Oak Cliff is Bishop Arts. To them, anything cool in northern Oak Cliff can be called Bishop Arts.

Business owners and real estate developers are making efforts to brand some of the areas surrounding Bishop Arts with their own identities. But why use a different name when the Bishop Arts District already is a successful neighborhood brand?

“Yes, let’s obsess over something that people north of the river don’t care about,” says David Spence of Good Space.

Good Space redeveloped the building that houses Spinster Records and several other shops at Tyler and Davis.

Originally, Spence called it the Clinkinbeard Campus after the family that built the 1930s retail strip, but “Clinkinbeard” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. More recently, he commissioned an enormous temporary mural inside the corner space, which is visible from West Davis, reading “Ty/Po.” That’s for Tyler/Polk. Spence thinks that once Polk and Tyler are changed to two-way streets, retail and restaurants along the corridor could become a destination.

If so, why not call it Ty/Po? That’s certainly memorable.

“We’re not presuming or trying to foist that name on anybody else,” Spence says. “We are launching that with a sense of humor and with no expectation that it’s going to go anywhere beyond our campus.”

Various efforts have been made to rebrand the Tyler/Davis area, including the Tyler Davis Arts District and X+, but none really has stuck.

Jeffrey Liles of the Kessler Theater is behind X+, which he named for the “X” formed where Kings Highway crosses Davis and “+” or “plus,” where Tyler and Polk cross Davis.

When people north of the river come into Oak Cliff via Sylvan and Tyler, they can turn left at West Davis for Bishop Arts, or they can turn right for the Kessler.

That’s why Liles thought the Kessler’s neighborhood needed its own brand. If the one-half mile between Bishop Arts and the Kessler were walkable, the story might be different.

“The Bishop Arts District is essential to what makes Oak Cliff great, but there aren’t sidewalks between here and there,” he says.

Liles, a talent buyer and musician who has been on the Dallas music scene since the ’80s, also hoped that X+ would become a new shorthand for the live music scene in Dallas. For decades, musicians knew Deep Ellum meant live music, and Liles wants X+ to mean the same.

The X+ brand is a way to express that online as well.

Since before the Kessler opened five years ago, Liles and the theater’s staff have been posting videos of live performances on two YouTube channels, and they all have “Kessler X+” in their titles. It’s a search term that makes it easy for music industry people in New York, Los Angeles and Nashville to see and hear what the Kessler offers.

“X+ isn’t meant to be a real estate thing,” Liles says. “I want the artists who play in Oak Cliff to have a platform that gives them an identity and protects their creativity and protects their artistic statement.”

APPROPRIATING THE BRAND

The Bishop Arts name is used as far from the district’s center as Rosemont at West Davis, where an apartment complex recently was renamed Bell Bishop Arts. And the Bishop Arts Winery is right at the corner of Tyler and Davis.

The Nazerian family’s $42 million development between the Bishop Arts District and Jefferson Boulevard is called Bishop Arts Village. New development could spring up on the corners of Zang and Davis, especially with a planned streetcar stop there.

All those things could expand even what Oak Cliffers consider to be Bishop Arts.

Jim Lake Jr., whose family company began redeveloping Bishop Arts storefronts in the 1980s, says the true Bishop Arts District is strictly within the boundaries of its conservation district.

“I guess we should be flattered” that the name is being used outside the geographic boundaries, Lake says.

Lake is also behind the revamp of Jefferson Tower, where upstarts Small Brewpub, Carnival Barker’s ice cream and Cultivar coffee are going in alongside legacy Oak Cliff businesses Gonzalez restaurant and Ramon’s barbershop.

The tower, which also has a residential component, already draws some of the same customers as Bishop Arts, but it’s something else, Lake says.

“We want to brand that with its own identity,” Lake says. “I view Jefferson as a totally different district that will be adjacent to Bishop Arts.”

NORTH OAK CLIFF

Whenlifelong Oak Cliff resident Jim Dolan tells acquaintances that he lives in Kessler, “they go, ‘Oh, so you live in the good part of Oak Cliff,’ ” he says.

Dolan grew up in Winnetka Heights — although he didn’t know it was called that at the time — and graduated from Bishop Dunne Catholic School in 1969.

His family moved into some apartments near Hampton and Ledbetter when he was in high school.

“It was a clean, modern, very suburban kind of community back in those days; very similar to late-’50s, mid-‘60s neighborhoods you would find in Richardson or Lake Highlands,” he says. “It was not mixed-race, which now I believe it is majority black.”

