JasonParis
Moderator
As continued from Part II...
One of my favourite buildings in Dallas is their city hall. Also designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1978. Like many of his buildings, Dallas City Hall is very angular and is designed like an inverted triangular prism. It's probably also one of the few I.M. Pei buildings that has a tinge of brutalism to it as well.
Dallas City Hall (cont.)...
Dallas has its own version of Toronto's "The Archer." Indeed, a Henry Moore also graces the plaza in front of their city hall. It is simply called "The Dallas Piece" and was installed in 1978. By the way, I have no idea why it was fenced off, but considering I was the only person in the square, it's not exactly well used. Perhaps it was vandalized before?
For "Dallas" fans, these three flag poles at City Hall / "Municipal Plaza" are where Jock Ewing waited to pay John Ross' kidnappers their ransom money in one of Dallas' earlier seasons.
Flags at Municipal Plaza (cont.)
Across from Municipal Plaza is the Dallas Police Memorial.
In one very small pocket of downtown Dallas you can get a very slight New York City feel until you look around and see nobody anywhere.
When completed in 1921 the Magnolia Building was America's 16th tallest. It is most famous for "Pegasus" which sits atop the building and watches over Dallas.
Another New York moment, minus the people.
The Republic Center complex was built in the mid-1950s and the building on the left was the tallest in Dallas from 1954 to 1959 and tallest west of the Mississippi River (when including its spire). A recent proposal is to convert the building into residential uses, which would be a first for this part of downtown Dallas.
Thanks-Giving Square is another Phillip Johnson-designed open area and park that was completed in 1976 with the theme of "giving thanks as a universal, human value."
For "Dallas" fans, Thanks-Giving Square is also where Bobby & Pam broke-up for the first time circa 1983. Yes, I'm nuts.
While Thank-Giving Square is generally nice, the religious overtones are a little creepy...
Thanks-Giving Square Chapel.
Thanks-Giving Square (cont.)
I couldn't figure out who did this, but I quite liked it.
What happens when two Dallas +15s get married? This does...
It was then off to the Fair Park which is just south of downtown Dallas. It is most famous for housing the annual (and enormous) Texas State Fair. However, back in 1936, Dallas also hosted a world's fair celebrating the centennial of Texas' independence from Mexico on this site and they did it as big as their Texas-sized egos would let them. It is from this world's fair that terms like "The Big D" and "...everything's bigger in Texas" come from. Today, the grounds are fairly quiet most of the year (much like Toronto's own Exhibition Place), but feature some interesting buildings and museums. It also has that eerie, but cool, abandoned carnival feel.
Fair Park (cont.)
Shouldn't this be a shopping mall's logo?
Fair Park's The Esplanade Building (1936).
Fair Park (cont.)
The Tower Building at Fair Park (1936).
Fair Park (cont.)
Fair Park's Leonhardt Lagoon and the famous "earth sculpture" (that can be walked on!)
Fair Park's Leonhardt Lagoon (cont.)
Fair Park is also home to Dallas' famed Cotton Bowl Stadium (1930).
The Leonhardt Lagoon and the earth structure at State Park (cont.)
The "Texas Star" Ferris wheel at State Park.
The Midway at State Park.
Cotton Bowl (cont.)
State Park also houses many of Dallas' boutique museums including the Age of Steam Railyway Museum.
The museum had already closed for the day, but it didn't stop me from getting a few shots.
Age of Steam Railway Museum (cont.)
Day #3 - Again I parked downtown, but decided to walk all the way to Uptown (and beyond). This is on the St. Paul overpass over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway which sort of divides downtown from the start of Uptown.
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas. Not very impressive to be honest.
Condos, Dallas style! Not sure where the French Chateau motif comes in...or why?
Dallas condos (cont.)
Even the sidewalks in Texas have stars! (...well some of them at least)
Uptown (and Oak Lawn) are just north of downtown and are considered one of the "in" places to live. This is where much of Dallas' condo boom occurred over the last 10 years.
A few pockets of residential development have a European-scale to them, but again, where's the people?
Uptown (cont.)
More Uptown condos.
This is the West Village "lifestyle" shopping complex which seems to cater mostly to Dallas' moneyed shoppers. I got a kick out of this Art Deco (circa 2005) theatre.
Uptown (cont.)
The West Village shopping area.
I've never seen newspaper boxes and info/advertising pillars/posts combined before, so I figured it deserved a picture.
