The park within a park concept transforms the largest parking lot on the Fair Park campus into a 14-acre natural Blackland Prairie, interwoven with the social surroundings of South Dallas.
“By merging these two themes into one cohesive vision, we are ensuring this park is intrinsically South Dallas in its identity, North Texas in its ecology, but truly unlike any place in America,” said Maria Landoni, Senior Associate and Design Lead, Studio-MLA.
The Community Park’s major features
and elements include:
- Ecological gardens
- Picnic areas
- A community stage and pavilion
- Multiple play areas
- A dog park
- A market grove
- Water elements
- An abundance of outdoor spaces and amenities to relax and gather
All-abilities play elements were requested by the South Dallas community during the master plan process, and the half-acre playground will include:
- An interactive water feature
- Custom climbers
- A tot lot zone
- A custom mega net structure
- Roller slides nestled in the rock hill
The Community Park is continuing to be defined by the design team, with input from the surrounding community and Fair Park stakeholders. The design is currently in the schematic phase through early summer 2022, with the remainder of the year being design development, construction documentation, and permitting. The Community Park is scheduled to break ground in early 2023 and open in fall 2024. For more information, visit, FairParkFirst.org.