Klyde Warren Park

Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2-acre (2.1 ha) public park in Downtown Dallas, Texas. The park is over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and opened in 2012. It is named for Klyde Warren, the young son of billionaire Kelcy Warren.

The urban park is open to the public, but is operated by the private Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. Unlike other public parks within the city, Klyde Warren Park has operating hours from 6am to 11pm.^[1]

Klyde Warren Park, with a variety of food trucks that line the adjacent street.

Path and the lawn inside the park

Play Fountain

Description

Klyde Warren Park creates an urban green space constructed over a section of the below-grade Woodall Rodgers Freeway, for 3 blocks between Pearl Street and St. Paul Street. It provides connectivity to the city’s flourishing Arts District from other neighborhoods, brings together cultural events and experiences, and serves as a central public gathering space for Dallas residents and visitors to enjoy.

Designed by landscape architecture firm, The Office of James Burnett, the park features flexible, pedestrian-oriented design, offering a mix of active and passive spaces, which include a children’s park, reading room, great lawn, restaurant, performance pavilion, fountain plaza, games area, urban dog park, and botanical garden around a sweeping pedestrian promenade.. A 6,000-square-foot (560 m²) restaurant and performance stage, designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners, is in the center of the park.^[2] In addition it provides jogging trails, a children’s playground, and an area for games.

The Dallas Museum of Art is located directly across the street from the park.

Location

Klyde Warren Park is located on the edge of the Arts District, between Downtown Dallas and Uptown. The urban park stretches for three city blocks between Pearl and St. Paul Streets, and covers the below-grade Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which had long been a barrier between the two neighborhoods.

The park connects with the M-line Streetcar, serving as a gateway to downtown and the Arts District. It may connect to the Katy Trail in the future.

Adjacent structures include the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Parkside Condominiums, Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, and several commercial offices. Museum Tower, a 42-story residential tower, is also located next to the park.^[3]

Construction and management

Utility construction began in January 2009, with a ground-making ceremony held in September 2009. The park opened on October 27, 2012.^[4]

The complex design was led by two design firms, landscape architecture by The Office of James Burnett, and structural engineering by the Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. The design and construction of the park was managed by Bjerke Management Solutions. The head engineer on file is Mir Hadi Ali, P.E. from Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

Construction of the park was funded through a public, private partnership including $20 million in bond funds from the city of Dallas, $20 million in highway funds from the state and federal government through TxDOT, and nearly $50 million from private donations. In March 2009, the Park was selected to receive $16.7 million in stimulus funds that were specifically for transportation enhancement construction.

Klyde Warren Park is privately managed and programmed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. The park’s amenities and programming are paid for by private donations being raised by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation.^[5] The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation continues to raise donations to fund operations, programming, and construction of new amenities.

See also

• Arts District, Dallas
• Parks in Dallas, Texas

References

External links

• Official Klyde Warren Park website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Klyde Warren Park.