Metroplexing

Dallas' Missing High School

I recently read an article in the Dallas Morning News about the Sanger Trophy. The trophy was awarded each year to the Dallas Public High School with the best overall athletic record from 1929 to 1954. Forgotten for years, the trophy was found in the basement of Sunset High School and is now displayed at the Old Red Courthouse Museum in downtown Dallas.

The recently discovered Sanger Trophy

I found it interesting that in 1954, there were only six high schools in Dallas that competed for the trophy, (Six white high schools) and five of them are still in operation.

North Dallas High opened in 1922, sits in the middle of uptown, just a few blocks from Lemmon Avenue. When it was built, this was the far north end of Dallas.
Woodrow Wilson High aka Woodrow, opened in 1928, is located in East Dallas, just south of Lakewood.
Adamson High School, originally Oak Cliff High School, was built in 1915. It is being replaced by the new Adamson High School being built across the street from its current location.
Sunset High School opened in 1925, it is just 19 blocks from Adamson in Oak Cliff. It was built on the western most section of Dallas and given the sports nickname Buffaloes because students had to cross open fields to get to the campus.
Crozier Tech opened in 1907 under the name Dallas High, it had many name changes over the years and was closed in 1995. It currently sits off the Dart line in downtown and is scheduled to be redeveloped.

One high school that was eligible for the Sanger Trophy has a bit more complicated history. A search of Forest Avenue High School finds no current history. But then, search for Forest Avenue and you will also come up empty.

Forest Avenue High School was an all white high school located near Fair Park. When it was opened in 1916, it was the most modern and up to date high school in the city. The school served neighborhoods south of downtown including the prominent and predomenently Jewish Park Row mansions. Famous alumni include Stanley Marcus of Nieman Marcus fame and Television Producer Aaron Spelling.
As the area become home to more African Americans and neighborhoods in North Dallas were opening up for Jewish families, the enrollment of the all white high school dwindled. In 1956, the Dallas Board of Education announced that Forest Avenue High School would be converted to a 'Negro' school to relieve overcrowding at Booker T. Washington and Lincoln High, and the white students would be moved to Crozier Tech downtown.

A few days later, PTA and the Dad's Club asked that the schools colors, name and mascot be retired but remain available to any white school that chose to use them. The school reopened the next year with a new name, James Madison High School. It still exists today, but Forest Avenue has long since been renamed Martin Luther King Blvd. If you enter Fair Park from the east off of the MLK exit, you will pass by the old Forest Park High School.

The original Forest Avenue High School, now James Madison High School, near Fair Park

I wondered what happened to the school's collection of trophies and memrobilia. It obvioulsy wasn't displayed at James Madison High, even though the school was officially desegragated in 1965.
I found the collection of Forest Avenue High's trophies stored at the Dallas Library, in the Texas /Dallas History collection. I recently took an afternoon to go thru these items. The photos below are some of the pieces I found.

A collection of trophies packed away

The Memorial Hall plaque removed when the High School was renamed . The honor of the dedication ironically revoked when the school changed name.

An American Legion Baseball Trophy packed away

Aaron Spelling's High School Yearbook, on display at the Dallas Library

An old Forest Avenue Green Letter Sweater and an ancient leather football helmet

Stanley Marcus' Yearbook also on display at the downtown library

Find out more about the Forest Avenue High School Collection

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The Mystery Man of Norbuck Park

On the southeast corner of Buckner and Northwest Highway sits one of East Dallas' busiest public spaces, Norbuck Park. It has two lighted softball fields, a playground, tennis court, roller hockey rink and wooded trails that have hosted high school cross country meets for generations.
Just a short distance from White Rock Lake, it has become popular with running groups and is the Start / Finish Line for the Dallas Running Club's Half Marathon.

Situated between the ball fields is a monument to a man who died over 50 years ago. I've often wondered, who is Rowland Adams? Why did his contemporaries feel compelled to place a marker in this park?

The monument itself offers few clues. It reads:

1917 -1962

A Tribute To

Rowland D. Adams

Whose Love of God and Life

Inspired Him To Appreciate the

Beauty of the World and His

Fellow Man

To Be a Coach and Counselor to

Boys and Girls

To Be a Friend and Example to All

This Monument is Dedicated

We are able to determine that Mr. Adams died at the rather young age of 44 or 45. And that his death occurred 50 years ago. Were he alive today, he would be in his mid 90's. Chance are that few of his contemporaries would still be around.

The monument also stated that he was a coach of boys and girls. The young men and woman who were inspired by Mr. Adams are probably in there 60's and 70's today.

I went to the staff at downtown branch of the Dallas Library to see if they could find anything more on Rowland D. Adams. The search uncovered his obituary from the January 19, 1962 printing of the Dallas Times Herald which shed some light on his contributions.

