E
very neighborhood has an origin story. They’re not accidental. They don’t just happen. They may develop and evolve over years or decades, but the soul of a community has as much to do with how it started than how it’s going today.
The past is visible on every block of Amarillo and Canyon’s most historic neighborhoods—in the architectural details, the towering trees, and even the slow process of urban decay. From the humble homes of the Barrio to the stately residences of Wolflin, Brick & Elm looked into the history of our most iconic local neighborhoods, exploring the blocks that shape our community character, one street at a time.
“Many Barrio families walked, rode their bikes, or drove across Arthur Street to work on the railroad and other businesses.” —Teresa Kenedy
The Barrio
One of Amarillo’s oldest neighborhoods, parts of the Barrio date back to just two years after the city’s founding, when the railroad companies began bringing Mexican railworkers into the United States. These laborers were among Amarillo’s first residents and were critical to Amarillo’s early growth. The railway still runs through the neighborhood.
“I describe the Barrio as a neighborhood full of people who are proud of their Hispanic heritage,” says Teresa Kenedy, the president of the Barrio Neighborhood Planning Committee and the author of a book about the neighborhood’s history. “The history of these families goes back to 1889. They are hard-working, resourceful, learned how to build and run small businesses, and want the best for their children. They worked hard to build our railroad and continue to contribute to our city on a daily basis.”
Some of the oldest blocks in the Barrio have been home to multiple generations of the same family. Today, the neighborhood is still nearly 90 percent Hispanic.
Kenedy has been spearheading the ongoing 10th Avenue Streetscape Project, a renovation project bringing street lamps, brick pavers, ADA accessible sidewalks, trees and other amenities to a prominent arterial street. The $6.1 million project completes this fall.
But that’s not Kenedy’s favorite street in the neighborhood. She’s partial to Arthur Street, she says, “all the way from Third to 29th Avenue.” That street took residents to places like El Alamo Park on Roberts Street, or Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Houston Street. “Arthur continues to be a busy street as our families and other residents and tourists travel to and from to eat, work, shop, visit and reside,” she says.
The neighborhood’s homes themselves are modest, but all have stories to tell, like La Frontera Mexican Food Restaurant at 1401 S. Arthur St. Juan and Teresa Cuellar moved to Amarillo from Iowa in 1922. They owned and operated the Cuellar grocery store on Arthur until 1932, and built their home next to it. “In the 1950s, their family store was renamed the Cuellar Grocery and Tortilla Company, which was the first corn tortilla business in Amarillo,” Kenedy says. Local residents Greg and Mary Socorro Martinez repurposed it several decades ago to create La Frontera. Photos of the original Cuellar grocery are displayed inside.
As for growth, a new, 80-unit attainable housing development, the Tecovas Terrace, is being developed at 2801 S. Aldredge St., with construction to begin in early 2026.
Notable Residents:
Mateo Lopez was born in Mexico in 1880 and became a horse trainer. He eventually trained one of the white stallions favored by Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. After the Mexican revolution, railroad work brought Lopez legally to Amarillo. He lived in the railroad’s barracks until saving enough money to buy his first home on the 1400 block of South Cleveland Street. He and his wife raised nine children in
the neighborhood.
Places of Interest:
Originally built in 1916 in downtown Amarillo, the original Sacred Heart Church was relocated to the Barrio in 1920, at Cleveland and 11th Avenue, at which point it was renamed Our Lady of Guadalupe. Under Fr. Cesario Gutierrez, it prioritized ministry to Spanish-speaking Catholics, added a school in 1928, and emerged as a center of community life. The parish celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020.
*Take a Walk:
Start on Southeast 10th Avenue, in the parking lot across from Fiesta Foods, which used to be a neighborhood grocery called Scivally’s. Head east on 10th and turn right (south) on Houston Street. This will take you past Our Lady of Guadalupe and the center of the Barrio until you reach the northwest corner of El Alamo Park at Southeast 16th. Circle the park, where you’ll pass the Wesley Community Center on the east side. Continue west on Southeast 16th Avenue and you’ll walk by the old Dwight Morrow Elementary School (now occupied by Region 16), which served Hispanic students from 1930 to 1965. Turn right (north) on South Arthur Street and return to Fiesta Foods. You’ll parallel the railroad tracks, a block to the west, as you pass the old Cuellar Grocery (now La Frontera Mexican Food). Distance: Approximately 1.6 miles.
