Founded in 1889 by a group of Philadelphia investors and revived in 1906 under John S. Armstrong, Hugh Prather, and Edgar Flippen, Highland Park is one of the oldest planned communities in North Texas. Its most architecturally significant homes went up in the 1920s along Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway, where architects like Hal Thomson built Tudor Revival and Spanish Mediterranean estates that often included marble entry floors, staircases, and fireplace surrounds as a mark of the style. Nearly a century later, that original marble is still underfoot in many homes, sitting right next to brand-new stone installed during the enclave’s ongoing wave of teardown-and-rebuild construction.
The short answer: a nearly 100-year-old marble entry in an original 1920s Highland Park estate usually needs a full restoration polish every 5 to 8 years because decades of foot traffic and prior cleaning products have worn the surface unevenly, while marble installed during a recent rebuild only needs maintenance polishing every 3 to 5 years to stay ahead of etching and scuffs.
Key Takeaways
- Highland Park’s signature 1920s Tudor and Spanish Mediterranean homes, concentrated around Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway, often included marble entries, staircases, and fireplace surrounds as an original architectural feature.
- The 1924 west addition (west of Preston Road) added a second wave of even larger estates, meaning the enclave’s marble inventory spans multiple building eras rather than a single style or decade.
- Ongoing teardown-and-rebuild activity means many blocks now mix century-old original marble against brand-new imported slabs installed in the last few years.
- Original 1920s-era marble typically needs a full restoration polish every 5-8 years; marble from a recent rebuild only needs maintenance polishing every 3-5 years.
- Unrestored original marble often carries decades of wax buildup or acidic-cleaner damage that a newer floor has never been exposed to, which changes the prep work before polishing can even start.
Two Very Different Kinds of Marble Under One Zip Code
Because Highland Park has been continuously built and rebuilt since 1907, it’s one of the few DFW cities where a technician can polish a original 1920s Tudor estate’s marble staircase in the morning and a two-year-old rebuild’s kitchen island in the afternoon. The original stone has usually been through decades of wax-based sealers, ammonia cleaners, or DIY polish attempts that leave a cloudy film beneath the surface. That film has to be stripped chemically before honing even starts, which is a step a newer floor almost never needs.
What the 1920s Building Boom Left Behind
The homes built during Highland Park’s 1920s peak, and the larger estates added in the 1924 west addition, leaned heavily on imported marble for entry halls and staircases because it signaled permanence in a style borrowed from the Mediterranean and Tudor Revival traditions popular with architects like Hal Thomson. Many of those original slabs are thinner than what gets quarried today, which means aggressive coarse-grit honing can be riskier on an original floor than on a modern one and calls for a lighter touch and more grit steps in between.
Professional Marble Polishing
Careful restoration for original estate marble and maintenance polishing for newer rebuilds. Upfront pricing, free estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Highland Park have so much original marble compared to newer DFW suburbs?
Highland Park’s most iconic homes were built in the 1920s in Tudor Revival and Spanish Mediterranean styles that commonly featured marble entries and staircases as a signature architectural detail, and many of those original floors are still in place today.
Does century-old marble need different treatment than marble in a new rebuild?
Yes. Original marble usually carries decades of wax or acidic-cleaner residue that has to be stripped before honing can start, and older slabs tend to be thinner, so a lighter grit progression is safer than the more aggressive approach sometimes used on new, thicker stone.
How often should marble be polished in a Highland Park home?
Original 1920s-era marble typically needs a full restoration polish every 5 to 8 years. Marble installed during a recent teardown rebuild usually only needs maintenance polishing every 3 to 5 years.
Can original 1920s marble be restored if it’s never been professionally polished?
In most cases yes, as long as the stone hasn’t been structurally cracked or previously ground down unevenly by an amateur attempt. It typically takes longer than a standard job because of the residue-stripping step.
Ultra Clean is IICRC-certified and has served Highland Park and the Dallas–Fort Worth area since 2013. Our methods follow the standards set by the IICRC.
