1930 The approximate boundary of Elm Thicket and the location of the future Elm Thicket Park. To the east Greenway Parks is visibly taking shape.
1945 The community of Elm Thicket continues to expand, as does Love Field Airport to the northwest.
1958 The expansion of Love Field destroys a large part of the Elm Thicket neighborhood and displaces its residents.
1973 Infrastructure around the airport continues to grow as does the industrial/commercial area south of the airport. Residential areas directly south of the airport are almost entirely destroyed.
2014 A view looking west across Lemmon Ave towards Love Field Airport to the area where the Elm Thicket Park and Hillard Golf Course would have been.
2013 Elm Thicket is still a vibrant neighborhood at the edge of an ever growing Love Field. There is no residential area left directly south of the airport, but Elm Thicket has a new park, Polk Park.
Elm Thicket Park & Hilliard Golf Course Area Unknown • Special Use Area (Golf Course) • 1944 - 1950 • destroyed 1954 Elm Thicket Park shows us how parks and neighborhoods can be valued or undervalued when a new land use is proposed and how the need for specialized facilities can drive the development of park resources. Construction of Elm Thicket Park was begun in 1944 on land owned by neighboring Love Field Airport. It was stipulated that the land could be used only temporarily until needed for airport expansion. The Elm Thicket Neighborhood was between 90 & 100 % black at this time and was isolated from the core of the city and from parks accessible to black residents at the time. In 1950 a 9-hole golf course was constructed in the Elm Thicket Park for the black residents of Dallas who were excluded, except on special occasions such as Juneteenth, from Dallas’ other municipal golf courses. At other times, golf courses for black residents existed in both Griggs Park and Moore Park. In 1954, the course and park were destroyed along with over half of the Elm Thicket neighborhood, due to the expansion of the airport and the rerouting of roads to serve the expanding city. The neighborhood did not have another city park until Polk Park was dedicated in 1969. In the following articles and maps, you can trace the creation and destruction of the park and the evolution of the form of the Elm Thicket neighborhood.
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Elm Thicket Park nos enseña como parques y vecindarios son valorados o subvalorados cuando un nuevo uso del terreno es propuesto, y como la necesidad de facilidades especializadas pueden fundarse en el desarrollo de recursos del parque. Construcción del parque Elm Thicket comenzó en 1944 sobre terreno que pertenecía al aeropuerto Love Field. Fue estipulado que la propiedad solo podia ser usada temporalmente, hasta que se necesitara el terreno para crecer el aeropuerto. El vecindario Elm Thicket era del 90% al 100% afroamericano durante estos años y estaba separado del centro de la ciudad y de parques accesibles a afroamericanos. En 1950 un campo de golf fue construido en el parque Elm Thicket para residentes afroamericanos que fueron excluidos, excepto en ocasiones especiales, como el dia festivo “Juneteenth”. En otros tiempos los campos de golf para residentes afroamericanos existían en los parques Griggs y Moore. En 1954 el campo de golf y el parque fueron destruidos, al igual que mas de la mitad del vecindario Elm Thicket, por crecer el aeropuerto y crear nuevas carreteras en la ciudad. El vecindario no tenia otro parque hasta que el parque Polk fue dedicado en 1969. En los siguientes artículos y mapas se puede ver la creación y destrucción del parque, y la evolución de la forma del vecindario Elm Thicket.
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INFRASTRUCTURE Infrastructure expansion gave way to a temporaryseparation between benefit for a community, but eventuallyneighborhood this & park space expansion displaced a community.
The need for specialized facilities, in this case a golf course, gave rise to the construction of Hilliard Golf To print, select from the options below. First choose what to print: image only, image and citation, or citation only. Course.
Changing real estate and infrastructural needs for the growing city cause large scale changes in neighborhood.
To print, select from the options below. First choose what to print: image only, image and citation, or citation only. Next choose a paper size and page layout, making sure your printer settings match. Then click your browser's Print function. To print, select from the options below. First choose what to print: image only, image and citation, or citation only. Next choose a paper size and page layout, making sure your printer settings match. Then click your browser's Print function. Next choose a paper size and page layout, making sure your printer settings match. Then click your browser's Print function. Skip specialized facility To print, select News/Opinion from the options below. Firstsports choose what to print: image only, image and citation, or citation only. Headline: Request for Negro Golf Course Ok'd;; Article Type: Headline: New Negro Park Planned by City;; Article Type: News/Opinion Next choose a paper size and page layout, making sure your printer settings match. Then click your browser's Print function. Headline: City to Shut Street for Airport Job;; Article Type: News/Opinion communities from outside area travel to usePage: the Paper: Dallas Morning News;; the Date: 02-02-1949;; 12;; Location: Dallas, Texas Paper: Dallas Morning News;; Date: 04-02-1944;; Page: Page Five;; Location: Dallas, Texas Headline: City Adds Park Acreage during Year of Heavy Use;; Article Type: News/Opinion Paper: Dallas Morning News;; Date: 05-18-1954;; Page: 1;; Location: Dallas, Texas Paper: Dallas Morning News;; Date: 01-02-1950;; Page: 6;; Location: Dallas, Texas
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A property owner allows their lands to be leased by the city for park purposes in an area where there is a demonstrated need for parks, the owner receives a financial benefit.
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travel to parks that meet their needs or use the parks for activities it is not designed for
As the city grows and development conditions change, the property owner develops the land and the community is left without a dedicated park space.
January 2nd, 1950
May 18th, 1954
December 14th, 1944
April 14th, 1949