* When walking in any Amarillo neighborhood, remain aware of your surroundings and be respectful of property. Exploring during daylight is always a good idea.
Landmarks:
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church (previously Sacred Heart Cathedral)
- Power Church
- El Alamo Park
- Wesley Community Center
- Glenwood Elementary
- Sanborn Elementary
“At the time they were building all those homes, I was too young to be paying attention to architecture, but now I’m quite fascinated with it.” —Mark Bivins
Bivins
Before it became a residential development, the land for this neighborhood belonged to the Bivins family, starting with the rancher and oilman Lee Bivins and wife Mary, civic leaders during Amarillo’s earliest decades. Lee and Mary built one of the city’s first mansions in 1905—now home to the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and other organizations at 1000 S. Polk St.—but also owned land west of the growing city.
A local aviation pioneer, Bivins was fascinated by what was then a cutting-edge technology. Starting in 1918, he dedicated land to establish Amarillo’s first airport, the Bivins Airfield. Its original runways still dominate the neighborhood today. The wide Julian Boulevard divides Bivins before splitting into a Y shape, with North Julian and South Julian running perpendicular to each other. That’s because those were originally aircraft runways. In fact, Julian itself is named after Lee and Mary’s son. (Aviation remained central to the family history. Julian Bivins and his son, Billy, died in 1940 when an aircraft Julian was piloting crashed on the family’s ranchland.)
In 1929, another son, Miles Bivins, along with his wife Myda, built a large Tudor Revival home on several acres of the family land south of what is now Southwest 16th Avenue. They considered it something of a country estate and enlisted the services of legendary Texas architect Henry Bowers Thomson, known for some of Dallas’s architectural masterpieces as well as the Commodore Perry Estate in Austin.
Mark Bivins, the great-grandson of Lee Bivins and grandson of Miles and Myda, enjoyed birthday parties at his grandparents’ property and grew up in the neighborhood bearing his family’s name. “It was essentially vacant land. That and the [Josephine] Anderson farm were the only two buildings out there,” Mark says of the neighborhood’s early days. “It hadn’t been platted. There were no curbs, so Mrs. Anderson’s cattle would get out of her fenced area and come over and eat the lawn that my grandparents planted around the house.”
Miles and Myda ended up hiring a cowboy named Slim to live on the top floor of the Bivins home. He was tasked with caring for the grounds—and that meant keeping Mrs. Anderson’s cattle away. (Their home is now the headquarters of the Mary E. Bivins Foundation.)
“When we were kids growing up, in elementary school, there was nothing between the back of our house and Wolflin Village,” Mark Bivins says. “So we could very easily go out the back fence and walk across a vacant lot to Wolflin Village.”
Construction on Interstate 40 began in 1963 and the highway opened in 1968, reshaping Amarillo’s geography and creating a stark southern boundary to the Bivins subdivision. Eminent domain meant Mark’s father, Lee Truscott Bivins, lost part of the family’s property to the government. “I’ve never seen my father that mad. It was part of his land,” he says.
Mark retains much better memories of the interstate. “The best part of the highway was when it was essentially complete but not open yet,” he says. For several weeks, the pavement had been installed but hadn’t been striped, and the expanse wasn’t yet open to traffic. “We would get our bicycles and ride on I-40 as far as we could go, then turn and
come back.”
Notable Residents:
After Myda Bivins passed away in 1978, legendary Amarillo philanthropist Sybil B. Harrington ended up buying the estate on Southwest 16th Avenue. She had recently endowed her 15,000-square-foot Harrington House (1600 S. Polk St.) for future generations as a historic home, and needed somewhere else to live.
Places of Interest:
Across the street from the original Bivins home, the single-story house at 2320 SW 16th Ave. stands out from the rest of the neighborhood due to its French stucco construction and a mansard roof, commonly seen in Parisian buildings. “It was built by Malcolm and Phoebe Shelton, who had a home in Santa Barbara and saw a lot of homes [on the West Coast] in that style,” Mark Bivins says.