Rowland Adams organized the White Rock Churches Athletic Association in 1956. According to his obituary, it was the largest church sponsored athletic association in the nation. In 1962 alone there were over 2000 youngsters participating in baseball and basketball programs. Adams himself coached teams from his congregation at Lakeview Christian Church. It also stated that he had been sick for many years and that he died at the age of 44.

East Dallas has changed much in the past 60 years. In 1962, that area of town was much like Frisco is today. The homes were new, the area was growing, the public schools were some of the best in the state.

Today, many of the churches that were once part of of the White Rock Churches Athletic Association have seen their congregations age and many of the buildings now house churches of different denominations.

And at Norbuck Park, a new generation of children enjoy the fields of play. Hopefully some of them have grandparents that will tell them of a man whose monument overlooks their playground.

The $10 Million View

I recently had an opportunity to visit the new 43 story Museum Tower overlooking Woodall Rogers Freeway and the new Deck Park. The building is still months from completion but my friend Josh Frye has a few connections and took me to the construction site.

When the tower opens it will feature condos starting at $1 million with a $10 million penthouse. I wondered what a $10 million view looks like, so I brought my camera along. Chance are, I probably won't ever get inside this building again.

A rendering of the completed tower with a $10 million condo on the top floor.

The Tower, looking up from the ground floor

Inside the finished $1 Million Condo

A view high above the new deck park.

Looking west

On the very top of the building, 43 floors above downtown. (Yes, I am a little nervous)

My buddy Josh has no qualms standing against a flimsy wooden rail, 43 floors above downtown

Rendering of your finished $10 Million balcony. To be honest, I can't see how anybody would ever feel comfortable sitting out there.

Looking north toward Love Field from the unfinished penthouse. My knees were weak taking this photo .

High enough to look through the hole of this building.

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"Have You Seen Our Copy of the Declaration of Independance?"

Earlier today, I was at the main branch of the Dallas Public Library waiting for some items to be retrieved from the local history section. A staff member approached me and asked if I needed some assistance. When I replied that I had been helped, she asked, "Since you're waiting, have you seen our copy of the Declaration of Independence?"

"THE Declaration of Independence," I replied, "the one from 1776?"

"Yes," replied Sharon Martin, manager of the Dallas Library's Main Branch. "We have one of the originals here on the 7th floor."

The specially designed room housing the Declaration.

Indeed, in a specially designed room open on the 7th floor of downtown Dallas' Main Library is THE Declaration of Independence.

How did the Dallas Public Library obtain this precious piece of Americana? To answer this question we must go back to 1776.
After the document was handwritten on July 4, 1776, it was taken to John Dunlop, a Philadelphia printer who made approximately 200 copies. Historians consider Dunlop's first run, the original copies of the Declaration. These copies went out to newspapers and public officials in all 13 colonies.

The Dallas Library's Copy of the Declaration of Independence in its sealed case.

Today, less than 30 of John Dunlop's original run still exist and many are in bad condition. The document at the Dallas Main Library is sometimes referred to as "the Lost Copy" because it was discovered in storage in a Philadelphia book store in 1968. Two Dallas businessmen purchased the copy in an auction shortly after it was found. It was later donated to the city of Dallas and put on display in City Hall before finding its permanent home on the 7th floor of the library.
The Declaration is in excellent condition and is housed in a specially designed case that protects it from aging. Its free and open to the public during normal business hours.

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The Bridge to Nowhere Becomes the Bridge to Somewhere

People jokingly called the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge the bridge to nowhere. Rightfully so. Have you ever been to West Dallas?

West Dallas? Isn't that what we call Irving? It was truly the forgotten land of the metroplex.
Which is why so many people questioned the logic behind building a signature bridge to the land of nowhere.

But the land of nowhere is about to become the land to somewhere. Woodall Rogers emptying onto a Calatrava designed bridge landing into a section of Dallas that is close to downtown and has acres of cheap land. People are taking notice. People with money. People like Phil Romano, whose name has a place of honor atop every Macaroni Grill in America.

A group of brightly painted warehouse that are about to become a row of restuarants

Romano and a group of investors have been preparing for months for the arrival opening of the bridge and all that it will bring. Newcomers to West Dallas are going to see a variety of brightly painted buildings, restaurants, newly planted trees and new parking lot to handle the crowds...

Dozens of trees about to be planted at the edge of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the new gateway to West Dallas.

and on top of that add a number of Shepard Fairey murals. Fairey, best known for the Obama Hope poster, has been working on the outskirts of downtown for about a week.

Earlier today I did a google search of a Fairey print and found that they were going for thousands of dollars. How much is an original worth painted on the side of a warehouse in West Dallas? Who knows?

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The White Rock Lake Spillway After Heavy Rain

Normally the While Rock Lake Spillway in East Dallas is pretty calm. Water usually laps over the side and meanderers down to the creek.

