I have been reading about a park constructed in the heart of Downtown Dallas, in a spot where an old parking garage had been torn down. Called the Main Street Garden Park, it was designed both as a tiny bit of open green space in the vast expanse of concrete, glass, and steel in downtown, but also as a place to host gatherings and events. It was a block-long open spot lined by various amenities, a stage, and an organic restaurant. I was downtown running around, and decided to take a look at the park.
The grass was brown and in need of some growing, but otherwise it was a nice enough spot. Its main use seemed to be a patch of grass for the residents of the high-rise condo towers to walk their dogs and allow them to do their business. There was a steady stream of mutts and their owners coming and going, and picking up dog shit in plastic bags. I tried to sit for awhile in a nice little covered area but the smell of dog crap from the nearby trash can was overpowering.
I liked the park, though. It seemed like a cool place to hang, as long as the weather wasn’t too bad (I’ll bet it gets really hot in the summer).
The main lawn of the Main Street Garden Park, with the permanent stage at the far end. The signs say, “Please Keep Off The Grass – We Are Growing Our Roots.”
The Beaux-Arts style building in the background is the old Dallas City Municipal Building. At the present time, the building is being renovated into the first public law school in North Texas the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. It’s a well known landmark, something infamous happened in the basement parking garage of that building almost fifty years ago.
Down at the other end of the park there is a nice little fountain and some rocks to sit on. A nice place for a conversation – maybe the water will cool it off a bit in the summer.
Give homeless in downtown Dallas’ Main Street Garden long-term housing
Bill Chance 