Take a Walk:
Start near the corner of Georgia and I-40, near St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Head north on South Bryan Street to Southwest 16th Avenue, then turn right (east). The historic Bivins property will be the large green space on your right surrounding the South Lamar Street cul-de-sac. Head toward the block-sized property of Bivins Elementary School, then turn left (north) on South Fannin Street. After two blocks, turn left (west) on Julian Boulevard. You’re currently on what used to be an aircraft runway. On your left, note the midcentury modern home at 2105 S. Julian Blvd., which was designed by the visionary Texas architect O’Neil Ford in the 1950s. Turn left (south) again on South Rusk Street or South Lamar Street and head back to your starting point. Distance: Approximately 1.5 miles.
Landmarks:
- The Mary E. Bivins Foundation/Bivins Estate
- Bivins Elementary School
- Julian Boulevard Park
- St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
- St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral
“After a stint in the Navy for five years and living in Austin, I came back to the North Heights because I’ve loved it all my life. There are super people in this community that are exceedingly friendly. We could have moved anywhere in Amarillo or built, but that’s why we came back.” —ALphonso Vaughn
North Heights
Established in 1926, the North Heights was developed for Amarillo’s Black residents by legendary cowboy and community leader Mathew “Bones” Hooks, who worked with Mayor Lee Bivins and developer A.P. McSwain to purchase the high ground north of Amarillo. Before then, many of the city’s Black residents lived in a district known as “the Flats,” near downtown.
As a development, North Heights was immediately successful. Its existence may have been a response to segregation and systemic racism, but the neighborhood thrived. Black residents could establish roots, operate businesses and live with a sense of safety and belonging—often free from the scrutiny of predominantly white spaces.
“This community is about family. You know the people. You go to church with them,” says Linda Vaughn, a retired educator. Her husband, Alphonso, was raised in the North Heights, and they’ve lived there since marrying in 1987. The couple’s current home is across from Bones Hooks Park.
“There used to be numerous businesses in the African American community,” Alphonso says. A former Potter County commissioner for 16 years and the current president of the Amarillo branch of the NAACP, he helped bring the annual Juneteenth parade and celebration to the North Heights in the 1980s. The neighborhood once boasted its own medical clinics, dental care, funeral homes, grocery stores and much more. “We could do all our shopping and congregating here without having to go outside. It was more business-minded and entrepreneurial, until it faded.”
That “fading” began in the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially after AISD’s desegregation plan resulted in the closure of North Heights schools. The district began busing Black students out of the neighborhood and into other schools. “The atmosphere changed, and it hasn’t come back. There was a lot of flight from the African American community,” Alphonso says.
For decades, the Vaughns and other leaders have been trying to restore the once-neglected neighborhood to its former glory. The North Heights Neighborhood Plan represents an important step. Storytelling is important, too. Alphonso and Linda even help lead the Major Taylor Unity in the Community Bike Ride every summer, sharing the rich history of the Heights with participants.
They are realists about the challenges. “Hughes Street is looking pretty ragged,” Alphonso says, “but we can get back to being vibrant like it used to be.” That main thoroughfare doesn’t tell the whole story, though. “It’s like a curtain that’s raised up from either side of Hughes Street and either side of [Northwest] 24th, but as you get into the inner core of the North Heights—the northeast side of the community—you’ll find some really nice houses,” Alphonso explains.
Many of Amarillo’s most successful Black professionals, he says, can afford to live anywhere in the city—especially communities closer to grocery stores or other services—but choose to build their lives in this historic neighborhood. “We’re sort of estranged in that sense, but you can move here and feel comfortable,” he says.
“We love it,” Linda adds. “We want to see it get back to being vibrant like it used to be.”
Notable Residents:
The two-story, white stucco home at 14th Avenue and North Hughes Street was built by Dr. Melvin Hines, who moved to Amarillo with his wife, Kathlyn, to practice dentistry in 1937. “It was a very prominent African American home,” Linda says. Hines was the first African-American dentist accepted into the Amarillo Dental Society and practiced in Amarillo until his death in 1988. Kathlyn, a music teacher, was the first Black member of the Amarillo Teachers Association. Hines Memorial Park, behind the Charles E. Warford Activity Center, is named for them.
Places of Interest:
The property surrounding the Black Historical Cultural Center at Ninth Avenue and North Hayden Street once belonged to Dr. James Odis Wyatt, who opened a full-service health clinic after being denied privileges at area hospitals. He served Amarillo’s African American community as a primary care physician starting in the late 1930s. J.O. Wyatt became the first African-American to seek public office in Amarillo after announcing his campaign for a school board seat in 1955. A few days after the announcement, he awoke to a cross burning on his lawn.
