Dr. John Cole originally owned 5,000 acres between what is now Central Expressway and the Trinity River. He gradually sold off the land for development but kept Northern Hills, a section in the very center of his original holdings. In 1920 Cole sold this land to the McNeny brothers, who bought it for a small development of prestigious homes. They required brick or hollow tile homes built in one of the fashionable eclectic styles of the period: Spanish Colonial, Tudor, Georgian and Mediterranean. Overbrook runs though a steep ravine on the southern edge of the neighborhood emphasizing the curve of the streets, the lush undergrowth and the towering trees. With no through streets there is an idyllic sense of neighborhood only walking distance from the stylish hustle and bustle of Knox-Henderson.

This is a neighborhood of fine restoration, sensible infill and a strong neighborhood association considering a conservation district for their neighborhood.