Statue or monument-Westmoreland at Irwindell

Anyone know the significance of a concrete statue or monument near the SE corner of Westmoreland and Irwindell. I think this is the location. A street veers off from Westmoreland and there are some old stores there. Between the stores and the street is a statue or monument of some kind.

I think this is the right location.

mac

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Is this it?

[maps.google.com]

Sorry, bad link



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2012 12:40PM by Steve.

Here is a photo I took of it. Looking North on Westmoreland.



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Since I don't live far away from it, I drove over this afternoon to have a look...I couldn't find any markings on it. As big as it is (a little over 6' high), I'm surprised I've never noticed it before.

I'm Wesley, by the way.

Interesting Subject
As an old (69) OC boy I have passed that thing all my life and have no idea what it is. Thanks for stopping to look Wesley- I was thinking of asking another poster if they could take a look since I now live some distance away. I hope we get this mystery solved.
Wayne

Could it be the remnant of an old subdivision entrance, sort of what used to mark the entrance to Munger Place? Perhaps in the years since it's erection, the street in front of it was widened or realigned, and they had to take some of it down - just a guess.

Could it be the remnant of an old subdivision entrance, sort of what used to mark the entrance to Munger Place? Perhaps in the years since it's erection, the street in front of it was widened or realigned, and they had to take some of it down - just a guess.

In the 1955 photo at historicaerials.com, it looks the same. The photo's not that great, but it doesn't look like it was any more elaborate or imposing then.

matthew stephenson Wrote:
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> Could it be the remnant of an old subdivision
> entrance, sort of what used to mark the entrance
> to Munger Place? Perhaps in the years since it's
> erection, the street in front of it was widened or
> realigned, and they had to take some of it down -
> just a guess.

===============

You might be on the right track. I think the subdivision was originally Bronx Park but later known as Irwindell.

The alignment of present Schooldell (probaby named for the George Peabody School) was an early routing of Westmoreland due to Coombs Creek on the west.. The present Westmorleand (which follows the section line) was straightened about 1930.

Another thought, the wedge between present Westmoreland and Schooldell, running from the little triangle with the monument to the old Interurban, was sold to a Dr Millican about 1908. Present Irwindell was originally platted as Claudia Place and Brooklyndell as Milliken Place so perhaps one or the other spellings was in error.

Dr S E Milliken was a prominent physician in Dallas in the era but I don't know if he had any connection to the property being developed but it might be worth loking into.

M C

Hello M C, it's good to see you back here. How are you doing?

Looking at Google Street view, from the Schooldell side, it appears to be hollow. The camera is high enough to see the top.
I think it is also on the 1930 Fairchild aerials, though the resolution is not clear enough to be sure.
Being hollow, I'm wondering if it's a vent for the drainage system. That area was fairly well developed by the time the 1930 photo was taken.
What's really surprising is that, sitting out there exposed like it is, is that nobody has managed to run over it in 82 years

Link to Fairchild aerials
[digitalcollections.smu.edu]
Photo 21

Paul

m c it is so good to have you back posting you are the greatest.

paul brancato Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looking at Google Street view, from the Schooldell
> side, it appears to be hollow. The camera is high
> enough to see the top.
> I think it is also on the 1930 Fairchild aerials,
> though the resolution is not clear enough to be
> sure.
> Being hollow, I'm wondering if it's a vent for the
> drainage system. That area was fairly well
> developed by the time the 1930 photo was taken.
> What's really surprising is that, sitting out
> there exposed like it is, is that nobody has
> managed to run over it in 82 years
>
> Link to Fairchild aerials
> [digitalcollections.smu.edu]
> Photo 21
>
> Paul

I was wondering why some government agency hasn't declared it a traffic hazard, and removed it. But then it's not any worse than the old concrete light pole bases in the median on Garland Road, near White Rock Lake. I know of at least two fatality accidents over the last 20 years, where someone hit one of those.

Nice to see you back, M C.

Thanks M.C.. What a neat little mystery. I'm also surprised it isn't covered in graffitti.

mac

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Paul's correct in that it's hollow...I drove back to have another look-see, and take some pics (they're on my Flickr account, but I'm too bone-headed to be able to figure out how to link my Flickr account to my sign-on here---little help?).

When you are looking at your photo on Flickr, there should be the word Share just above it. Click on Share and it has the link which you just copy and paste into your message here.

mac

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Easy-peasy. Thanks, Mac.



Flickr

Just my two cents, but I don't think the fact that it is hollow is related to it's purpose. But there was probably something on top of it.

I wonder who maintains that spot, such as keeping the grass mowed.

mac

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Mac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just my two cents, but I don't think the fact that
> it is hollow is related to it's purpose. But
> there was probably something on top of it.



====================

I agree that it would have a cap or something similar on top - the fact that it is now mssing allows water to enter and it appears there is a long crack along one side suggesting freeze damage.

There was a set of similar but much taller columns on Jefferson Blvd at Willomet St marking the entrance to the Winnetka Heights Addition. They can be seen in this ca 1945 aerial photo in the red circles. The photo is facing east. There were three columns on each side of Jefferson, two tall and a shorter one on the outside. It's hard to see from this photo but it is the only view I've found. These have a cap or possibly a light on top. I believe these columns were removed in the mid to late 1950s after the trolley tracks and power lines were removed from the median. Bill Strouse or Fred Ragsdale might remember.


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photo by Thompson and Heidt Photography, courtesy of John Whitehead

This square column for the Winters Addition (Ewing Avenue at Winters Street) is brick but has a top shaped like a vase that is similar to the top of the columns on Jefferson. There were two columns originally - the one on the north side of Winters was knocked down by a car after I moved away in 1958.


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Google Street View