Union Barber Shop, located at 1019 N. Hughes St., is a community hub and “probably the oldest business still operating” in the neighborhood, Linda says. Managed by Doc Smith and John Chandler, the shop dates back nearly 90 years. “I got my hair cut there in the 1950s,” Alphonso remembers.
Take a Walk:
Start at the northwest corner of Bones Hooks Park and head south along North Hughes Street, which serves as the heart of the community. You’ll pass the historic Jenkins Chapel Baptist Church (established in 1926) and Golden Gate Mortuary. Turn left (east) on Northwest 13th after Delvin’s Restaurant, then turn left (north) on Adams Street, which takes you past St. Martin Catholic Church and Jerusalem Church of God in Christ. At Northwest 18th Avenue, head right for a block, then turn left (north) on North Jefferson Street. After passing Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church, you’ll turn left on Northwest 21st to make your way back to Bones Hooks. Distance: 1.6 miles.
Landmarks:
- Charles E. Warford Activity Center
- Bones Hooks Park
- George Washington Carver Elementary Academy
- Black Historical Cultural Center
- Delvin’s Restaurant & Catering
- North Heights Discount & Cafe
“I really like Tyler, especially as you head north toward downtown. It’s a very nice gateway into the center of the city, with great views of the skyline and First Baptist Church.” —Wes Reeves
Plemons-Eakle
Wes Reeves, Brick & Elm’s own history contributor, describes the historic Plemons-Eakle district as one of the most eclectic in the city. It’s definitely one of the oldest, having been established in 1903 by Melissa Dora Oliver-Eakle, one of the most influential women in Amarillo’s history. A native of Alabama, she moved here in 1895 after inheriting considerable wealth, and built her reputation as a land developer and financier (often signing documents “M.D. Oliver-Eakle” to disguise her gender). In 1927, she commissioned Amarillo’s first skyscraper—now The Barfield Hotel—and before that began donating her substantial land holdings to developing this neighborhood.
Reeves lives in the district. “There are some very stately homes with manicured lawns and then you might have a smaller house with a Dynamite Museum sign and homemade yard art a few houses down,” he says. “My friend Allen Durrett once described it as ‘funky.’”
Reeves says he loves the variety of architecture in his neighborhood, from the large, estate-style homes to the quaint two-bedroom cottages. Some houses are more than a century old. Others definitely have a midcentury vibe. The neighborhood’s growth over decades gives it an organic, lived-in feel.
“There are so many different styles of houses as opposed to more modern developments that were planned by builders,” he says. “Many of the lots on our street were purchased years in advance of homes going up, so it was more of a real estate development than a housing development. There are Craftsman-style homes in the Plemons section of the historic district that date back to the early 19-teens, and we have homes farther south in the Oliver-Eakle addition that were built in the 1950s and even as late as the 1960s.”
Notable Residents:
It has been home to some of Amarillo’s most famous residents over the years. The actress Cyd Charisse was born Tula Ellice Finklea to a local jeweler and grew up on South Tyler Street. The Munsters’ Carolyn Jones once lived on South Harrison Street. “Another fine home a block down from our house on Harrison belonged to Margaret Seewald Roberts, an artist who designed her home’s interiors,” Reeves says. Roberts was heavily influenced by her art teacher, Georgia O’Keeffe, who taught a few blocks north at the old Amarillo High Schoo l, from 1912 until 1914.
Places of Interest:
There are many, but Reeves appreciates the Craftsman-influenced house at 2123 S. Harrison St. with a red tile roof. Built in 1920, it was designed by the Kansas City architecture firm Shepard & Wiser, which also designed the Herring Hotel and Don and Sybil Harrington’s house on South Polk Street.
Take a Walk:
Start on the south side of Memorial Park, walk through the gazebo and rose garden, and exit the park onto South Jackson Street. Turn right (east) at Southwest 24th Avenue. At South Harrison Street, turn left (north) and enjoy the stretch of tree-lined brick streets until you get to Southwest 21st Avenue. Turn left (west) and then head back north along South Van Buren Street toward the park. This will take you alongside the Amarillo Museum of Art and the option of a stroll through the Amarillo College campus, back to your starting point. Distance: Approximately 1.5 miles.