Quite a different story after 4 inches of rain in 24 hours. I shot this short video this afternoon.

A Surprising View of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (aka The Big Bent Pole)

This afternoon, I took a few up close photos of Dallas' new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which is slated for a March 2012 opening. I was able to get a shot standing on the median of the bridge, looking east.
From this vantage point, I got quite a surprise. Unlike most bridges, where the cables hold up the outer portion of the roadway, this bridge is designed with the cables holding up the center.
I put together a few clips in this :30 second video.

Update: A few days after the original video, I got an opportunity to officially walk across the bridge before it opened for traffic. It gave me a chance to capture a unique view point that will be unavailable when cars occupy the lanes.

The Final Days of the KSCS Arlington Studios

Radio Station 96.3 KSCS moved from Broadcast Hill in Fort Worth, Tx to Arlington in 1994. From 1994 till 2011, the radio station broadcast from studios in Arlington (2221 E. Lamar, Suite 300 to be exact). Originally, the studios were on the 4th floor and the business offices for KSCS were on the third.

When the owners started ESPN Radio 103.3, KSCS built new studios on the third floor. They were perhaps the finest studios of their time. During the 17 years that KSCS occupied the Arlington space, they featured the morning duo of Terry Dorsey and Hawkeye. The morning team often featured live performances from some of country music's biggest names. A stage was built to accommodate the acts and even had a separate mike mixer for the performances. The facility was also large enough to host a studio audience of around 20 people.

Over the years the names of performers who visited Terry and Hawkeye read like a Who's Who of the Country Music and the Texas Music industry. They include Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Brooks and Dunn, Martina, McBride, Travis Tritt, Don Henley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, The Randy Rogers Band and the Eli Young Band.

The office also featured The Red Room, a seperate perfomance area for hosting the KSCS Private Performance Series. They even had a small TV studio complete with green screen for video production.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fine work of Clay Steely, Neal Peden, Roger Helling and Duane Sedge in creating and maintaining the facility.

When KSCS was acquired by Cumulus, the station moved to modern studios in Dallas' Victory Park. This is a video I did depicting the final days of KSCS' Arlington Studios.

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The Ruins of the Metroplex - Fort Worth's Meadowbrook Drive In

One of the few remaining drive in theatre screens in Fort Worth can be seen just north of I-30 on Riverside Drive, east of downtown. The former Meadowbook Drive In has been closed over 30 years, but I have always been intrigued to see if anything other than the screen remains.

On a whim, I decided to stop and do a little snooping. One of my first surprises was the old marquee that was still intact, although in disrepair. The sign was meant to be seen from Riverside Drive, but trees and brush had long since blocked it from the street.

Notice the bicycle on top of the marque

In the late 1980s after the theater closed, it became home to Cowtown BMX. The marquee was repainted and the bike was added to the top. You can till see a faded portion of the BMX repainting job.

While I was walking toward the sign I was approached by Bradley, a homeless gentleman who lives in the woods behind the screen. Bradley went to Fort Worth's Poly High School in the early 70's and remembers going to the Meadowbrook Drive In when it cost $1.50 a carload. He informed me that the motorists once drove underneath the marquee and stopped at a now demolished booth to pay admission.

The grounds are now used as a storage area for dumpsters. The screen remains, and can be seen from I-30. However, trees have since grown quite high in front of it.

Bradley showed me where the concession stand used to be. You can see tile from the old bathrooms in the lower part of the photo.

You have to search for them, but you can still find a few remnants of the speaker posts.

Downtown Fort Worth's Hidden Subterranean Gem

Note: I wrote this post a while ago when downtown Fort Worth's TCC River East Campus opened. I am constantly surprised how many people are completely unaware of this place. Most confuse it with the large TCC Campus a few blocks away located in the old Radio Shack Headquarters, itself a striking set of buildings

One reason this architectural gem goes unnoticed is that it is below street level. Although it is a block from the Tarrant County Courthouse, thousands of cars pass it everyday and have no idea it is there. I thought this might be a good time to revisit this beautiful and virtually unknown downtown Fort Worth oasis.

I ask you, how could you put a waterfall in the middle of Fort Worth and have no one notice?

A view of the subterranean campus at night, looking south toward Sundance Square

Downtown Fort Worth's New Hidden Subterranean Gem

From the street level, it's hard to tell what treasures are a level below

This month, Tarrant County College's new downtown Trinity River East Campus opened for the 2011 fall semester. The new campus comes with a lot of public relations baggage; massive cost overruns, design changes, levee problems and civic protests.