That area sometimes is referred to these days as South Oak Cliff or, being more accurate geographically, Southwest Oak Cliff.

In the ’60s and ’70s, Dolan says, there was no such distinction.

“We just called it ‘Oak Cliff’ and didn’t think much about it,” he says.

Using the term “North Oak Cliff” might be convenient when searching for real estate listings, but in conversation, it is an easy way to annoy the heck out of neighbors south of Clarendon.

On the outskirts of the city, when you’re closer to Duncanville than to downtown Dallas, the Oak Cliff identity can become a little weaker.

But neighbors in Elmwood, Oak Park Estates and the neighborhoods surrounding Kiest Park and Kimball High School firmly identify as Oak Cliff.

“We are trying to encourage everyone to say ‘Oak Cliff,’ ” says Old Oak Cliff Conservation League president Lisa Benskin.

That’s an inclusive attitude, and the league is working to add as many member neighborhoods in Oak Cliff as possible, including those east of I-35.

Judy Brooks grew up in Lake Highlands, but her husband graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in the ’60s, and they have lived in his grandparents’ former home near Kiest Park for over 10 years.

Hearing the word “north” precede “Oak Cliff” is something she’s grown accustomed to, but it makes her feel left out.

“If you say Oak Cliff is just North Oak Cliff, you’re wrong and you’re missing a lot,” she says.

The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce, located on North Bishop, sets no definitive geographical boundaries.

“People can be very offended if they feel they’re being excluded,” chamber president Kiyundra Gulley says. “Wherever you think Oak Cliff is, that’s where we say it is, too.”

WEST DALLAS

WhenMonte Anderson renovated the Belmont Hotel 10 years ago, he drew upon the success of the Bishop Arts District, going so far as to provide a shuttle service from Bishop Arts to the Belmont.

“We couldn’t have done that without the success of Bishop Arts,” he says.

Now construction on thousands of new apartments is going like gangbusters in West Dallas. Trinity Groves is drawing Dallasites over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge to drink and eat high-dollar meals in a neighborhood that for more than a century has been among the poorest and most neglected in Dallas.

At the turn of the 20th century, West Dallas was home to immigrants and itinerant workers; some lived in shotgun shacks and others lived in camps along the river.

When the family of West Dallas’ most notorious son, Clyde Barrow, moved there in the 1910s, they camped with their wagon on Muncie Avenue until they could build a house.

The town’s reputation for crime and shady activity was so bad that residents voted in the 1930s to change the name of its notorious main street, Eagle Ford Road, to Singleton in hopes of improving its image. The town of West Dallas wasn’t annexed into the city of Dallas until 1954.

And now, over the course of a few years, West Dallas has become the darling of real estate developers, a hotspot for hip Highland Parkers.

It’s great that some money and attention are being spent on West Dallas, but please, please don’t call it Oak Cliff, says Jeff Herrington, who lives in Kessler Park but was a founder of the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group and serves on the board of the West Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

“Interstate 30 could’ve been like the Berlin Wall in the 1960s,” he says. “No one wanted to claim West Dallas then.”

There are some who say West Dallas begins not at I-30 but at the railroad tracks, which have been there longer.

But members of the Baby Boomer generation of Oak Cliff generally agree that all of Fort Worth Avenue was considered West Dallas.

The Trinity River levees were built mostly on the labor of immigrants living in West Dallas. West Dallas lead-smelting plants, which opened in the 1930s, poisoned the air and soil, and it would be decades before any action was taken to clean up extremely high levels of lead. The sites of the smelters were federal superfund sites from 1993-2005.

West Dallas survived all that, and now it seems we’re coming for its identity. “The people who have lived there for years, they’re very proud of their community, and it irritates them that people suddenly want to call it Oak Cliff,” Herrington says.

BAPTIST

CLIFF TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH / 125 Sunset Ave. / CliffTemple.org

Building everyday people into everyday missionaries for Jesus Christ.

Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Worship: 10:45 am /214.942.8601

GRACE TEMPLE BAPTIST MULTI-CULTURAL CHURCH

Sunday Worship: English Service 9:30 am / Spanish Service 11:00 am

831 W. Tenth St. / 214.948.7587 / gracetempledallas.org

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

EPISCOPAL

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 534 W. Tenth St. / 214.941.0339

Sunday: 8 & 10 am Holy Eucharist, 12:30pm Santa Misa en Español

Sunday School for all ages / Children’s Chapel / christchurchdallas.org

METHODIST

KESSLER PARK UMC / 1215 Turner Ave. / 214.942.0098 / kpumc.org

9:30 am Sunday School / 11:00 Worship / All welcome regardless of creed, color, culture, gender or sexual identity.