Landmarks:
- Amarillo College
- Amarillo Museum of Art
- Memorial Park
- Oliver Eakle Park
“Being a business owner in the San Jacinto neighborhood is a pleasure and an adventure. We have owned property there since 2017 and since then, we have met some of the nicest, most passionate and dedicated folks—people who care deeply about the history of the region and the city and who are willing to give time, money and creativity to its development.” —Amy Von Lintel
San Jacinto
Sixth Avenue is a centerpiece of Amarillo history, and the surrounding neighborhood a mile west of downtown—officially known as San Jacinto Heights—dates back to 1909. Trolley service began a year later, and by 1921 there were 86 homes in the neighborhood. Things really picked up with the 1926 establishment of Route 66, which brought a steady stream of cross-country travelers through this community for decades. “Residents could find grocers, fruit markets, bakeries, butchers, restaurants, dry cleaners, barber shops, beauty salons, furniture stores, restaurants, shoe repair stores, and no fewer than eight service stations,” says West Texas A&M University Art History Professor Amy Von Lintel. She owns and operates Old Tascosa Brewing Company, along with her husband, Matt Welch, in the Sixth Street Historic District.
We’re far beyond the Route 66 heyday, but this commercial strip is still a bustling tourist area, built on a reputation as something like Amarillo’s “main street.” The surrounding homes, though historic, have avoided gentrification. “The residential part of the San Jacinto neighborhood is economically disadvantaged, and folks tend to live there for the low rent and affordable home costs,” Von Lintel says, pointing out that a neighborhood that once boasted 11 food stores on Sixth Avenue between Georgia and Belleview Streets is now technically a food desert.
That’s one reason philanthropic organizations like Heal the City and Square Mile Community Development also call San Jacinto home. The Route 66 connection brings plenty of traffic, and businesses like the The 806 Coffee + Lounge and Blue Crane Bakery are known for their neighborhood advocacy. “San Jacinto has a fiercely dedicated community of residents, workers and business owners who care deeply about its past, present and future,” Von Lintel says. Many of the buildings they occupy date back to the 1920s.
Her favorite story from the neighborhood’s history involves Cecil Bradford, the so-called “chicken-throwing grocer.” Surrounded by other grocery stores and facing economic challenges during the Depression, he came up with a plan to entice shoppers into the Bradford Grocery, which stood at what is now Inkologist Tattoo Therapy. “Every weekend, he would climb up on his roof and throw live chickens down to patrons on the street below,” she says. Chickens had numbers tied to their legs, and customers could claim prizes based on those numbers. “This event became known as the ‘San Jacinto Chicken Follies’ and to this day, people still talk about the lore around this practice. But few remember which building actually launched the poultry,” she says.
Like the North Heights and the Barrio, San Jacinto is now benefiting from a community-driven revitalization strategy. The City of Amarillo’s ongoing San Jacinto Neighborhood Plan is working to incentivize economic growth in the neighborhood while preserving its character and history. “We are proud to be part of this community, and we ask the public to pay attention to and invest in its legacy along with us,” Von
Lintel says.
Notable Residents:
In 1926, Cal Farley owned and operated a tire dealership and service station known as the Wun-Stop-Duzzit tire shop along the Route 66 corridor in San Jacinto. He was the first Amarillo merchant to introduce installment-plan purchases and his business was, by all accounts, very profitable. He also ran a radio station from that location, nearly a decade before he began working with underprivileged children—which led to the establishment of the Maverick Club and Boys Ranch.
Places of Interest:
Amarillo’s Natatorium, otherwise known as “The Nat” at 2705 S.W. Sixth Ave., was designed by prominent local architect Guy Carlander and opened in 1922 as an enclosed swimming pool with a diving platform. (The city was segregated at the time, and only white citizens were allowed to swim there.) When Route 66 arrived, The Nat covered the pool to create a ballroom and music venue. It went on to host traveling musicians including Rudy Vallée, Guy Lombardo, Bob Wills, Count Basie, Roy Orbison, Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino.
By midcentury, Black musicians even performed at The Nat, which had begun to welcome a more diverse patronage. “In one infamous event on Aug. 23, 1956, Little Richard was arrested at The Nat Ballroom for removing his shirt during a concert and apparently instigating some mixed-race couples dancing to his music,” Von Lintel says. It’s now a “maze-like antique mall,” as she describes it, known for ghost stories, quirky treasures and a lack of air conditioning.
