Residents of the peaceful North Dallas neighborhood near Hillcrest and Royal Lane weren’t too happy when they heard rumors that “some art people” might be moving into Kramer Elementary School, an aban-donded DISD facility nearby. Kramer was a nice addition to the neighborhood until it and four other DISD schools in North Dallas were closed in spring 1982. Once the school closed, many neighbors became concerned about prospective tenants of the building. A nursery school had moved in, but most of the school remained empty, which was costing the school district about $50,000 a year.
Meanwhile, members of the Craft Guild of Dallas were searching for a large building in which to hold its numerous classes. The organization, founded in 1948, has about 500 members and had outgrown its facilities at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts years earlier. The guild then had been forced to spread its various classes to several locations around the city.
In an attempt to pacify neighborhood apprehension, several meetings between residents of the neighborhood and Craft Guild members were held in the school’s cafeteria. Once the two groups decided that they could function in the same area, the guild began legal motions for approval to move into the building. Guild members appeared before the City Plan Commission, then before the City Council. Next, they sought approval from U.S. District Judge Barefoot Sanders (the building is still owned by the DISD; therefore, tenants must comply with the rulings on desegregation of public schools).
Sally Wiley, Craft Guild president, says that the neighbors’ main concerns were traffic and noise. Even before the school was closed, enrollment was so low that little traffic was generated. She says that the guild wants to show the neighbors that they are an asset to the area. “The alternative the neighbors had was to board up the old Kramer school, which would end up a vandalized eyesore,” she says.
The red tape finally has been wound up. The Craft Guild moved into the building last month and is currently working on transforming the old schoolrooms into craft studios. Art classes in pottery, weaving, bookbinding, metalworking and jewelry-making have begun. So far, there have been no complaints from neighbors.
Related Articles
Arts & Entertainment
Finding The Church: New Documentary Dives Into the Longstanding Lizard Lounge Goth Night
The Church is more than a weekly event, it is a gathering place that attracts attendees from across the globe. A new documentary, premiering this week at DIFF, makes its case.
Football
The Cowboys Picked a Good Time to Get Back to Shrewd Moves
Day 1 of the NFL Draft contained three decisions that push Dallas forward for the first time all offseason.