OAK CLIFF UMC / 549 E. Jefferson Blvd. / oakcliffumc.org

Young Adult Gathering & Worship “The Cliff” 9:30 am / Contemporary

Worship 11:00 am (Bilingual) / facebook.com/oakcliffumc

TYLER STREET UMC / 927 W. 10th Street / 214.946.8106

Sunday Worship at 8:30 am and 10:50 am www.tsumc.org

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

KESSLER COMMUNITY CHURCH / 2100 Leander Dr. at Hampton Rd.

“Your Hometown Church Near the Heart of the City.”

10:30 am Contemporary Service / kesslercommunitychurch.com

PRESBYTERIAN

OAK CLIFF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6000 S. Hampton Road

Sunday Worship at 9:30 am & 11:05 am 214-339-2211 / www.ocpres.com

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

How to survive in the worst of times

Two prominent psychiatrists lived in Vienna, Austria, in the early 1940s, each with a very different take on life. Sigmund Freud held that the chief impulse and purpose of humans is to seek pleasure. He believed that people exist to find pleasure, in food, sex, experiences, comfort, and so on. Viktor Frankl, on the other hand, believed that what truly made life fulfilling is not pleasure, but meaning.

In 1942, Frankl, his wife and his parents were deported to the Theresienstadt camp near Prague. Even though he was in four Nazi camps, Frankl survived the Holocaust, including Auschwitz in Poland from 1942-45. When he arrived in Auschwitz, he encountered two lines: those in the line moving left went to the gas chambers, while those in the line moving right were spared. Frankl was directed to the left line, but managed to slip into the other line unnoticed. Frankl’s wife, parents, and other family members were not so fortunate.

Frankl secretly kept a record of his observations in the camps and later published “The Doctor and the Soul: An Introduction to Logotherapy” and “Man’s Search for Meaning”. In these books he taught that life has meaning even in the most deplorable of circumstances. Humans consist of mind, body and spirit, and can discover meaning through good work, spiritual resources and relationships.

What kept Krankl and other prisoners going in such brutal conditions while others withered away? Frankl believed that it came down to hope. If one could find something to live for; someone to cherish in one’s mind’s eye (as Frankl did with his wife, not knowing that she had already been killed), something to cling to as a reason for being, then one can keep going.

Frankl never lost hope. He found purpose in encouraging other prisoners, re-

cording his experiences and believing that one day such learning would help others.

It’s hard to imagine the circumstances within a concentration camp, but it’s also hard to imagine what it’s like to be hungry or to be afraid in one’s neighborhood. One in five children live below the poverty line in Dallas, without basic necessities and in a constant state of anxiousness. When we seek to mentor a child, give from our abundance, help purchase school uniforms or offer tutoring assistance, we do more than a simple act of kindness. We offer some small hope that life can be better.

Essentially, the story of Jesus is a message of hope. Many, many people have been wounded by bad religion and the misrepresentation of Jesus, but that does not change his story. He took his place with the poor. He taught that God is present in our sufferings, and he laid down his life for his friends. He demonstrated that suffering can be redeemed that that there is life beyond this life. Rather than the pursuit of pleasure, what if your life was marked by meaning in the service of others? What if you passed on the gift of hope to someone else?

Frankl never lost hope. He found purpose in encouraging other prisoners, recording his experiences and believing that one day such learning would help others.

Brent McDougal is pastor of Cliff Temple Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

Business

Methodist Dallas Medical Center in Oak Cliff is the first hospital in the nation to receive a pancreatic surgery certification by the Joint Commission, and the first hospital in Texas to receive a pancreatic cancer certification. To earn the distinction, the hospital had to show that patients had positive outcomes and better quality of life after treatment. Methodist surgeons use robotics to perform the most common form of treatment for pancreatic cancer, a surgery known as the Whipple procedure. Using minimally invasive robotics allows for quicker recovery time so that patients can enter chemotherapy and other post-surgery treatment sooner. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer; more than 70 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis, according to pancan.org. Fewer than 6 percent survive five years after diagnosis.

City Hall

The city restored funding to libraries in the most recent budget, which means that neighborhood libraries are getting more hours, including the North Oak Cliff Library and the Hampton-Illinois Library Both libraries will be open seven days a week starting Monday, April 5. They also added some late hours to support students. The North Oak Cliff library will be open until 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and the Hampton-Illinois library Monday-Wednesday.

