expanding needs of both the fire and police departments , the city purchased land at the northwest corner of West and Main streets for a new joint fire and police station . Architect S . D . Peterson was hired to expand an existing building on the site . The renovation was completed in early 1954 . The following year architect W . Morris Neel prepared plans for two new fire stations . An east side station was constructed on the southeast corner of the C . B . Berry Elementary School site . A west side station was constructed on a city water well site at Fielder and Smith-Barry roads . As the city limits continued to expand , additional fire substations were constructed to serve the city ’ s need . As postal receipts grew , postal facilities also expanded during the decade . When Arlington ’ s post office first opened in 1939 , it had twelve employees . By 1953 , there were 32 employees . By Christmas 1955 , an annex had been opened on West Abram Street . Later in the decade , the postal service opened substations in such locations as the C . R . Anthony Store in the Park Plaza Shopping Center and in the Vaughan Hardware and Appliance Store in the Phillips Shopping Center . 39
During the early post-war years , Arlington residents largely relied on hospital facilities in Fort Worth to meet their health care needs . One small private facility , the Bobo Hospital and Clinic , was located south of the CBD at East Border and South Center streets . An 18-bed hospital opened at the Eastern Star Home in 1954 for residents of the home . But as the city continued to grow , more attention was given to building a hospital that could serve the general public . The local medical and dental society tried unsuccessfully to get a tax-supported hospital included in a bond election in 1954 . In January 1955 , the hospital came closer to being a reality when the Vandergriff family gave a nine-acre wooded tract on the south side of Randol Mill Road near the former Pulley airport property and White Memorial Gardens for its location . The property was deeded to the Chamber of Commerce until plans for the establishment and construction of the hospital could be completed . A local foundation , the Arlington Memorial Hospital Foundation , was created to work out the details . In April 1956 , the directors of the Foundation announced that they had entered into an agreement with Hospitals , Inc . of Dallas for the construction of a 75-bed hospital to be built at a cost of approximately $ 1,050,000 with the Dallas firm being responsible for its construction and financing . But for its part , the community was charged with raising $ 250,000 , which it did by July . Construction began on the building in December 1956 and it was opened in early 1958 . By June 1 , 1958 , 1,182 patients had been admitted and it was announced that the hospital was nearly self-sustaining . In December 1959 , the hospital was running at near capacity and the need for more space was probable considering the city ’ s continued growth . Additional hospital services became available in the area in July 1959 with the opening of Mid- Cities Memorial Hospital . This osteopathic hospital was located on Sherman Road south of Abram between Arlington and Grand Prairie . 40
A NEW CITY PLAN
As early as 1957 , city officials began to consider revisiting the 1952 City Plan to measure where they were in meeting its goals and what revisions might be necessary . In September 1959 , Freese and Nichols , joined by city planners Caldwell and Caldwell of Houston , released a revised city plan . The plan noted the following accomplishments :
39 Fort Worth Star-Telegram , March 19 , 1950 , Vertical File “ Arlington , Texas 1938-1959 ,” FWPL ;
Arlington Journal , February 13 , 1953 , January 8 , 1954 , September 11 , 1955 , January 23 , 1958 , November 13 , 1953 , December 18 , 1956 , July 26 , 1956 and August 15 , 1957 . 40 Arlington Journal , September 16 , 1954 , July 9 , 1954 , January 6 , 1955 , April 8 , 1956 , July 16 , 1956 ,
January 16 , 1958 , June 12 , 1958 , July 16 , 1959 and December 17 , 1959 .
FINAL REPORT
ARLINGTON HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2007
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