1319 Ballinger Street [BSHD], JamesW Swayne House, c.1899-1900; c.1954; 1973-75. This house was built about 1899-1900 for James W. Swayne, an attorney and judge of the Seventeenth Judicial District Court. He lived here until 1912. A succession of prominent Fort Worth residents including Edmund M. Schenecker, John S. Pool, W.P. Bomar, Frank A. Bailey, W. Glen Darst, and John P. Scott, Jr. occupied the home between 1912 and 1953, when the property was acquired by American General Insurance Co.
The one and one-half story Queen Anne house is a visually arresting structure whose principle interest derives from its complex roof forms. A turreted porch, now enclosed, at the southwest corner of the house is capped by a bellcast conical roof. The house has been altered, most significantly in about 1954 when American General Insurance Co. converted it to office use. The company built a new entrance on Ballinger St., changing the address of the property from its historic address on EI Paso St., altered the roof, and enclosed the turreted porch. Major interior alterations were also made at this time. In 1973 the house was purchased by architect James R. Wooten who has worked to restore some of the home’s historic features. The house is a contributor to the potential Ballinger Street Historic District.