The Oak Cliff streetcar had been scheduled to open this month, but delays with the car manufacturer have pushed the opening back to April at the earliest. Keith Manoy, the city’s assistant director of mobility, says the cars are expected to arrive in March. After that, they must be tested for several weeks. Once testing begins, the city and DART will have a better idea of when the streetcar could open, but for now, it’s looking like April. An open house in February or March will inform the public of what to expect with streetcar service.

A $1 million overhaul of the sidewalks along West Davis from Zang to Montclair could begin to take shape this year. The city’s public works department had been expected to schedule community meetings to receive input as soon as 30 percent of the design work has been completed, sometime in February. The city has $979,000 in TIF money for projects to improve the West Davis corridor. Neighbors wanted streetlights, trees and other amenities. But the City Design Studio discovered in 2013 that the funds were just enough to create continuous sidewalks along the corridor. Construction could begin in October, and if so, the sidewalks could be completed in April 2016.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

4019 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas 75224/ 214.331.5139 / www.saintspride.com / PK3-8th Grade. St. Elizabeth of Hungary offers a full day curriculum for PK3-8th Grade, including English Language, Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Religion, Technology, Athletics, Art, Music, Spanish, and Library. Caring teachers enhance curriculum with individualized attention and hands-on interactive participation. St. Elizabeth is a model of diversity, rich, and reflective of the ethnic and economic composition of the community it serves. Join us for an informational school tour and see for yourself how easy it is to become a Saint! Call 214.331.5139 for information.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency

Ribbon-cutting pose

Sync Yoga and Wellbeing owner Jennifer Lawson cuts the ribbon during a ceremony at the grand opening of the studio’s new space at Sylvan Thirty in February. Holding the ribbon are Dustin Thibodeaux and Lawson’s husband, Charles Gaby, who co-owns Sync.

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

PIANO LESSONS All ages & levels. Over 20 years experience. Oak Cliff area. Call Tim at 214-989-7093

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE CAREERS Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training At Campuses Coast To Coast. Job Placement Assistance. Financial Aid For Qualifying Students. Military Friendly. AIM 866-453-6204

SERVICES FOR YOU

DISH TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 months) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available) Save. Ask about Same Day Installation 1-800-615-4064

LEGAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY Estate/Probate matters. Free Consultation. 214-802-6768 MaryGlennAttorney.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

EAST DALLAS CPA Tax and Accounting For Small Businesses And Individuals Ragan McCoy, CPA 214-202-6525 ragan@eastdallascpa.com

FARMERS INSURANCE CALL JOSH JORDAN 214-364-8280. Auto, Home, Life Renters.

JAMES H. DOLAN, MA, L.P.C Therapist, Executive Coach 214-629-6315. Individuals, couples & teens.LGBT

PET SERVICES

In-Home Professional Care

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks “Best of Dallas” D Magazine Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

BUY/SELL/TRADE

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

BOUNCE HOUSES • SLIDES • MARGARITA MACHINES POPCORN MACHINES • PIÑATAS • CHAIRS • TABLES (214)941-7440 - www.pinatacity.com 1705 W. CLARENDON, DALLAS TX 75208

APRIL DEADLINE MARCH 11

PET SERVICES

DUKE CANINE Certified Behaviorist & Trainer. Board/Train. Indoor kennels. www.dukecanine.com or 214-529-2598

SMART DOG DALLAS Daycare, Boarding, Training, Chauffeur. 214-884-7529

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

ALL POINTS PROPERTY SERVICES Estate / Moving Sales. Cleanouts. Moving organization. We Can Help! 972-686-7919

Business Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

AC & HEAT

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable.

Chris 214-770-5001

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

We raise our kids here, too!

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

TACLB29169E

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables. Made from Local Trees. www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.org 214-403-7247

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it — We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

CLEANING SERVICES

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

A Clean You Can Trust

Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANNA’S ELECTRIC Your Oak Cliff Electrician Since 1978. tecl25513. 214-943-4890

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

GOVER ELECTRIC Back Up Generators. New and Remodel Work. Commercial & Residential. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

FLOORING & CARPETING

N-HANCE WOOD RENEWAL. No Dust. No Mess. No Odor. nhance.com. 214-321-3012.

