Dealey Plaza Park – Dallas TX

Description

“In 1940, WPA workers completed this park in the heart of Dallas. Named for an early publisher of the Dallas Morning News, the plaza lives in infamy as the location of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on November 22, 1963. There may be other “grassy knolls” in American parks, but none have gone down in history like the one in Dealey Plaza.”  (money.howstuffworks.com)

The park is built around a triple underpass in the heart of Dallas: “After the triple underpass was built, the remaining green space between the streets, and to the north of Elm and the south of Commerce, was transferred to the Park Board for development as a public park. In 1935, the proposed park was called Dealey Plaza to honor Dallas civic leader G.B. Dealey for his longtime efforts to better the city. Completed in 1941, the plaza and the adjacent triple underpass became known as the “Front Door of Dallas.”

The Dealey Plaza park project, which spanned five years, was a cooperative effort of the City of Dallas, the Texas Highway Department, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Designed by Kansas City architects Hare & Hare, the landscaping and Art Deco-styled structures complemented the design details on the triple underpass.

Shortly after G.B. Dealey’s death in 1946, the Park Board paid tribute to him by officially naming the site Dealey Plaza. In 1949, a bronze statue of Dealey, sculpted by Felix de Weldon, was installed in the park.”  (www.jfk.org)