Were sandwich stands to blame for Preston Hollow’s noise ban in 1940?

Seventy-seven years ago, Preston Hollow was a Dallas suburb that didn’t want its residents to have a good time.

At least, that’s how City documents portray the 885-person municipality. In 1940, the construction and operation of public dance halls and tourist camps, as well as the use of loud speakers or phonograph machines, were banned.

In a quest to uncover why the Hollow was once so uptight, the Advocate has continued to sift through Dallas Morning News archives. We discovered this piece published on July 7, 1940, which states that “sandwich stands and business hours near Northwest Highway and Preston Road” are the catalyst for the ordinances.  The businesses that were causing the raucous, however, remain in question.

The article also discusses a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit on Northwest Highway between Midway and Preston roads.  While many things have changed in nearly eight decades, it appears drivers’ tendency to speed has not.