Bivins

The Bivins Addition subdivision is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Amarillo. Its beauty and history make trips to the Bivins area of Amarillo a delightful outing. 

 

 

 The Amarillo Association of Realtors generally defines the ?Bivins Area? as bounded by Georgia Street on the west, Interstate 40 on the South, S.W. 8th (or the old Rock Island Railroad tracks) on the north, and Washington (Adams) on the East. The area is made up of several additions, the original Bivins Addition which was amended and enlarged over the years and Bivins Estate. There are others on the east side of the development such as the John Dees Addition, the Madden Annex, and the Academy Courts Addition.

 

 

The Bivins Addition was the first subdivision in Amarillo to extend toward the southwest, a trend that continues to the present. The Bivins Addition was platted in 1926. It was named after Texas Panhandle pioneer Lee Bivins who was a prominent area rancher and businessman at the time. Betty Teel Bivins Lovell who is the granddaughter-in-law of Lee Bivins who lived in the neighborhood in a stately home built in the early 1930s until her death January 16, 2008. Previously, the area was the home of Bivins Field, Amarillo's first airport, where Amarillo's first flying service owned by H. E. Fuqua and Lee Bivins was headquartered. The Bivins Field hangar was located at 15th and Crockett but was moved when the airport was relocated to the northeast side of the city. The east and west runways became the east and west lanes of Julian Boulevard and the ?Y? on Julian Boulevard is where the ?Bivins? strip crossed. The tips of the ?Y? that were the ends of the runways are the location of the historic gates at two entrances to the Bivins neighborhood. One of those gates is located at S.W. 10th and Travis St. and the other is located at S.W. 15th and Travis St.

 

 

The Bivins neighborhood is anchored by St. Andrews Episcopal Church founded by Lee and Betty Bivins on the southwest of the addition and St. Mary's Catholic Church on the northeast boundary. Julian Boulevard, named after the son of Lee and Mary E. Bivins, runs through the heart of the Bivins Addition. The area is characterized by tree lined streets and a park-like atmosphere where the chimes from St. Andrews Episcopal Church and First Church of Christ, Scientist can be heard. The neighborhood's architectural styles vary from traditional, ranch, English Tudor, and cottage style. Those styles, along with the spacious townhomes at Bryan Place provide a delightful, eclectic mixture of residences that offer something for everyone.

 

 

The Bivins Addition is loved for its beauty, charm, and central location. The neighborhood is close to Wolflin Villlage, downtown Amarillo, I-40, I-27, restaurants, banks, and so much more. The history of the neighborhood is intriguing, speaks to people's curiosity of how this city came to be and how it has survived. Its diversity tells the story of what makes Amarillo the city that it is.