At one point during construction, Tarrant County College decided it would be cheaper to buy the Radio Shack Headquarters rather than continue with a plan that included a bridge over the Trinity River to another part of the campus. Even though the bridge and north campus were scrapped, the architect decided to keep the campus mainly below street level. At one point Ed Bass passionately argued for the design to have more interaction at street level and paid for another architect to offer a redesign.
Bass' idea was rejected and the campus was built mostly below street level, even though the river bridge it was to connect to, was no longer needed.

Like a lot of people who have been following the construction soap opera, I had my doubts about this new campus. Especially when looking from the Tarrant County Courthouse, you can see very little of the facility.

Looking north at Belknap Street, this is all that is visible of the campus.

It is a shame that the campus is so hidden from the street, because it really is a gem. Sadly, most people who work in downtown or drive by on Belknap Street will probably never realize the stunning buildings that rest below.

The campus tries to compensate for its subterranean design with an entry plaza on Weatherford Street which includes a waterfall that continues into a stream flowing throughout the campus.

The Waterfall at street level continues through the campus and ends with a second waterfall (below)

As you walk closer to the Trinity River, you begin to realize just how big these buildings are. Since you see very little from the street level, it's hard to imagine that the campus consists of 5 and 6 story buildings

The buildings design takes full advantage of natural light which creates an open and desirable learning environment.

The Allied Health Building features a glassed in concourse and a lecture hall that overlooks the river.

But because of the many levels below the street, the campus needs a variety of staircases, walkways, bridges and elevators that create a Rube Goldberg effect. Lost students wandering around trying to find their classes seem to be a distinct possibility.

One of the myriad of stairs, bridges and elevators that connect the facility.

That being said, the Trinity River East Campus is quite beautiful and is truly a gem in downtown Fort Worth. It's an urban oasis that links downtown to the Trinity River. Sadly, as Ed Bass warned, the subterranean design insures that most people will never know it's there.

The view from Belknap Street looking toward the river.

The contoured cement walkways gives the campus a cozy feel.

The Welcome Center features a coffee shop that opens on street level and overlooks the entry water feature.

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Behind This Wall - The Hidden Section of Fort Worth's Water Garden

What's behind this wall on Lancaster Avenue and why should we tear it down?

In 2001, The Highway Department removed the outdated portion of Interstate 30 over Lancaster Avenue, rebuilding it on the south side of the old T&P Terminal.

The east bound lanes of Lancaster Avenue, in the shadow of the old freeway.

With the removal of the freeway and the acquisition of 4 additional acres of right of way, the city pounced on an opportunity to revitalize Lancaster into a grand avenue. Sidewalks were widened and landscaped. A series of dramatic sculptures adorned the median. Condos and apartments popped up and future developments are actively being pursued.

Lancaster Avenue during the early days of revitalization.

Even though the city worked passionately to remove any sign of the interstate, one relic remained. A wall on the north side of Lancaster between Main and Houston Streets. At one time the wall butted up against the street, keeping what was on the other side separate from the traffic outside.

The wall between Houston and Main on Lancaster Ave.

What I saw when I peeked over the wall.

I decided to climb the small ledge and peek over the wall. Behind it laid one of the few, if only, green spaces in downtown Fort Worth, an overlooked area of the Water Gardens called The Stage. I asked a bicycle cop patrolling the area if many people used this lawn. He replied that a few people come here at lunch, but he couldn't remember any organized activity ever using the lawn or the stage.

   At one time, walling off this area made sense. Lancaster Avenue was a pedestrians nightmare, noisy, dark and filled with the fumes trapped by the overhead freeway. The Water Gardens were designed to be the antithesis to the noise and exhaust.
   But the southern end of downtown has changed immensely sense the Gardens were designed. Not only has the freeway been moved, but apartments, hotels, condos, landscaped sidewalks and a law school are now neighbors with the park. It might be time to examine tearing down the wall on the Lancaster and altering the area.

PROS:

1: The park has entrances on every side but the Lancaster Avenue side. With the freeway gone and the addition of new development, it make sense to open up the remaining side.

2: There is a lack of green space in downtown. One can argue that this space already exists and this wouldn't add any additional space. But this beautiful area is hidden. Even if you're in the Water Gardens, you could easily over look it, being that it is on the other side of a large feature called The Mountain.
   Removing the wall would not only create an inviting public space, it would also create more access to the park.

Most Water Garden visitors never find lawn, unless they follow these steps behind The Mountain

CONS:

1. The Water Gardens were designed by noted architect Phillip Johnson and it would be wrong to alter his original design. An interesting argument but not a valid one. The Water Gardens have already been altered for safety issues. And it had a major alteration when the Convention Center was expanded on the west side, creating a new entrance into the Gardens.

2: Altering the Water Gardens would create added cost to an already stretched city budget. True, the city budget is a bit tight, but the park was created with funds from the Amon Carter Foundation. Plus downtown as TIF funds that can be used for the project. There are ways to acquire funding.

It's a simple project that could yield beautiful results.