In 1927 an oasis began to rise up in the middle of the Llano Estacado, the barren high plains of the Texas Panhandle. That oasis is what is now called the Wolflin Historic District of Amarillo, Texas. Variant names for this unique area in Amarillo are Wolflin Estates, Wolflin Place, the Wolflin Addition, and the northwest quadrant, Wolflin Terrace. The neighborhood is home to brick streets, huge elm trees, and stately homes with diverse architectural styles. The Wolflin Historic District, entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, is roughly bounded by Wolflin Ave., Washington St., SW 34th Ave., Parker St., SW 30th Ave., and Lipscomb St. The area deemed to be the Wolflin Historic District consists of Wolflin Place, which was actually platted in 1923 and expanded in 1926 and Wolflin Estates platted in 1927. The Wolflin Place platting was done in the gridiron plan common to most American cities laid out in the latter half of the nineteenth century, but the Woflin Estates section, which is known for it’s tree lined avenues and grand homes was platted with a radial plan which tended to make use of a circular core area, often park-like, with wide side avenues emanating from the center. The renowned architects and residential designers Hare and Hare, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, were hired to design the layout of the streets at and around the area of what is now known as Oldham Circle.
The Wolflin Addition was developed by the Wolflin family. Charles Oldham Wolflin was instrumental in opening the subdivision hence the street name of “Oldham Circle” at the heart of Wolflin Estates. Many of the streets in the addition are named after Texas Alamo heroes such as Fannin, Travis, Crockett, and Bowie. The Hughes, Ong, and Hayden Streets were named after early Amarillo law enforcement officers, one of which was J. E. Hughes who was the grandfather of Sybil Harrington. The Wolflin neighborhood has been home to early pioneer families such as the Wares, ranchers and farmers like the Millers, oil tycoons, bankers, and is now a popular area to live for more than a few physicians and other successful business owners. The addition seems to either cultivate or attract people who have served as mayor of Amarillo. In fact, the current mayor of Amarillo, Debra McCartt lives in the neighborhood.
The residential architectural styles in the Wolfin Addition are as varied as the people who live there. Generally, the architectural styles at the heart of Wolflin Estates are Mission, Craftsman, Bungalow, Classical Revival, and Spanish Revival. However, the Oldham Circle area is dotted with other styles such as Tudor Revival, Italian and Mediterranean Revival, Federal, and Colonial. There are many styles of homes, but the flow of the neighborhood is not broken by random unique styles such as the art deco home on Ong Street because of the continuity of the brick streets and stately elm trees throughout the subdivision. The western edge of the Wolflin area generally known as Wolfin Terrace tends to be populated with homes built in the mid-century or ranch style mode as they were built in the post World War II days, many in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
The building and expansion of the Wolflin Addition has ebbed and flowed with the fortunes of the Texas Panhandle. The 1920’s were the days of the oil boom that helped to lay the foundation for the area’s economy but the depression slowed Wolflin’s progress in the 1930’s. After World War II, the Wolflin Addition grew along with many subdivisions in other areas of the country. Today, the Wolfin area thrives. Not only is the area is an extremely desirable neighborhood to live in, but the Woflin Village/Wolflin Square shopping area to the west on Georgia Street is booming with increased traffic and business. Initially, the shopping center, once at the outskirts of town when it was built in the 1950’s, boomed. However, as Amarillo grew south and west the shopping area experienced a period of decline with the building of Westgate Mall and other shopping centers. Currently though, the Wolflin Village/Wolflin Square shopping area is experiencing a resurgence of business. The area has new banking centers, trendy shops, coffee stores, and restaurants. The re-emergence of a vital area of commerce adjacent to the Woflin Addition has contributed to the increased desirability of the neighborhood as a wonderful place to live. The convenience of the Wolflin Addition’s location is greatly enhanced by its proximity to downtown Amarillo and the interchange of two major interstate highways. Just a few blocks away, the beautiful campus of Amarillo College sits adjacent to Memorial Park.
Current real estate values in the Wolfin subdivisions have risen from an average of $135,027 at $67.12 per square ft. in 2001 to $183,763 at $89.98 per square ft. in 2007. The Wolfin Addition tends to have the most houses sold among the city’s subdivisions in recent years. The days a home in the Wolflin area sits on the market tends to be less than in other subdivisions in the city also. The location, historic qualities of the homes, and the beauty of the tree lined brick streets makes Woflin an attractive place to live. The shady avenues attract charitable endeavors such as the Multiple Sclerosis Walk in the warmer months. In the wintertime the neighborhood has been a Christmas wonderland for many residents of Amarillo who visit in automobiles, wagons, and carriages. The magnificent Christmas lighting at many of the homes and the flags flying to commemorate the Fourth of July and Memorial Day are just some of the neighborhood displays of sense of community. The allure of Woflin is more than it’s charm and elegance. The spirit of Wolflin is a reflection of the spirit of Amarillo, love of community, love of country, and love of Texas.
Sources for this article are the Amarillo Globe News, Amarillo Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service, the National Association of Realtors, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Registration System, WHMC-KC University of Missouri, ASLA.org (American Association of Landscape Architects), and The Handbook of Texas Online,
