The area was originally developed as warehouses and shops in the 1920s. In the 1930s, a trolley stop along Davis became Dallas' busiest trolley stop. The district began a decline in the mid-1960s through the beginning of the 1980s. The reasons for the decline included the rise of the shopping mall, the loss of sizable tenants such as Astor theater and Goodier Cosmetics,
neighborhood demographic changes and the elimination of Oak Cliff's streetcar system. In the fall of 1984, Jim Lake saw a bargain in the now run down storefronts and began buying up property. He said, "Hopefully we'll make money on this in the future, but in the first three to five years I'm gonna feed it." Lake said of his decision to buy the property, "I just thought it needed saving." As a sign of his commitment, Lake provided, rent-free for a year, space for a police storefront. This was an important element in the area's security and sense of community. Continuing through the 1990s and 2000s, renovations have taken place to transform the area into a walkable, urban environment. Murals, brick pavers, and other street elements have polished the rough look of the warehouses and have made the area a popular leisure and dining destination. In 2015, Exxir Capital invested $42 million to construct a mixed-use development includes retail, office, and apartments in the district. A portion of the district is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places as the
North Bishop Avenue Commercial Historic District. File:Bishop Arts District 2.jpg|Looking southwest at Bishop Street & 7th Street File:Bishop Arts District, Dallas, Texas trolley stop.jpg|Former popular streetcar stop ==In popular culture==