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This map is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. To view it, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This map was created using several old maps. |
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As mentioned previously, the plan was to subdivide a portion of the land into residential and commercial lots. The sale of these lots would finance the purchase of the land, the development costs of the land and the construction of the buildings on the new campus. After the purchase, the board wasted no time. On August 28, 1927 at a called board meeting, three committees were appointed:
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During a called meeting of the local board of trustees on September 12, 1927, the board agreed to hire H.J. Bradshaw as the engineer for the new campus and addition. His pay was $1 per lot and the campus. The street surveying, leading up to the campus from the west was to "be gratis on the part of said Bradshaw." |
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The original plat plan filed with the city on December 9, 1927 is dated December 5, 1927. On May 2, 1929 a slight change to the plat was filed. This new plat reconfigured the area between East North 16th Street and the A. C. C. Park and along the east side of the park.
Naming the Addition and the Streets
At the September 27, 1927 called board meeting, the board agreed to call the new addition "Abilene Heights."
Major Streets
The street names were "College Drive" for the drive running into the campus from the south and west, "Lincoln Drive" for the drive running into the campus from the north and west, and "Washington Boulevard" for the boulevard running through the new site.
Numbered Streets
It was agreed that all streets running east and west would be numbered to correspond with the city in naming and numbering streets. While this was the original plan and the names "North 16th Street," "North 17th Street," etc. appear on the December 5, 1927 plat of Abilene Heights, it just didn't work out.
The numbering baseline for the city was the Abilene and Northern Railroad tracks just west of the campus. From this baseline, all of the house and building numbers for a street start and go higher as the street goes west. There was not a way to call the streets the same name and number the houses and buildings. Therefore someone came up with the name "East North" as the streets were east of the other streets. Thus we have "East North 16th Street," "East North 17th Street," etc.
Alphabetical Streets
The board agreed that the streets running north and south would be named alphabetically and that they be named as Avenues: "Avenue A," "Avenue B," etc. Avenues A and B were never drawn or built, Avenue C appears in the December 5, 1927 plat, but was replaced by a continuation of Cedar Crest Drive in the May 2, 1929 changes to the plat.
Selling the Lots
On October 10, 1927, the board hired one of it own, J. S. Arledge, to take charge of selling the lots and to be fiscal agent for the board. His salary was $260 per month plus a car and car upkeep furnished.
The lots went on sale to the public on December 8,1927. An auction was held at what would become the corner of Campus Court and East North 16th Street. The 16 commercial lots were all sold in 40 minutes at prices averaging $987 each. About one-fourth of the 500 lots offered for sale were sold at the auction.
Installing the Utilities and Streets
The grading of the streets began on October 18, 1927. The plan was to asphalt the following streets:
- Lincoln Drive
- College Drive
- Washington Boulevard (as far south as East North 13th Street)
- East North 16th, 17th and 18th Streets
All other streets were to be graveled.
The laying of the water mains to the addition had begun by June 28, 1928. By November 27, 1928 West Texas Utilities was laying gas mains to the addition. By February 14, 1929 all utility lines had been extended to the campus including a telephone cable sufficient for 100 telephones.
In June 1929, the construction was underway on College Drive. At the same time, the contracts were let to pave the other streets of the addition. In July 1929 the channel excavation for the College Drive bridge over Cedar Creek had begun and it was hoped that the bridge construction would begin soon. In mid July 1929 the asphalt was begin laid on College Drive and had progressed from Pine Street to Cedar Creek. On August 2, 1929 the paving of College Drive was finished and the street was open except for the bridge over Cedar Creek which was still under construction.
On February 2, 1930, the paving of Campus Court began, the first of the addition streets to be paved. By the end of February, 1930 the paving on College Drive, Washington Boulevard, East North 16th Street and Campus Court was finished and accepted by the City of Abilene.