Reverchon Park in the 1980s and 1990s was dismal, dangerous, and decrepit place best avoided -- especially after dark. Drug dealers and the mentally ill homeless hung out here. Used prophylactics and syringes littered the landscape.
Not anymore.
Today's Reverchon Park is open, friendly, and inviting. Now downtown-dwellers walk their pet dogs here, and mommies with babies in jogging strollers zip by without a care in the world. The whole park has been lifted out of despair and returned to its rightful place as Dallas' Central Park. It is as beautiful as ever, and when the restorarion work is done on the natve stone WPA-built pathways, will shine as brightly as ever.
From the Frends of Reverchon Park website: (
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"In 1915, the City of Dallas purchased 36 acres in what was then, far North Dallas, with a vision for the future. A public area that would enlighten and expand the the recreational and leisure opportunities for the citizens of Dallas. Designed to be the Central Park of Dallas, Reverchon Park was was born.
A lot has changed over the years, but one thing has remained the same. Reverchon Park is still a welcome opportunity for the people of Dallas. As good as the park is, there is still room for improvement. That's why The Friends of Reverchon Park are working with the city of Dallas to implement the Reverchon Park Restoration and Development Plan. This plan will offer improvements and maintenance opportunities designed to make the park more appealing and functional to the more than 30,000 Dallas citizens utilize Reverchon Park each year.
First named Turtle Creek Park, it was renamed Reverchon Park after Julien Reverchon. A well-known botanist and a member of La Reunion Utopian Community, Reverchon had collected more than 2,600 species and 20,000 specimens of Texas plants prior to his death in 1905.
Since its beginnings, many modifications have been made to the park.
In the early 1920s, people from across Texas traveled to Reverchon Park to experience the mythical healing powers of water from the Gill Well. In 1924, the grandstand was erected, and the ballpark gained the reputation as the best baseball field in the city. The same year, fountains were installed to provide well water to local residents. During the 1920s and 1930s, improvements such as the iris garden, landscaping, picnic areas, baseball diamond, playground equipment and tennis courts transformed the park into a site of many celebrations, including Fourth of July and Juneteenth.
In 1951, Reverchon Park expanded to 46 acres. In 1975, the Reverchon Recreation Center opened, offering a variety of indoor recreational activities. In 2002, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and the City of Dallas built a state-of-the-art playground accessible to children of all levels of ability.
Reverchon Timeline:
1915: The park is founded on "Woodchuck Hill," straddling Turtle Creek.
1920: The ballpark opens.
1935-1937: The Works Progress Administration adds a sunken iris garden, stonework and other improvements.
1940: Ballpark lights go up.
1951: The park is expanded from 36 to 46 acres.
1953: Cleveland Indians and the New York Giants played an exhibition featuring the Giants great Willie Mays and the Indians' great pitching tandem of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
1957: Love Field light restrictions required lighting to be lowered.
1970’s: Southern Methodist University Baseball team uses Reverchon Ballfield as Home field while new field is being built.
1980s, 1990s: As city maintenance funds dry up and visitors turn away, the park becomes a haven for crime and drugs.
1998: 400 volunteers participate in the first cleanup.
2002: Hundreds of orthopedic surgeons in town for a conference build a playground in a single day.
2005: Friends of Reverchon Park is established, and the group drafts a master plan for the park.
2007: Lights at the baseball field are upgraded to collegiate standards.
2008: A ramp is built connecting the park to the Katy Trail.
2010: The iris garden is restored and replanted. Partnership with Dallas Mavericks to plant "Trees for Threes".
2011: Hillside stonework restoration starts. [end]