Amarillo Texas Bivins Neighborhood -Original Article Authored by Christine Wyly

The Bivins Addition subdivision is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Amarillo, Texas. One of the great joys of my real estate business is the privilege of visiting neighborhoods I love. The Bivins Addition is one of those neighborhoods. Its beauty and my love of the city’s history make trips to the Bivins area of Amarillo a delightful outing rather than a workday chore. The Amarillo Association of Realtors generally defines the “Bivins Area” as bounded by Georgia Street on the west, Interstate 40 on the South, S.W. 8th (or the old Rock Island Railroad tracks) on the north, and Washington (Adams) on the East. The area is actually made up of several additions according to plat maps and the Potter-Randall Appraisal District. Those additions include the original Bivins Addition which was amended and enlarged over the years and Bivins Estate. There are others on the east side of the development such as the John Dees Addition, the Madden Annex, and the Academy Courts Addition.

The Bivins Addition was the first subdivision in Amarillo to extend toward the southwest, a trend that continues to the present. The Bivins Addition was platted in 1926. It was named after Texas Panhandle pioneer Lee Bivins who was a prominent area rancher and businessman at the time. Betty Teel Bivins Lovell who was the granddaughter-in-law of Lee Bivins still lived in the neighborhood in a stately home that was built in the early 1930’s until her death just recently. The area had previously been the home of Bivins Field, Amarillo’s first airport, where Amarillo’s first flying service owned by H. E. Fuqua and Lee Bivins was headquartered. The Bivins Field hangar had been located at 15th and Crockett and was moved when the airport was relocated to the northeast side of the city. The east and west runways became the east and west lanes of Julian Boulevard and the “Y” on Julian Boulevard is where the “Bivins” strip crossed. The tips of the “Y” that were the ends of the runway are the location of the historic gates at two entrances to the Bivins neighborhood. One of those gates is located at S.W. 10th and Travis St. and the other is located at S.W. 15th and Travis St.

The Bivins neighborhood is anchored by St. Andrews Episcopal Church founded by Lee and Betty Bivins on the southwest of the addition and St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the northeast boundary. Julian Boulevard, named after the son of Lee and Mary E. Bivins runs through the heart of the Bivins Addition. The area is characterized by tree lined streets and a park-like atmosphere where the chimes from St. Andrews Episcopal Church and First Church of Christ, Scientist.can be heard. The architectural styles in the neighborhood vary from traditional, ranch, English Tudor, and cottage style. Those styles, along with the spacious townhomes at Bryan Place provide a delightful, eclectic mixture of residences that offer something for everyone. The upper end, higher priced homes tend to be located in the heart of Bivins on Julian Boulevard, on the streets adjacent to Julian Boulevard, and the north and south streets extending from Julian Boulevard toward Interstate 40. Homes in lower price ranges occupied by first time homebuyers and folks who rent or lease are generally located east of Travis St. and west of Washington St. The residences north of S.W. 10th St. and south of S.W. 8th St. also are somewhat smaller and are home to smaller families and first time homebuyers.

Home prices tend to be lower for the traditional, square tract type houses, moderate for cottage and ranch style homes, and higher for the English Tudor and neoclassical style homes. For a better understanding of styles, a resource for residential styles can be accessed through the christinewyly.com website. According to the Amarillo Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, sales statistics for residences sold in the “Bivins Area” show the average sales price of residences in the last year to be $95,866 and the median sales price to be $84,850. The type of closed and active listings in the last 12 months since October 1, 2006 range from $25,000 to $30, 000 one bedroom traditional style fixer-uppers on the east side of the development to four to five bedroom upper end homes listed for $375,000 to $400,000 along Julian Boulevard. The majority of homes listed and sold in the neighborhood are those in the $95,000 to $135, 000 price range. First time homebuyers are finding that homes in that moderate price range are good bargains because some are charming older, roomy, well built homes that simply need updating.

I love the Bivins Addition for it’s beauty, it’s charm, and it’s central location. The neighborhood is close to Wolflin Villlage shopping center, downtown Amarillo, Interstate 40, Interstate 27, restaurants, banks, and so much more. The history of the neighborhood intrigues me, speaks to my curiosity of how this city came to be and how it has survived. Its diversity tells the story of what makes Amarillo the city that it is.
Please comment – post your thoughts about this great neighborhood or post comments regarding my observations. While researching for this essay, I found myself so immersed in the history of just this one Amarillo neighborhood, I am very much looking forward to continuing to the next neighborhood essay. In the mean time, let me hear from you.


Sources for this article are the Amarillo Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, the National Association of Realtors, The Handbook of Texas Online, and the Amarillo Globe News.