John W. Carpenter was an important early Texas Industrialist very important to the Dallas TX area (John W. Carpenter Freeway, John W. Carpenter Elementary School, etc etc etc).
The small plaza that bears his name and a major statue of his in hard up under the N Central Expressway off-ramp to Downtown Dallas at Pearl Street, which is going to be reconstructed.
There are now plans to remake carpenter Plaza from a tiny pocket of concrete and some trees into a real 3-acre urban park with amenities. From the Pegasus News: (
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"Dallas eyeballing John Carpenter Plaza as a potential park downtown
City would have to revise its Master Plan and buy the land
Published Friday July 12, 2012
DALLAS — The Dallas Downtown Parks Master Plan is making progress, but after eight years, many say it might be time to go back to the drawing board.
The initial parks plan, developed by Carter-Burgess and the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department, was created in 2004. It was “almost a shotgun approach” that offered multiple options for park development, said Dustin Bullard, Cityscape and Urban Design manager for Downtown Dallas, Inc.
The Carter-Burgess design team analyzed potential park sites that would include urban parks, plazas, open spaces, and streetscape linkages. “The ultimate goal was to envision a series of signature parks within downtown that add identity and economic vibrancy to the heart of the city,” the report reads.
The downtown park network consists of areas in several downtown districts as well as core parks and edge parks.
Bullard said his organization has worked with the city to execute the plan and has been instrumental in the development of Main Street Garden, Belo Garden, and Klyde Warren Park (also called the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park), developed in that order.
“We have made quite a lot of progress to date in implementing that plan,” Bullard said.
The city now has its eye on John Carpenter Plaza, which isn’t addressed in the 2004 plan. John Carpenter Plaza lies on the eastern edge of downtown, flanked by roads that are up for construction. Bullard said the park will replace streets that will be removed, paving the way for more contiguous green space.
John Carpenter Plaza is a prime example of the need to revisit the 2004 plan. Like any growing and dynamic city, plans are constantly affected by population shifts, construction, redevelopment, and other structural changes.
“As we work on new parks, we constantly look at that,” Bullard said. “The next step is to look at where we are and make sure we’re headed in a solid direction and that the park plan still makes sense.”
While plans will undoubtedly change, the city marches on using the current blueprint. For example, Dallas has purchased the land on which The Pacific Plaza would be built, though development is not yet funded.
Bullard said the current parks have shown great success, noting that they make downtown more livable and green and bring people out of their offices. “Dallas was lacking this rich urban fabric in the past,” he said.
Bullard encouraged Dallas residents to stay active in supporting public parks. At minimum, the public can show support by using existing parks, proving their demand. Individuals may also speak to their elected officials to voice concern or push for further development. According to Bullard, this support can be crucial as parks are typically funded by private citizens or groups or via bond elections. Voting in such elections is key to transforming plan to reality.
“We’re very happy with the way the parks have grown,” he said. “We’re committed to not just getting them built but to making sure they’re successful and viable.” [end]