Im working in this old building at 507 Exposition Ave. that used to be the J.M.Henry Electrical Supply in the 1930s.What is interesting its right next to the old Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe RR Line.The tracks have been removed except for where two lines crossed the street side by side.Can only presume they may have left those for whatever reason of convenience.

Any idea what 507 Exposition Ave. was before the J.M.Henry Electrical Supply?

Mike

It appears to have been a grocery store operated by J W Bullen until he retired in the late 1930's

Started as a one story frame around 1900 with later additions then brick facade by 1921. (note DCAD date constructed 1897)

The recent views from DACD and GOOGLE show the front of the original structure has later brickwork and steel casement windows in place of what may have been very large doors and windows and perhaps some cast iron.

I would guess that remodeling would date from around 1950.



The addition of the left has even later door and glass but the addtion itself appears fairly old.

How much of the interior is original?

M C



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2010 01:21PM by M C Toyer.

Thank you MC! All the interior is exposed brick now with a concrete floor.Appears original wood trusses under the high roof.There is an old horizontal sliding warehouse door in the back of the little structure on the left.A neat arched window between the large and smaller addition. The two tracks in the street of the GC & SF are just to the left of your picture.Is now Big Sky Construction Co.

What is this DCAD and do you have a web address.

Mike

Dallas Central Appraisal District

[dallascad.org]

Searchable by owner, business name, address, account number, or map

Photos of commercial property only - the residential were removed for privacy reasons a few years ago but you can supplement with Google Street View and Bing Bird's Eye Aerials.

The property description shows contruction details, square footage of structures and lot and some also have footprint diagrams. The dates of construction are not always accurate and in some cases reflect the date of major remodeling.

Big Sky also has a couple of photos on their website.

That arch window may have been on a outer wall orignally and the smaller wing built over it.

I haven't found any evidence of a separate rail siding but that sliding door may have opened to a loading dock at one time that extended to the main line which is double tracked.

Was this the same gallery Scott Dorn had photos displayed or is/was 500X at 500 Exposition ?

M C

Speaking of Exposition, can somebody please look in a late '30s or early '40s city directory and tell me where there was a Firestone store on Exposition? Also, where the old Frito corn chip plant was located? My mother came to Dallas in 1943, and she's told me many times that her first job was at a Firestone store on Exposition, that the Frito plant was nearby, and that the aroma of Fritos cooking filled the air.

The 1943 city directory listed a Firestone at 502 Exposition and a Frito branch at 3800 Main.

The Firestone Tire and Rubber building at 500-502 Exposition was built in 1933 and served as the District Office and Tire Distribution Warehouse.


---------------
Dallas Morning News 13 August 1933

That building survives today as the 500X Gallery.

My 1943 Directory also shows Firestone's Auto Supply Warehouse at 329 Exposition.



The warehouse appears to have opened in mid 1943 and moved to Manor Way and Lemmon about 1946. The building at 329 was destroyed by fire in the 1950's.

M C

Thanks guys. My mother worked there as a bookkeeper (it was her first bookkeeping job). Today's her birthday, by the way.

The history of the old buildings and the people that worked in them are so fascinating.The Dallas City Directories give some great info.Not only alphabatized by last name of the person and gives his wife and occupation but also has a seperate listing by streets! I found a 1941 in an estate sale off Jefferson about 20 years ago.

Ex: 507 Exposition was the J.M.Hengy Electrical Contractor.John Hengy lived at 7415 Santa Clara with wife Lilian and one child.In 1941 505 Exposition was the Art Sign Co.The Frito Co. at 1405 N Haskell,C.Elmer Doolin president.Elmer and his wife Mary Katheryn(ya rekon they were Irish) lived at 5031 Belmont.Elmer was also president of the Porkskin Chips Co.at 2005 Wall St.I wonder what was more popular in Dallas at the time..Fritos or Porkskins..

Mike

Great old picture MC!..The old Firestone Bldg. at Willow and Exposition is certainly still there now called 500X..It does have a lot of cracks in its brick.Many of the old office bldgs. in the area appear to have been converted to apartments.A lotta history went up and down those streets.

My name is Joseph Bullen II and my Great Great Grandfather (Thomas Bullen) was the Grandfather of J. W. (John Wesley) Bullen that is mentioned earlier in the thread.

I attached a picture of the store that is from the time that J.W. Bullen owned it. Also, below is an excerpt from a documented history of Bullen's that we try to keep up with about where he is from and how he ended up in Dallas, TX.

J. W. Bullen Store Picture

Joseph Milton Bullen4 (Thomas3, Joseph2, ?1) was born January 3, 1859 in Tennessee (probably Grainger County) and died September 10, 1939 in Rockcastle County. He is buried in the Scaffold
Cane Cemetery there. He married (1) on October 28, 1877 to Nancy Elizabeth Coffey who was born October 2, 1857 and died June 9, 1929 and (2) Addie Coffey, daughter of Dewey and Elizabeth Coffey. Joseph was 66 years old when he married Addie Coffey 22 years old.

Note:

Family story says that Joseph went with son Wesley to Texas to open a store. Joseph sold property on Scaffold Cane and went. This was known as Bullens Store. They supposedly sold groceries to Frank James and brother. Family story says that when Joseph M. came to Kentucky, he walked and drove a herd of hogs from Grainger County, Tennessee.

Children of Joseph Milton Bullen and Nancy Elizabeth Coffey Bullen:

I. James T. b. September 17, 1878 d. March 24, 1895
II. Eli b. June, 1880 d. May 3, 1961
III. John Wesley b. March, 1883 d. March 6, 1933
IV. James Chalton b. May 29, 1885 d. June 28, 1968
V. Ausburn b. November 11, 1887 d. 1980
VI. Jessie James b. December 15, 1891 d. April 20, 1988
VII. Berthis b. June 1896 d. ?

Children of Joseph Milton Bullen and Addie Coffey Bullen:

I. Martha Elizabeth b. 1932
II. Della Mae b. July 6, 1934
III. Alice Christine b. April 14, 1936
IV. Curtis Lee b. June 13, 1939


If anyone has any additional information about J.W. Bullen, the building or pictures from the era, please let me know. My e-mail is sojoe1@yahoo.com.

That is a FANTASTIC photo!! I've driven down Exposition hundreds of times, but it wasn't until last month that I really noticed that building.

I'm a little confused about your family history, but the store belonged to J. W. (John Wesley) Bullen, Sr. from at least 1897 until his retirement in 1936. He and his wife, Mary Allen Bullen (who were married in 1879 or 1880) came to Dallas about 1879. They had two children, John Wesley Bullen, Jr. and Willie May Bullen Putnam. The elder Bullens left Dallas and moved to California in 1944 to live with their daughter. J. W. Bullen died in 1948 (born ~1857); Mary Bullen died in 1953 (born ~1861). Imagine being born before the Civil War and dying having seen the advent of television.

I will forward a couple of Dallas Morning News articles about Mr. Bullen to you.