Crestwood is one of those neighborhoods that is very expressive of the era in which it was developed. The architectural styles reflect those that were popular at the outbreak of World War II and the early post-war years. Many of the houses are scaled back versions of Period Revival styles such as Tudor and Colonial revivals. Others reflect early Ranch styles and what has come to be known as Minimal Traditional. Common building materials included Austin stone, clinker brick and wood shingle.

 

Crestwood Addition originally was developed by T. W. Loffland and A. C. Luther, the latter of whom was best known as an early developer of Westover Hills and the Ridglea area. Loffland and Luther had four sections of Crestwood surveyed and dedicated in a series of plats in 1941 and 1942. The neighborhood is tucked between a crook of the West Fork of the Trinity River and is bounded on the east by Greenwood Memorial Cemetery and Monticello Addition to the south. Crestwood’s streets often followed curvilinear patterns that took advantage of the area’s rolling topography. Care was taken to save trees even if the tree happened to lie in the midst of a street. These same trees exist today and greatly add to the neighborhood’s charm. The addition was restricted to single family residential development only. All houses were required to meet an established setback. The developers had final approval of all plans for residences, fences, walls and other structures. This has contributed to a sense of unity and harmony throughout much of the addition.

 

Interestingly though, construction of houses began in Crestwood before the addition was officially platted and surveyed. The garden of one of the earliest houses built in the neighborhood is featured in this year’s Hidden Gardens Tour. The Holmes onCrestwood Drive was designed by Fort Worth architect Charles E. Armstrong and constructed in 1939-40 for Woodrow “Woody” Holmes, an oil operator. The house’s eclectic design uses a variety of materials. Owners of the other houses on the tour included businessmen, a pilot and a drilling contractor.