The Oaks Tract
The Oaks Tract was subdivided in 1907. It was formerly part of land owned by William N. Monroe. It had been Block B and part of Lot 20 in Block C in the Monroe Addition. Monroe got together with some other investors and formed a consortium named the Granite Bank & Trust. The property was divided into 48 lots, most of which were 50 feet wide by 141 feet long. The tract is bounded on the south by Oaks Avenue. Lots 1-12 are on the west side of North Myrtle. Lot 1 of the tract is actually the fourth house down from Greystone Avenue. The address for Lot 1 is 271 N. Myrtle Avenue. Lots 13-24 are on the east side of Stedman Avenue. Lot 14 is the fourth lot down from Greystone Avenue, and the address is 276 Stedman Place. Lots 25-36 are on the west side of Stedman Place, and Lots 37-48 are on the east side of Primrose Avenue.
The first house built in the new tract was built in 1908 and is located on Lot 11, 231 N. Myrtle Ave. The lots did not sell quickly, but they did sell at a steady pace, so the members of the consortium made money. The tract was named after William Monroe's house, known as The Oaks which is still stands on Lot 43, 44, and part of Lot 29. Its address is 250 N. Primrose Ave. Besides The Oaks, there are only a few other houses in the tract that are of Victorian architecture. Because the lots sold slowly, houses were built in the popular styles from Craftsman bungalows through the Spanish and Mediterranean revival styles popular during the 1920s. There are, unfortunately, some vintage houses which have been remuddled, and ones that have been torn down to be replaced by overlarge houses which do not fit the overall style of the tract. Overall, though The Oaks Tract has maintained its vintage feeling.