Patron Magazine - Winter 2012

Sculpture Center, views the park as the glue that will bind the area together, enthusing over the notion of “a whole new audience that will be drawn to this area and will visit the Nasher. When we designed the Nasher, it was knowing there was a freeway behind it.” Most institutions, the Nasher included, now hope to have a physical presence in this larger oasis. The Dallas Museum of Art, which renovated its Ceremonial Entrance when the Nasher opened, has mapped out an accessible welcome to park visitors, offering outdoor seating for the Atrium Café and adding grassy areas.

“My goal is to re-pedestrianize the downtown area and to make people comfortable being out on the street,” Banta says. Dallasites, wedded to the habit of driving, might scoff at the idea, so he is “looking at various partnerships with surrounding buildings for parking. Since many events will be in the evening, it is the perfect marriage of available parking and need.” Plans are afoot to make Banta’s vision a reality, including the expansion of the trolley line.

Most everyone has embraced the big-
picture concept. As Hofland, says, “The park
completes the neighborhood with two im-
portant elements: trees and shade. The Crow
family believes that ‘trees are the answer.’
People will follow trees and we can’t wait for
the new explorers to the Arts District.”
Chris Heinbaugh, director of external af-
fairs for the AT&T Performing Arts Center,
is of a similar mindset. “The park effectively
adds five acres to the Dallas Arts District and
the green expanses, water features, a café,
and more will draw even more people to live,
work, and play in downtown Dallas,” he says.
“It also highlights just how significantly the
city’s core has been transformed in the past
10 years. Anyone who says there is nothing to
do in Dallas simply has to look to the Center,
the Arts District, and the park to know that
downtown Dallas is a thriving, diverse cul-
tural destination.”
There’s also the potential for moving
events traditionally held in the Arts District
to the new park. One example is the Crow
Collection of Asian Art’s Chinese New Year
festivities, which attract 8,000 visitors annu-
ally. Even the Performing Arts Center, which
does not directly abut the park, looks for-
ward to the harmonious effects the park will
generate. Heinbaugh says, “Our hope is that
the programming at the Center and the park
will be supportive of each other. And when
opportunities arise for collaborative pro-
gramming, it will be exciting to pursue them
with the park.”
Banta voices the hopes of the city: “It will
provide a central meeting place and one that
will create new traditions.” P

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