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Klyde Warren Park Completion Project Announced


DALLAS (Oct. 19, 2018) – The Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation (WRPF) and VisitDallas today announced an innovative partnership that will complete the original vision of Klyde Warren Park.  

The estimated $76 million project adds 1.2 acres over Woodall Rodgers Freeway, just west of St. Paul Street. This land will be used for a 20,000-square-foot pavilion that will house the state-of-the-art VisitDallas Experience Center, a Visitor Center unlike any other in the U.S., fusing “best in class” customer service with interactive technology that tells the Dallas story.  The expansion will include additional green spaces and public gathering spots, assist with the Park’s long-term financial sustainability, and allow the privately-operated park to expand the more than 1,300 free programs and events it already provides annually.

Design & Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in 2019, with completion anticipated as early as 2022.

“This project fulfills the vision we outlined when we began talking about decking over Woodall Rodgers a decade ago and it is the next step in improving the connectivity of the Park and the Arts District with the West End, Victory Park, and the Perot Museum,” said Jody Grant, chairman of the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. “This vision wouldn’t be coming to life without Phillip Jones and VisitDallas, who shared our vision. The VisitDallas Experience Center will add to the allure of downtown, and the pavilion will be a multi-use facility that will allow the Park to offer an indoor venue for special event rentals and point of purchase opportunities.” 

The VisitDallas Experience Center will serve as concierge to the city, offering a place to pick up a jersey or VIP tickets to one the area’s sports teams or great last minute deals on theater seats.  The space will transform seasonally to showcase annual events from the Byron Nelson to the State Fair, and major event like the Women’s Final Four. It will also highlight the many festivals and events happening each weekend.

“Klyde Warren Park has been embraced by our citizens unlike any project in recent memory,” said Jones, president and CEO of VisitDallas. “It’s a treasure to those who use it and take part in its free programming, and it’s also an important economic engine for the city. The pavilion and the VisitDallas Experience Center will not only introduce visitors to our city, its history and traditions, but to be an exhilarating experience for those who live here. Our partnership with Klyde Warren Park will allow us to produce something that is distinctive and a source of pride for our community.”

The 5.2-acre, $110 million Klyde Warren Park opened in October 2012 and since then has welcomed over six million visitors, created more than $2 billion in economic development, and increased property value in the area around the Park.  According to Eric Rothman, president of HR&A Advisors, the consulting firm tasked with analyzing the economic impact of the Park’s completion, this new phase of development will provide another $850 million in stimulus to the area. 

“The opening of Klyde Warren Park has been one of the most welcome developments during my tenure as mayor,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. “I love that the chasm that Woodall Rodgers Freeway created between downtown and Uptown is now in our rearview mirror.  The Park spanned these segments of the city, spawning billions in development in the process and representing one of the most successful infrastructure investments in the City’s history. More importantly, the Park created a town square where all Dallasites could participate in the life of the City and its Arts District.”  

“Great urban parks have multi-use buildings associated with them and this pavilion and center will put our Park in that category,” said Kit Sawers, president of Klyde Warren Park. “These structures will allow families in our community to gather for significant moments and the special events we now will be able to host will provide a new revenue stream for the Park that will ensure the financial health of the Park, while providing even more high-quality, free programming to the more than one million visitors we host each year.” 

Klyde Warren Park, operated by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, is a privately-operated nonprofit that relies on private donations, sponsorships, rentals, and funds raised by its annual Park & Palate event to pay for its nearly $5 million annual operating budget. That budget allows for the upkeep of the Park and sustains the free daily programming enjoyed by 100,000 Dallas residents each month.  The VisitDallas Experience Center will create a critical new revenue stream for the Park.

ABOUT KLYDE WARREN PARK
Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2-acre deck park bridging uptown Dallas to downtown Dallas. The park is privately funded and operated by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation to connect the community and enrich lives through free, active programming and educational opportunities in a pristine and safe, centrally-located, entertainment-rich green space where everyone is welcome. Corporate partnerships and donations ensure that this mission will continue into the future. For more information, visit www.klydewarrenpark.org.

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