Parks for Downtown Dallas did not offer comment on the timetable, but a 2018 briefing submitted to the Dallas City Council sets the date for the ground breaking for West End Square for September 2019.
Amy Meadows, president of Parks for Downtown Dallas, says in a statement that they plan to break ground on West End Square in early 2020, and their goal is to build all four parks by year-end 2022.
This article says early 2020, so I guess we will see. Obviously I'd prefer September, but I'm also happy with early 2020 as well. Glad to see they aren't wasting time getting this one off the ground. I think this park will be completed at the perfect time to really tie everything going on in the area together.
Parks for Downtown Dallas and the Dallas Park & Recreation Department invite you to join us in commemorating the start of construction on the first-ever park located in the West End Historic District.
The event will be held in the Flag Room at Dallas City Hall, 6E South.
Not sure what this means except maybe it's a ceremonial groundbreaking (photo opp with hard hats and shovels) that they're moving indoors due to weather. Hope that's the case.
Harwood and West End have been in progress for some time design-wise. Harwood Park is getting some design details worked out still but West End since it's so small is probably easier to get resolved and funded.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
I have to give 'Parks for Downtown' some serious credit for making as much progress as they have. In a time when we have organization after organization (govt or otherwise) making promise after promise with little or no execution, these folks have kept things moving far better than I ever hoped. Kudos
"He doesn't know how to use the three seashells..."
Well, that's because the Parks Department has millions of acres of parks to take care of, manage, plan, etc. We are fortunate we have an organization that stepped in to focus on Downtown and take the load off the larger organization. With the continuous staff cutbacks in government departments and a mixed bag of priorities from City Staff, Council Members, City Manager, neighborhood advocates its hard to keep all boats floating. Many parts of Dallas have terrible access to clean & safe parks and that's a bigger issue than a few urban playgrounds that make developers and urban enthusiasts like us happy. Some leaders want signature parks like Klyde Warren all over the city while others would prefer just green space, trees, and some basic playground equipment. I wish we had similar groups of enthusiastic leaders for creating safe places in other parts of the city as we have Downtown.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
It's so good to see this finally coming to the West End. Looks like a great park. I love all the shade structures and functional areas. The trees are great as well... Hopefully, those prairie plants get enough sun to survive. Glad they didn't just try to put groomed bermuda everywhere. That stuff hates shade.
"He doesn't know how to use the three seashells..."
Well with the park started that will give good incentive for the Spaghetti Warehouse building to reopen as something and I hope it's not another co-working space...
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
I know we have seen lots of renderings of this park but here is a decent site plan I found for those of us who would like to see less flash glitter and more practical details.
WEST-END-SQUARE_01_PLAN_FIELD-OPERATIONS.jpg
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“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
cowboyeagle05 wrote:I know we have seen lots of renderings of this park but here is a decent site plan I found for those of us who would like to see less flash glitter and more practical details.
Thanks for sharing! Really excited to see this one take shape.
I wonder if it would make sense for something like the Cidercade or Free Play Arcade to move into the old Spaghetti Warehouse space.
The question is who owns the old restaurant building and how behind is it on maintenance. The building may not be about to collapse but I imagine it needs some serious reinvestment in more ways than one.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
I honestly thought at last week's "groundbreaking" that they were using the term quite liberally, but as of today there are earth movers tearing up the asphalt.
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The "innovation arcade" has been mentioned before, but I'd like to know what those glowing cubes at 1:10 are... they look like a digital display of some kind and of course I wonder if they're likewise funded/final.
If I remember correctly the Innovation Arcade will be home to rotating art displays, some interactive. I'm assuming the glowing cubes are an example of the type and size of the art - not a permanent display.
What a great amenity this will be. Hopefully whatever takes over the Spaghetti Warehouse space is able to take advantage of all that space fronting the park. Possibly build out a patio or ground-floor retail of some kind.
^Wow, great picks!! Looks like they are really cooking on this park.
It is exciting to think that after we finally fully awaken from this COVID nightmare, there will be all these new little spots in Dallas that have sprung up to enjoy. West End, Discovery District, I'd even throw Pacific Plaza in there since it opened not long before COVID shut things down.
exelone31 wrote:^Wow, great picks!! Looks like they are really cooking on this park.
It is exciting to think that after we finally fully awaken from this COVID nightmare, there will be all these new little spots in Dallas that have sprung up to enjoy. West End, Discovery District, I'd even throw Pacific Plaza in there since it opened not long before COVID shut things down.
Indeed. I'm so glad construction is in full swing, it'll be wonderful to truly enjoy Downtown post-COVID. Who knows, perhaps more people in the DFW will be more inclined to venture out Downtown after being isolated for so long as well, bringing even more people Downtown.
Most of the main frame for the northern part of the awning is up, concrete perimeter seems largely poured, beginning to see interior pathways carved into the dirt.
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Wow, this one is moving along very nicely! I recall that they did say this park wouldn't take that long to build, and it definitely shows. I can't believe the amount of progress they've already done in such a short amount of time.
West awning main structure seems done. Paths have become more defined in the main area after differently colored dirt was brought in for green areas. Looked like they were putting in irrigation pipes yesterday and today.
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More recent updates: rest of the internal sidewalks have been poured over the last few weeks, then more recently they've put in more trees and smaller greenery. North and west awnings have received paint jobs, and it looks like some bricklaying has begun under the north one as well.
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Also, it looks like the goal is to have all four parks completed by the end of 2022.
I'm honestly very excited to see the transformation of Downtown in the next few years. I feel like developers have been putting in a good foundation for the past decade or so, but we're now at the point where we will finally get to start seeing what a thriving urban core looks like. My only concern at this point is that there will likely be a lot less people going into the office going forward and a lot less business travel too, which could hurt the overall activity levels in Downtown.