On this year’s list of Dallas’ “Most Endangered Historic Places”, Preservation Dallas advocates both for taking the second downtown DART light-rail line underground and for the city’s support of the private Fair Park Texas Foundation taking over management of Fair Park.
The organization’s interest in those issues is, of course, due to their desire to protect the buildings in those places. On D2:
Over $350 million in redevelopment of historic properties would be impacted by noise and vibrations from construction and running trains, removal of access to buildings for services and garages, and even potential demolition of portions of historic structures. This kind of impact to historic properties is too great for the amazing amount of work that has been done to revitalize them and downtown Dallas. We believe that mass transit benefits the city and the expansion of the DART system to make it more flexible is good for the city’s future. However, in order to create that flexibility the new line should be buried in a subway so that the historic buildings along the line can continue with their full use and access to keep them viable for the future and part of the renaissance of the urban core.
On Fair Park:
Deferred maintenance due to lack of resources has taken its toll on the historic buildings at Fair Park. Roofs are leaking, plumbing and electrical systems need to be updated and the HVAC improved. These items must be addressed in order to make the buildings more viable for use throughout the year. Resources must be put into Fair Park now in order to avoid more costly repairs in the future. The Fair Park Texas Foundation has identified the numerous needs of the buildings and is the organization that can take on the monumental task of saving Fair Park’s all too important historic assets. They have committed to raising $100 million for Fair Park to match bond fund money; however, the city needs to secure the needed bond money in upcoming bond elections.
Other properties that Preservation Dallas is pushing for are the Elbow Room bar on Gaston Avenue that could be acquired by eminent domain and demolished by Texas A&M for its dental school, an unusually shaped building on Zang Boulevard in Oak Cliff, and a couple of Park Cities houses.