Continued in Part IV.
One of my favourite buildings in Dallas is their city hall. Also designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1978. Like many of his buildings, Dallas City Hall is very angular and is designed like an inverted triangular prism. It's probably also one of the few I.M. Pei buildings that has a tinge of brutalism to it as well.
Dallas City Hall (cont.)...
Dallas has its own version of Toronto's "The Archer." Indeed, a Henry Moore also graces the plaza in front of their city hall. It is simply called "The Dallas Piece" and was installed in 1978. By the way, I have no idea why it was fenced off, but considering I was the only person in the square, it's not exactly well used. Perhaps it was vandalized before?
For "Dallas" fans, these three flag poles at City Hall / "Municipal Plaza" are where Jock Ewing waited to pay John Ross' kidnappers their ransom money in one of Dallas' earlier seasons.
Flags at Municipal Plaza (cont.)
Across from Municipal Plaza is the Dallas Police Memorial.
In one very small pocket of downtown Dallas you can get a very slight New York City feel until you look around and see nobody anywhere.
When completed in 1921 the Magnolia Building was America's 16th tallest. It is most famous for "Pegasus" which sits atop the building and watches over Dallas.
Another New York moment, minus the people.
The Republic Center complex was built in the mid-1950s and the building on the left was the tallest in Dallas from 1954 to 1959 and tallest west of the Mississippi River (when including its spire). A recent proposal is to convert the building into residential uses, which would be a first for this part of downtown Dallas.
Thanks-Giving Square is another Phillip Johnson-designed open area and park that was completed in 1976 with the theme of "giving thanks as a universal, human value."
For "Dallas" fans, Thanks-Giving Square is also where Bobby & Pam broke-up for the first time circa 1983. Yes, I'm nuts.
While Thank-Giving Square is generally nice, the religious overtones are a little creepy...
Thanks-Giving Square Chapel.
Thanks-Giving Square (cont.)
I couldn't figure out who did this, but I quite liked it.
What happens when two Dallas +15s get married? This does...
It was then off to the Fair Park which is just south of downtown Dallas. It is most famous for housing the annual (and enormous) Texas State Fair. However, back in 1936, Dallas also hosted a world's fair celebrating the centennial of Texas' independence from Mexico on this site and they did it as big as their Texas-sized egos would let them. It is from this world's fair that terms like "The Big D" and "...everything's bigger in Texas" come from. Today, the grounds are fairly quiet most of the year (much like Toronto's own Exhibition Place), but feature some interesting buildings and museums. It also has that eerie, but cool, abandoned carnival feel.
Fair Park (cont.)
Shouldn't this be a shopping mall's logo?
Fair Park's The Esplanade Building (1936).
Fair Park (cont.)
The Tower Building at Fair Park (1936).
Fair Park (cont.)
Fair Park's Leonhardt Lagoon and the famous "earth sculpture" (that can be walked on!)
Fair Park's Leonhardt Lagoon (cont.)
Fair Park is also home to Dallas' famed Cotton Bowl Stadium (1930).
The Leonhardt Lagoon and the earth structure at State Park (cont.)
The "Texas Star" Ferris wheel at State Park.
The Midway at State Park.
Cotton Bowl (cont.)
State Park also houses many of Dallas' boutique museums including the Age of Steam Railyway Museum.
The museum had already closed for the day, but it didn't stop me from getting a few shots.
Age of Steam Railway Museum (cont.)
Day #3 - Again I parked downtown, but decided to walk all the way to Uptown (and beyond). This is on the St. Paul overpass over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway which sort of divides downtown from the start of Uptown.
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas. Not very impressive to be honest.
Condos, Dallas style! Not sure where the French Chateau motif comes in...or why?
Dallas condos (cont.)
Even the sidewalks in Texas have stars! (...well some of them at least)
Uptown (and Oak Lawn) are just north of downtown and are considered one of the "in" places to live. This is where much of Dallas' condo boom occurred over the last 10 years.
A few pockets of residential development have a European-scale to them, but again, where's the people?
Uptown (cont.)
More Uptown condos.
This is the West Village "lifestyle" shopping complex which seems to cater mostly to Dallas' moneyed shoppers. I got a kick out of this Art Deco (circa 2005) theatre.
Uptown (cont.)
The West Village shopping area.
I've never seen newspaper boxes and info/advertising pillars/posts combined before, so I figured it deserved a picture.
Continued in Part IV.
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