Take a Walk:
Start at The Nat and walk west almost the entire length of the best-known portion of Sixth Avenue. Your path will take you past the 806, the Golden Light, bookstores, restaurants like Smokey Joe’s and Little Laos, and some of the city’s most-visited Route 66 antique shops—all located in historic buildings. Near the brightly painted storage containers marking Square Mile’s Sixth Street Urban Farm, the road curves left. You’ll see the light blue, Route 66-emblazoned water tower. Cross to the other side of the street and head back the way you came. Distance: Approximately 1.5 miles.
Landmarks:
- The Golden Light Cafe
- The Nat
- San Jacinto Elementary School
- San Jacinto Christian Academy
- Generations Fellowship Church
- Square Mile’s Sixth Street Urban Farm
Sunset Terrace
This small development south of Sam Houston Park is probably the city’s least prominent historic neighborhood. It’s often lumped in with San Jacinto to the north, or Westlawn to the west, but has a history all its own. Built in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it was one of the first Amarillo neighborhoods to break the city’s rigid street grid, becoming Amarillo’s first true outlying residential community.
Blame Amarillo architect Guy Carlander for that, says Von Lintel, a resident of Sunset Terrace. Carlander was inspired by the landscape designs of Kansas City and used curving streets and “parklets” of green space to make his development stand out.
“He believed in the beauty of his neighborhood so much that he built his family home on one of the cul-de-sacs that turns off the main circular loop of Sunset Terrace,” Von Lintel says. Line Avenue runs through the neighborhood, and the stone gateway structures on either side are also Carlander’s design. The avenue is named for the streetcar line that extended from Sunset Terrace to downtown. “Carlander envisioned the perfect suburb setting, with quick transport to the shopping and commerce of Polk Street,” she says.
Von Lintel identifies the neighborhood’s winding streets as part of its charm. “It unfolds like a journey, giving visitors and residents a break from the linear, structured grid of the main parts of the city,” she says. A variety of home designs are tucked away behind mature trees, including cottage-style homes with vine-covered facades. “I do love this neighborhood with all of its quirkiness, beauty and eclectic charm.”
Sunset Terrace has a dark side, though. One of those charming cottages was home to a fascinating and prominent local crime. In 1930, a well-known lawyer named A.D. Payne succeeded in killing his wife, Exa, for insurance money before running off with his mistress. The crime was elaborate: Payne first rigged a shotgun in a closet to fire when Exa opened the door. It went off and struck her, but she survived. Authorities trusted him when he explained it was an accident. After that, he planted a homemade explosive device beneath the driver’s seat of the family car—not suspecting that the couple’s son, A.D. Jr., would join Exa for a ride that day. The bomb went off, Exa was killed immediately, and Junior was severely injured.
“Then, because Payne was so respected in town and wily about his excuses, he escaped discovery for months,” Von Lintel says. But reporters from the Kansas City Star came to Amarillo and broke the case, winning a Pulitzer Prize for their investigative journalism. Payne was arrested, jailed in the Potter County Courthouse, and then killed himself by sneaking nitroglycerine into his cell. Von Lintel tells this story in one of her books. “I have always wanted to design a true crime tour of Amarillo that included this house and its crazy story,” she adds.
Notable Residents:
Architect Guy Carlander moved to Amarillo in 1919 and practiced locally into the 1950s, designing everything from school buildings (Landergin School, Ordway Hall at Amarillo College) to commercial spaces like the 12-story Fisk Medical Arts Building (now the Courtyard by Marriott) downtown. He’s credited with more than 60 major projects across the Panhandle, including the former Amarillo Hardware building, now home to Amarillo City Hall. Carlander also designed his family home on Fountain Court.
Places of Interest:
The outdoor stone stage in Sam Houston Park—which hosts a variety of concerts and other events throughout the year—was designed by the father-son architecture firm Hare & Hare of Kansas City, who also created the layout of the Wolflin neighborhood.
The neighborhood is also filled with creativity. “The Sunset Terrace area has become a unique haven for artist-types,” Von Lintel says, “and one can find Dynamite Museum signs, abstract sculptures, and interesting yard art in front of numerous homes.”
