Downtown Dallas
Encyclopedia : D : DO : DOW : Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas (or Central Business District) is the general term given to the geographic area within the central freeway loop in Dallas, Texas (USA). Although it has been contested, the area termed 'downtown' by most Dallas residents is bounded to the east by I-345 (although known and signed as the northern terminus of I-45 and the southern terminus of US 75 (Central Expressway)), to the west by I-35E, to the south by I-30, and to the north by Spur-366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway).
History
The building boom of the 1970s and 1980s produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the downtown skyline, influenced by nationally prominent architects. At the same time, the establishment of the West End Historic District in the 1980s preserved a group of late-nineteenth-century brick warehouses that have been adapted for use as restaurants and shops.The district reached nationwide recognition in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dealey Plaza.
With the construction of the Dallas Center for Performing Arts in the Arts District of downtown, Dallas will be the only city in the world that has four buildings within one contiguous block designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners.
Overview
Though it has been criticized as being dead in terms of life (that is, beyond being an office park) the area has taken off recently with dozens of residential conversions and some new residential towers. (See: NCTCOG [Downtown Dallas Population Forecasts].) Also, its redeveloped Main Street has recently become the place for Dallasites to play after a slew of restaurants, hotels, and restaurants opened their doors along the strip. Downtown's growth can partially be attributed to DART's two (soon to be 4) LRT lines and the 1 commuter line that run through Downtown and an aggressive stance taken by the city to drive development at all costs. The city have spent $160 million of public funds in Downtown Dallas for residential development that attracted $650 million of private investment.Two of the first new-construction office building projects down town in over 20 years broke ground in 2005—One Arts Plaza, a mixed use office, retail, residential development in the Arts District which will be the new home of 7-Eleven’s headquarters; and the Hunt Consolidated office building. The city, along with several non-profit organizations, has recently pushed for the development of the deck park over Spur-366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) to create a seemless Uptown/downtown district, hoping the booming Uptown real estate market would help further redevelop downtown.
Most importantly, The Trinity River Corridor is undergoing transformation (the Trinity River Project) into what will be the centerpiece for Dallas, providing breathtaking aesthetics and first-class recreational facilities including an equestrian center, lakes, trails and three bridges designed by internationally-acclaimed architect, sculptor and engineer Santiago Calatrava.
Neighborhoods
Within Loop
- Arts District
- City Center District
- Convention Center District
- Farmers Market District
- Government District
- Main Street District
- Reunion District
- West End Historic District
Adjacent Neighborhoods
- Deep Ellum (also considered part of East Dallas - outside loop).
- Victory Park (also considered part of the Stemmons Corridor or Uptown - outside loop).
Tallest structures
| By structural height | By roof height |
| Bank of America Plaza 921 ft (281 m) |
|
Transportation
Trains
Commuter
Light Rail
- DART: Blue Line + Red Line listed south to north
- *Convention Center Station
- *Union Station
- *West End Station
- *Akard Station
- *St. Paul Station
- *Pearl Station
Street Car
Regional
Buses
- Greyhound Lines
- Dallas Area Rapid Transit
- *East Transfer Center
- *West Transfer Center
Highways
- Interstate 30
- Interstate 345 (unsigned)
- Interstate 35E
- Interstate 45
- State Highway Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway)
- U.S. Route 75 (Central Expressway)
Education
Downtown Dallas is served by the Dallas Independent School District.Two schools, Middle College and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, are located in Downtown. The Pegasus Complex is also in Downtown.
The neighborhood schools for Downtown are outside of the loop.
Four elementary schools, City Park, Houston, Medrano, and Zaragoza, serve Downtown. Three middle schools, Anderson, Rusk, and Spence, serve Downtown. Two high schools, Madison and North Dallas, serve Downtown.
Starting in the 2006-2007 school year, the Anderson Middle School portion will instead be served by Dade Middle School.
External links
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