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

CARPET · HARDWOODS · CERAMIC Quick, Reliable Installation

John: 972.989.3533

john.roemen@redicarpet.com

REDI CARPET

Reinventing the Flooring Experience

GARAGE DOORS

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

Handy Dan

HOUSE PAINTING

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. 972-276-9943 stoneage.dennis@verizon.net

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS,

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks, Fences, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574 214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

CLIFTON CARPETS 214-526-7405 www.cliftoncarpets.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

LONGHORN FLOORS LLC

972-768-4372. www.longhornflooring.com

The Handyman “ToDo’s” Done Right Save $25 on Service Call of $125 or $50 on Service Call of $250 handy-dan.com 214.252.1628

Your Home Repair Specialists Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas

HOME INSPECTION

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

PLUMBING

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: General Plumbing

Since the 80’s. Insured. Lic# M- 20754 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116, CC’s accepted.

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services. 214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

UPTOWN PLUMBING. Serving Dallas 40 + Yrs. 214-747-1103. M-13800 uptownplumbing.com

ROOFING & GUTTERS

ROOFING & GUTTERS

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and operated for over 40 years

• Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates

www.bertroofing.com

214.321.9341

SKYLIGHTS

Installing Since 1995

• Careful methods

• Respectful service

• State-of-the-art applications 214-340-6969 safehavenpest.com

Pest-Free · Hassle-Free 4-340-6969 fehavenpest.com

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

• Licensed/Insured

• Additions

• Roofing & Remodel

Over 1,000 Satisfied Customers in the Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Park Cities Areas – M ETAL S PECIALIST –

• Free Estimates

214-824-0767 allstatehomecraft.com

972-263-6033

www.skylightsolutions.com

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

TRUE Crime

MURDER COLD CASE: DORIS LOPEZ OJEDA

The weather was so nice on March 29, 2004, that Doris Lopez Ojeda and her husband, Raymon, decided to go for a walk before dinner, near their home at Forest and Midway.

At 7:29 p.m., a light-colored SUV pulled up alongside them and shot 41-year-old Doris Ojeda, a former model who was born and raised in Oak Cliff, several times. She died on the way to the hospital. Raymon Ojeda, a founder of Ojeda’s restaurants, was taken in for police questioning. He said he thought there were three people in the shooter’s vehicle, who possibly were Latino. Raymon Ojeda, whose children with Doris were 14 and 16 at the time of the killing, never has been identified as an official suspect.

The Ojeda case is one of the murder

| CRIME NUMBERS | 5:40

cold cases featured on the Dallas Police Department’s website; the department disbanded its cold case squad about three years ago, and detectives now work them alongside active cases. Since Ojeda was killed 11 years ago, there have been no leads to the perpetrator.

Even though there were other people out and about in the neighborhood near Gooch Elementary School that night, no one could offer a license plate number or a better description of the vehicle or suspects.

That the killers seemed to target Doris Ojeda specifically and executed her on a public street in the manner of a revenge killing gave investigators a few ideas.

Police ran down suspicions that a relative

The time a man in a gray SUV stole a woman’s purse on a February Wednesday morning in Ravinia Heights

might have been involved in the illegal drug trade, perhaps working inside one of the Ojeda’s restaurants as a drug dealer or money launderer, but investigations down that road found nothing. Police thought the killing might’ve been related to the death of Raymon’s brother in a Louisiana casino hotel room earlier that year, but autopsy reports later found he died of natural causes.

Investigators were unable to find a scorned lover, disgruntled former employee or dangerous criminal history that might lead them somewhere, and the trail went cold.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Ermatinger at 214.671.3664. The case number for the murder is filed on 227823-N.

Age of the woman’s son, who tried to stop the robber

Number of feet the child was dragged, holding onto the purse; the robber managed to get away with the bag

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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Home goods

Set & Co., a venture from husband-and-wife business partners Jennifer and Adam Littke of Winnetka Heights, is expected to open as early as May on West Davis at Tyler. The home-goods store will sell items for “home, kitchen, pantry and table,” and will “celebrate the modern craftsman” by carrying handmade products. Jennifer Littke is an interior designer who has worked for big-ticket clients in New York and Los Angeles. Adam Littke works in advertising as a producer of commercials and music videos. Set & Co. is the first retail venture for the Littkes, who have Texas ties and moved to Oak Cliff this past August. There are other home-goods stores in the neighborhood, but this one will focus on more utilitarian items, Adam Littke says. The couple lived in London for a while, and they’re influenced by classic English style. “We’ve always loved Oak Cliff, and we thought this would be the perfect place to live and do something like this,” Adam says.

How about Poe’s bookshop?