Take a Walk:
Start at Sam Houston Park, then make your way south to Sunset Terrace, the thoroughfare that gives the neighborhood its name. Follow the curve of Sunset past Craftsman-style homes, cozy bungalows and mission-style homes. When you reach Waverly Street, turn left (north) and walk one block to Fountain Terrace. Turn right on Fountain and make a quick loop around Fountain Court, which will introduce you to Guy Carlander’s family home, with its white stucco, asymmetric two-story design and half-timber accents. Continue on Fountain until you reunite with the northern curve of Sunset Terrace, then head left (west) toward Sam Houston Park. At the diamond-shaped Belleview Park, head in either direction—or just walk across the green space—to remain on Sunset. Distance: Approximately 1.3 miles.
Landmarks:
- Sam Houston Middle School
- Sam Houston Park
- Margaret Wills Elementary
- Rock Island Rail Trail
“Everybody said the Dutch elm [disease] would get the elm trees, but they’ve lived through a lot of these problems. I think that’s a reflection on the good planning of the Wolflins.” —Richard Ware
Wolflin
“One of the most fun things is the shock of out-of-town visitors when they drive into Wolflin and see the brick streets and the tree canopy covering the streets,” says Richard Ware, chairman of Amarillo National Bank. “They can’t believe they’re in Amarillo.”
The Wolflin family owned the 640-acre Daylight Dairy southwest of Amarillo, and by the 1920s, the town was encroaching on it. A young Charles A. Wolflin, fresh out of college, secured a loan from the Ware family at ANB, hired Kansas City’s Hare & Hare firm to design a neighborhood, and began developing the pastureland into Wolflin Place (the northern part of the neighborhood) and Wolflin Estates to the south.
Deed restrictions for several of the blocks between 30th and 32nd Avenues required two-story brick homes to be built for a minimum of $10,000, Ware says. “That restriction was made in the 1920s, but that group of blocks have a unique, common feel.”
The development felt fresh and new, with wide brick-lined streets and the city’s first traffic circle, Oldham Circle, named for Charles A. Wolflin’s father, Charles Oldham Wolflin. “We have a picture of the construction of Oldham Circle, and there were mules pulling plows to cut those streets in that circle,” Ware says. Wolflin bought more than a thousand fast-growing Siberian elm trees and the family watered them with buckets. Most of the trees still stand over the brick streets.
Ware grew up on Harrison Street, but the family moved into the Wolflin neighborhood when he was in high school. Today, Richard Ware lives on Hughes Street, and his sons—the next generation of Ware family members—also live in Wolflin. Beyond the stately homes and towering trees, the community is known for its holiday hospitality, from Christmas lights to Halloween trick-or-treating.
It wasn’t always that way, Ware says. In the 1960s, presumably due to the “trick” side of the Oct. 31 tradition, people avoided the neighborhood. “Wolflin was best-known for terrible Halloweens,” Ware says. “The cops always had to come to Oldham Circle. It was a war zone.” Young people would get arrested. Some years, security personnel from the Amarillo Air Base were even called in to curb the mayhem.
“Now it’s standing room only, with people lining up for candy—with no problems.” Ware says with a chuckle.
Notable Residents:
Countless Amarillo leaders, attorneys, physicians and other prominent residents have made their homes in Wolflin, from multiple generations of families like the Wares to past Amarillo mayors including Jerry H. Hodge and Lawrence R. Hagy.
Places of Interest:
Architect Emmett F. Rittenberry designed the large, Tudor Revival-style home at 2800 S. Hughes St. in 1928 for Alpha Wolflin—Charles A. Wolflin’s mother—and that home was used to promote the new community in early marketing materials. Other notable homes include the Philip Tauber House at 2612 S. Hayden St., which was designed in 1927 by New York City architect Francis W. Keally. He went on to design the Oregon State Capitol and the main building of the Brooklyn Public Library. The Tauber house appeared in a 1928 issue of Architectural Forum.
Take a Walk:
Start at Southwest 24th Avenue across from Amarillo College’s FirstBank Southwest Center, and head west. You’ll pass Hughes, Hayden and Ong streets before turning left (south) on Lipscomb Street. Continue for four blocks until you reach the elegant homes of Oldham Circle. Make your way around the circle before continuing east along West 32nd Avenue. Take your pick of Ong, Hayden or Hughes Streets to take you back to 24th Avenue. While some of the other streets in the neighborhood are named after Alamo heroes, these were named for early Amarillo law enforcement officers. Distance: Around 1.5 miles.
