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Father-and-son real estate entrepreneurs are poised to present a solution — and, more importantly, a future — to a row of shotgun houses in distress, yet rich with historical and architectural importance in the Historic Southside.
Bart and Mateson Gutierrez’s Fort Worth Energy Holdings LLC, a partnership between the son and Bart Gutierrez’s Gutierrez Land Company, closed on the property on East Oleander last month.
They are already working on turning this eyesore into an asset. Cleaning up the property is a job unto itself. Vagrants turned squatters have turned two of the houses into temporary homes.
“We’ve made good progress already on-site,” said Mateson Gutierrez, who added that he’s been in contact with District 8 Councilmember Chris Nettles, who has had to deal with issues of code compliance on the property before the Gutierrezes bought it.
Nettles’ office, Gutierrez said, “has expressed that they’re thrilled to know we’re the new owners and are curious to the plans we have for the property.”
The exact plans for the row on Oleander are still to be determined, but whatever emerges it will be a Lazerene rehabilitation. When the Gutierrezes took possession, the property was in a neglected state.
In July, the city’s Code Compliance Department opened a case for a number of violations, including fire damage, property maintenance, trash disposals, and issues of squatters. When I made a visit there earlier this month, the squatters were still there.
The Gutierrezes are showing patience with their inherited guests. They will eventually have to move on. A dumpster arrived in December to aid in clearing the location of mounds of garbage. They have until Jan. 25 to clean up the lots.
It’s the beginning of new life on Oleander, which sits between New York Avenue to the east and Evans Avenue to the west. The neighborhood’s major artery is East Rosedale Street one block to the north.
The property is a stone’s throw from a long-sought-after Evans and Rosedale development. Milwaukee-based Royal Capital is the new developer and working on plans of a new concept. Officials are eying a piece of property nearby on the other side of Rosedale for the planned National Juneteenth Museum.
The four shotgun houses are what remain of an original seven constructed in 1938 on the site. Few of these remain in Fort Worth. There is another row of them near Joe T. Garcia’s and a smattering of others in that area. Rent Historic Fort Worth offers two on the North Side for rent.
Mateson Gutierre
Mateson Gutierrez has had a rendering drawn up. This is only one possibility of what could emerge on Oleander. Gutierrez has kicked around the idea of a community garden.
Shotgun houses represent a type of affordable home and efficient design built during that era for poor and working-class families. Shotgun became a practical solution for inexpensive housing in cities nationwide between 1880 and 1920.
They are characterized by a wood frame, a gable roof and a shed porch. The architecture of shotgun houses, typically no more than 12 feet wide and often featuring two to four rooms arranged linearly, enabled efficient use of small urban lots. A hot summer day could be at least alleviated somewhat by opening the front and back doors to allow airflow through the entire home.
The shotgun house is often more associated as a quintessential element of Southern architecture. It traces its origins to West Africa before traveling through the Caribbean and ultimately arriving in New Orleans in the early 1800s, according to a story published by Country Roads. This simple, narrow structure gained popularity after two catastrophic fires in New Orleans, as new building codes required homes to be spaced apart to slow the spread of fire.
The architecture of shotgun houses, typically no more than 12 feet wide and often featuring two to four rooms arranged linearly, enabled efficient use of small urban lots. The design gained further traction in New Orleans with the arrival of refugees from Saint-Domingue (modern Haiti) following the Haitian Revolution, who built shotguns for themselves and others, contributing to the city's unique architectural heritage.
While often associated with the South, shotgun houses spread across the United States, following rivers and railroads. By the late 19th century, manufacturers like Sears and Roebuck popularized prefabricated versions, extending their reach from Texas to the Atlantic Coast.
Shotgun houses have experienced a resurgence in recent years, with historic preservation groups restoring them as charming, practical homes. In cities like New Orleans, "singlization" — the conversion of double shotgun homes into single-family residences — has become a popular trend. The design also aligns with contemporary interests in small, efficient urban living spaces, making it a potential template for first-time homeowners or urban starter homes.
That kind of template is one possibility for the row on Oleander.
According to the city, the property owner was Joseph Kida, who passed away in June 2023. The property fell into a long probate process with no legally recognized owner to manage evictions of squatters or “restoration matters,” which were exasperated by fires at 936 E. Oleander and 940 E. Oleander in late June and early July of this year.
In July, the city Code Compliance Department opened a case for violations, including fire damage, property maintenance, trash disposals, and the squatters. In October, city’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission concluded that despite the damage done to the structures by fire, the properties at 936 and 940 Oleander could be “reasonably” rehabilitated. As “highly significant endangered properties,” the properties are eligible to receive the city’s Historic Site Tax Exemption for up to 15 years. Moreover, if they were used as rental properties, they could also be eligible for state and federal historic tax credits.
A daughter of Mr. Kida, who resides in Chicago, was finally identified as the rightful heir. With the probate settled, the Gutierrezes were able to purchase the property.
A preliminary plan is to renovate all four of the properties. The two houses have extensive fire damage. One other possibility is to bring back all seven, Mateson Gutierrez said, "to showcase what the location would have truly looked like in its original days."
"We’re so early in the stage that nothing is decided," Gutierrez said.
It would indeed be amazing as a victory for preservation as economic development. The row could also be that template for what the concept of tiny homes and that form of affordable housing would look like a 21st century urban setting. Big cities in Texas are exploring what that might look like.
The property is zoned for mixed-use, so, there is also the possibility of the buildings being converted into use for business.
There are lots ideas. The first order of business getting the property cleaned up and in compliance.
"Soon we will seek to visit with the Fort Worth Historic Preservation office," as well as the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, "to hear what ideas they have."
Gutierrez also has had preliminary discussions with potential partners with expertise and a track record in renovating historic properties. He is committed to ensuring that any work done respects and preserves the historical significance of the site.
“Something like that is, I think, what we want to do,” Gutierrez said, “because this is a big piece of meat to chew on.”