The Ravens Pharmacy building on West

Jefferson at Adams recently changed ownership and is for lease. But don’t worry; the iconic raven sign isn’t going anywhere, says Daniel Rivas, who bought the building last year with two of his partners at Centennial Real Estate. The group is asking $5,000 a month for the 2,575-square-foot building, and they’ve had calls from a donut shop, a pharmacy, medical and dental clinics, a cigar shop, restaurant upstarts and a cellphone store, among other interested businesses. Anyone who rents the space has to live with the sign, Rivas says. “We appreciate that it’s a landmark,” he says. “It adds to the character of the neighborhood and the character of the boulevard.”

Jennifer and Adam Littke, owners of Set & Co.

A ROAD BY ANY OTHER NAME

How Jimtown Road became Clarendon Drive

Jimtown was annexed around 1915.

But that wasn’t the end of the story for Jimtown. In 1927, the city began making plans to extend Jimtown Road eastward from Edgefield. The city also eventually would widen the existing road, between Edgefield and Hampton, with homeowners yielding 30-80 feet of their property.

With all the talk of widening the road and making it a thoroughfare to Beckley and Ewing, neighbors decided they wanted to rebrand.

At Clarendon and Hampton, there’s a tire shop, a 7-Eleven, a taqueria and Midway Auto Supply. During rush hours, Hampton’s six lanes are choked curb-to-curb with cars. It’s hard to imagine how this place looked when it was settled in the 1870s as Jimtown.

A country druggist named Jim Bumpass built a store on the northeast corner in 1879. He established a post office on the road to Duncanville, then called Cedar Hill Road, which was where Hampton is now.

Jimtown was a small farming community, and Jimtown Road, now Clarendon, was built along the Santa Fe Railroad right of way.

The town had a wagon yard, livery stable, a union church and a oneroom school.

The newspaper made fun of Jimtown in 1913 for “taking on real city airs” after residents voted 24-10 in favor of a town ordinance prohibiting livestock from roaming.

Jim Bumpass died in 1903, the year Oak Cliff was annexed into Dallas. And

Seventy-five nearby property owners petitioned the city in 1929 to change the name of Jimtown Road. They didn’t pitch an idea for a new name, but they wanted something that sounded more dignified.

It is no wonder they wanted a change. For one thing, the Dallas Morning News ran a syndicated column from 1926-1927 called “The Jimtown Weekly,” which printed jokes in the form of satirical news from a hillbilly town.

But then in 1931 the paper ran an editorial, “A plea for Jimtown Road,” accusing neighbors of being fussy for proposing the name Jamestown Road. The writer asked if we should change the name of Turtle Creek as well. It’s funny. Turtle Creek does sound rather backwater out of context as the chi-chi Dallas neighborhood we know it to be.

The newspaper made fun of Jimtown in 1913 for ‘taking on real city airs’ after residents voted 24-10 in favor of a town ordinance prohibiting livestock from roaming.

The intersection of Hampton and Clarendon today: Photo by Danny Fulgencio

The column ended by sarcastically suggesting the name High Hat Hollow.

Neighbors were afraid the name Jimtown Road could hurt property values, and “we live in the city and are entitled some name usually applied to a street in the city and not a road in the country,” wrote Walter J. Tatom in response to the column.

Bumpass’ widow was interviewed a few days later and said that when her husband applied for a post office, there was already a place called Jamestown, Texas, and that’s how it came to be Jimtown. But she said her husband worked hard to make Jimtown what it was, and he sometimes was called Jimtown himself.

Petitioners tried to convince city council to retain the name of Jimtown Road in a last-ditch effort filed July 9, 1931. But council voted a few days later to rename Jimtown Road to Clarendon Drive, between Ewing and Westmoreland.

It’s unclear where the name Clarendon comes from, but it could be named after the town of Clarendon, Texas, which was an important trading post in the old cattle-driving days. Or like Clarendon, Va., it could be named for the first Earl of Clarendon, a 17th-century English statesman. That seems more dignified.

The Jimtown store was torn down in 1940, and old-timers continued to call Clarendon by its old name, Jimtown Road, into the ’60s and ’70s.

Perhaps Jimtown wasn’t the worst of old Jim Bumpass’ patronymic problems. After the turn of the century, his family name appears with a different spelling. A 1941 obituary for his heir announced the passing of Nat Bumpas, son of James Bumpas. —Rachel Stone

Above: Jim Bumpass became postmaster of Jimtown in 1878. Below: An original map of Jimtown from 1878