Landmarks:
- Wolflin Village
- Wolflin Square
- Wolflin Elementary School
- Austin Middle School and Austin Park
- The Church in
Austin Park - Trinity Baptist Church
- La Tour Apartments
“We’ve really seen [The Square] grow into an amazing place, where it is hopping on a Friday and Saturday night. When I was here in college in 2005 and 2006, it was really quiet down there.” —Stephanie Price
Canyon
Named for the geological landmark a few miles east, Canyon’s first residents settled here in the early 1880s. By 1889, the town had been designated the county seat of Randall County. The railway arrived in 1898 and Canyon was officially incorporated in 1906. Four years later, in 1910, West Texas State Normal College opened.
Technically, “Canyon” is not a neighborhood. Like any city of 16,000-plus, it boasts multiple neighborhoods—from Hunsley Hills to Canyon West—but its core retains a historic energy and identity. “It’s a charming city. It has a lot of heart,” says Stephanie Price, marketing manager for a national hospitality company. She grew up in Amarillo but has lived in Canyon for several years, and previously worked for Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. (Also, her husband, Joe, is Canyon’s city manager. “But I don’t speak for the city,” Stephanie insists.)
What she does speak for is the unique character of Canyon, which is distinct from Amarillo. “It has its own identity and challenges, but also its own really bright future,” she says. Part of that identity reflects civic pride in the historic courthouse square. Twenty years ago, this heart of the city felt a bit timeworn. Then Palace Coffee opened on the Square in 2011, catalyzing momentum. Other shops and restaurants followed, along with new development, the Canyon Farmers Market every summer, and constant activity.
“The Square has become such a gathering place. It feels historic, but in a good way,” Stephanie says. “We don’t want ‘old.’ Old doesn’t feel good, but historic feels great.” She travels often for her work and has encountered dilapidated and worn-down city centers. “But Canyon is doing such a good job keeping the Square alive with business and industry. People want to be there.”
The natural wonder right down the road adds appeal, not just for travelers but the city’s long-time residents. “We take it for granted, but being 12 minutes away from Palo Duro Canyon, in such a flat area of the world—that’s so unexpected,” she says.
But the landscape isn’t quite as important to Price as her neighbors. To exemplify the personality of the city, she points to the fundraising and development of the Kylie Hiner Memorial Playground at Connor Park, named for a beloved Canyon resident who passed away in 2017 at age 25. The city worked with residents, Kylie’s parents and civic organizations to create a wheelchair-accessible, inclusive playground which opened in 2023. “It’s such a special place in Canyon that’s worth noting,” Stephanie says. “It speaks of what makes a community a community.”
Notable Residents:
After a stint teaching art in Amarillo, Georgia O’Keeffe returned to the Panhandle and taught at West Texas State from 1916 to 1918. She created numerous watercolors during her time in the area—Palo Duro Canyon was a favorite inspiration—and frequently dined at the home of fellow WT professor Mary E. Hudspeth, which is now the Hudspeth House Bed and Breakfast.
The late J. Pat Hickman, founder of Happy State Bank, was a lifelong Canyon resident and community leader until his death in 2024.
Places of Interest:
Though temporarily closed, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is the largest history museum in Texas. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Society was founded in 1921, and Pioneer Hall—its Art Deco gateway building—was constructed in 1932. It has been recognized as a Texas State Antiquities Landmark.
The 47-foot-tall Tex Randall statue on Highway 60 dates back to 1959, when Harry Wheeler built it to attract customers into his western wear business. Initially, Tex wore actual clothing, including denim jeans, but those gave way to the harsh climate. Tex got a facelift around 10 years ago and was designated an official landmark by the city of Canyon. It remains a nationally recognized roadside attraction.
Take a Walk:
Start near Old Main, in the traditional heart of West Texas A&M University. Head south on the campus to Fourth Avenue and turn right (west). You’ll pass PPHM. Cross 23rd Street at the traffic signal and continue west until you reach the Square. Along the way, you’ll pass Hudspeth House, First Baptist Church and First Methodist Church. Loop around the historic courthouse and head east toward the campus along Fifth Avenue, which takes you through residential blocks where some homes date back to 1920 or earlier. Cross 23rd again and return to campus. Distance: 1.8 miles.
