Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

Didn't want to start a thread just for this, but thought I'd group it with the other pocket parks like San Jacinto, Reunion and original 1968 Pacific Plaza.

Last year there was a plan to upgrade the pocket park called Federal Plaza, at St Paul and Federal, as part of an economic development deal with Hartford Building. The plan was to xeriscape and build some sort of deck and maybe some lighting for an amount "not to exceed $231,000." Anyway, I hope this is still a work in progress and not the finished result.

So they removed all the grass and filled in the center with concrete? I wouldn't call that an improvement, although it probably will make the needles and glass easier to spot (a common problem when I lived across the street).

I was hoping it would be incorporated into new development of the adjacent parking lot, but with that turning into another parking garage there will be little use for this pocket park in the future.

^Agreed. If they're adding string lights and seating then, sure, maybe it's an improvement (with a big asterisk). There's also a new structure that I assume is for storage. Seriously doubt this work cost anywhere close to $230k.

Who designs this stuff? I don't understand what you're supposed to do here. SMH

mdg109 wrote:Who designs this stuff? I don't understand what you're supposed to do here. SMH

Probably whoever secured the contract and found a way to keep the rest.

Honestly, this 'Park' would be better off razed and fenced off...

ContriveDallasite wrote:

mdg109 wrote:Who designs this stuff? I don't understand what you're supposed to do here. SMH

Probably whoever secured the contract and found a way to keep the rest.

Honestly, this 'Park' would be better off razed and fenced off...

Some of these pocket parks should be considered surplus property and sold to adjacent owners. This one was the result of Federal Street being re-aligned. There was never any strategy or plan for the "park", similar to the grassy mound at St Paul/San Jacinto. At least the one at Patterson/Akard is now being utilized with a school playground.

dfwcre8tive wrote: ...similar to the grassy mound at St Paul/San Jacinto.

The grassy mound I believe is called San Jacinto Plaza, and it's just begging to become a downtown LGBT monument similar to the one in Oak Lawn, except right there in front of First Baptist.

http://www.dallasparks.org/Facilities/F ... -Plaza-652

lakewoodhobo wrote:

dfwcre8tive wrote: ...similar to the grassy mound at St Paul/San Jacinto.

The grassy mound I believe is called San Jacinto Plaza, and it's just begging to become a downtown LGBT monument similar to the one in Oak Lawn, except right there in front of First Baptist.

http://www.dallasparks.org/Facilities/F ... -Plaza-652

As long as it is equipped with unisex bathrooms.

art_suckz wrote:

lakewoodhobo wrote:

dfwcre8tive wrote: ...similar to the grassy mound at St Paul/San Jacinto.

The grassy mound I believe is called San Jacinto Plaza, and it's just begging to become a downtown LGBT monument similar to the one in Oak Lawn, except right there in front of First Baptist.

http://www.dallasparks.org/Facilities/F ... -Plaza-652

As long as it is equipped with unisex bathrooms.

And a fountain with louder music and brighter lights.

The new sign is a bit of overkill, especially when you have no idea what this MMA ring in the center is supposed to be, but there it is.

lakewoodhobo wrote:The new sign is a bit of overkill, especially when you have no idea what this MMA ring in the center is supposed to be, but there it is.

IMG_2301.jpg

Overkill and ugly. Aluminum is easy to maintain and keep clean, but if it has to be that big at least include some information on why the plaza is there in the first place. Also I wish all the public parks downtown would use consistent fonts/branding so they won't look dated after a few years, but that's just me.

I've always assumed that Jose Luis Sanchez's "Astral Flower" sculpture in the original Pacific Plaza was not very well received, but I didn't know for sure until I was researching another topic. No need to read the entire thing, but the headline says it all. To me it looks like buildings coming out of a pop-up book.

lakewoodhobo wrote:IMG_8286.jpg IMG_8284.jpg

I've always assumed that Jose Luis Sanchez's "Astral Flower" sculpture in the original Pacific Plaza was not very well received, but I didn't know for sure until I was researching another topic. No need to read the entire thing, but the headline says it all. To me it looks like buildings coming out of a pop-up book.

Screen Shot 2018-05-15 at 3.48.22 PM.jpg

This was also around the same time "Youth in the Hands of God" (on the Dallas Public Library) had to add pants on the boy, and Bertoia's sculpture was considered a piece of junk. Modern art in general wasn't well received.

I do wish the fountain in that plaza still operated, but there's little to no foot traffic to appreciate it.

Interesting story, don't think I ever noticed it before today. Maybe there will be a reason to turn that fountain back on in the future. Lots of empty parking lots there waiting for something better.