Galveston in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Cedar Lawn
In June 1926, the Cedar Lawn Company purchased nine city blocks for residential development. Company officers were W.L. Moody, III, President, W.D. Harden, Vice-President, and Clark W. Thompson, Secretary and Treasurer. The subdivision was designed as an enclave for the Moody family and officials of the Moody companies. Bounded by avenues L and N and 45th and 48th streets, Cedar Lawn became a distinctive Galveston neighborhood for its architecture and planning design. Thompson wrote in his early plans for Cedar Lawn, "Subdivisions are made and not born. It is rare that without farsighted planning a desirable neighborhood grows up by itself in an American city."
Cedar Lawn's street plan interrupts the continuity of the city's standard grid, with a circle and two semicircles intersecting to form curves and a central community garden. Houses face away from surrounding streets to emphasize spatial insularity, and Cedar Lawn property owners even own their neighborhood streets. Original deed restrictions included construction costs, materials, and building setbacks to create a cohesive neighborhood. Cedar, oleander and palm trees planted along the streets and subdivision perimeter enhanced the landscape. Two of the first homes built in Cedar Lawn were for Clark and Libbie Thompson (1927) and W.L. and Edna Moody (1929). Over forty years, noted architects included Alfred Finn, Donald McKenzie and Robert Smallwood designed homes in Revival styles such as Tudor, Classical, Colonial, Mediterranean, and Italianate, as well as Moderne and Ranch styles. In 2002, Cedar Lawn Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Marker is property of the State of Texas
Erected 2008 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14734.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.
Location. 29° 17.391′ N, 94° 49.077′ W. Marker is in Galveston, Texas, in Galveston County. Marker is on Cedar Lawn Drive east of 48th Street, in the median. Cedar Lawn is a private community and entered from Cedar Lawn Drive at 29.29034, -94.81623 (45th and Cedar Lawn Drive). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Galveston TX 77551, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Major Leon Dyer (approx. 0.3 miles away); John Overton Trueheart (approx. 0.3 miles away); Levi Charles Meyers Harby (approx. 0.3 miles away); Greensville S. Dowell (approx. 0.4 miles away); Catherine Isabel Cox Sherman (approx. 0.4 miles away); Nicholas D. Labadie (approx. 0.4 miles away); Michel B. Menard (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lent Munson Hitchcock (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Galveston.
More about this marker. The marker is located on a circle that forms the center of the community.
Regarding Cedar Lawn. Ninety years later Cedar Lawn is still an elegant community. Owners maintain their expensive homes well. It's a pleasing place to visit. Cedar Lawn community is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2021, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,047 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 31, 2021, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.