Dealey Plaza is the birthplace of Dallas. Designed by Hare & Hare Landscape Architects (www.olsson.com) and dedicated as a memorial to George Bannerman Dealey, a civic leader devoted to the advancement of the City of Dallas. Since its establishment, the park has been a civic gateway to downtown Dallas from the west. In 1963, Dealey Plaza's identity was transformed and cast into history as one of the 20th Centuries most important landmarks; the place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated (The Sixth Floor Museum). On that fateful day, Dealey Plaza was forever changed and cast under an eternal pall of sorrow and despair. The City recognized that Dealey Plaza is an indelible part of it's, and the Nation's, history and set forth to return it to the condition it was in in 1963. To undertake this important work, the City brought on Dallas based GFF Architects and Studio Outside Landscape Architects to the project to assist with this effort. Fountain Source was brought on to the project team by Studio Outside to assist with historical research, design consulting and construction oversight of the fountain restoration.
Phase One of the Dealey Plaza Renovation Project was completed in 2008, which focused on the two plazas on Houston Street, replacing deteriorated concrete paving, restoring the stone coping on the fountain basins, and repairing and restoring the architectural concrete peristyles and pylons.
Phase Two, which was completed prior to the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination on November 22, 2013 (JFK Library and Museum), included restoration of the north and south pergolas, restoration of additional paving and steps, restoration of the fountains, improvements for accessibility, new interpretive graphics and restoration of the landscaping across the entire site.
Project Team: GFF Architects (www.gff.com), Studio Outside Landscape Architects (www.studiooutside.us) and Fountain Source Engineering and Design, Inc.
Project Awards:
2014 Merit Award | Design – Constructed Public | Texas Chapter ASLA
2014 Gail Thoma Patterson Award | Preservation Dallas
