What Is This? A Deck Park for Ants? No, Just the New Woodall Rodgers Model.

By Robert Wilonsky Wed., Apr. 21 2010 at 2:58 PM

Categories: News

We were all tied up yesterday and couldn't make it out to the unveiling of the new model for the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park -- a marked improvement over its bare-bones predecessor. Nevertheless, Joanna Singleton was kind enough to send over this photo of the model, which you're more than welcome to peek at if you're in the neighborhood of the Dallas Center for Architecture. Incidentally, that major thoroughfare at the bottom of the photo is North Pearl Street, for those in need of a reference point.

After the jump, some "fun facts" about the park's greenery. As opposed to, say, the kind of green the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation still needs to fund the capital campaign.

Fun Facts: What's Green About The Park?

The Park will add 5.2 acres of shared, public space to Dallas' city center, encouraging pedestrian and bicycle connectivity. A few examples:

• The Park will have 322 trees, 904 shrubs, 3,292 assorted plants
• Most trees will be the Texas-native Panache Red Oaks
• Other trees include Bur Oak, Pond Cypress, River Birch, Pistache and Lacebark Elm
• Plants will include 32 native Texas species
• There will be 40,000 square feet of lawn
• The Park's trees will sequester an estimated 7 tons of carbon per year at maturity
• The water features will use a water reclamation system and a double purification
• System substantially reducing the use of potable water and the disposal of "dirty" water
• Over 80% of the park is irrigated with a high-efficiency capillary irrigation subsurface system (KISSS) The high-efficiency irrigation system will limit water lost to overspray and evaporation. This will save about 350,000 gallons a year over a conventional overhead spray system
• High-efficiency LED lighting with a lighting management system has been incorporated and will result in annual savings of approximately 94,000 kilowatts of electricity
• Solar recycling and trash receptacles will compact the discarded material and saves on emptying frequency

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@Dallasite, do you really think those trees will grow to be that tall? Remember they'll be planted on a bed of concrete. And even if they do grow that tall, City Hall will chop them down faster than you can say "Just Do It". Seriously though, who hasn't driven through Woodall Rodgers and thought "man, this is really a barrier between Downtown and Uptown." Now there won't be a barrier. That's pretty amazing.
this park is the best idea dallas has seen in years. creating 6 acres out of thinair! no land acquistion cost, no land coming out of city tax base, surrounding values go up. i can not wait!
Honest question for everyone who thinks this is a dumb idea and a waste of money; would y'all prefer to keep Woodall Rodgers as it exists? Or what do you propose in its place, if anything? Isn't at least this attempt to 'right' a previous wrong and begin to unite downtown with Uptown better than what is there now? Dallasite, you must have missed all the previous discussions about how there weren't enough trees planned for the park, because no one will EVER want to use a park with less trees during our notorious hot summers. I guess it is true you can't please everyone. Jeez.
Too many trees, and not enough open space. As a result, the view of the walkways will be blocked from the street, and it will be far too dark and scary for anyone to go out there at night. Even during the day it looks like it's going to get pretty creepy as the trees mature. Once again Dallas had the opportunity to make something great, and instead decided build something almost completely unusable. At least city leaders can point at their model and tell everyone how beautiful their empty park is.
Too many trees, and not enough open space. As a result, the view of the walkways will be blocked from the street, and it will be far too dark and scary for anyone to go out there at night. Even during the day it looks like it's going to get pretty creepy as the trees mature. Once again Dallas had the opportunity to make something great, and instead decided build something almost completely unusable. At least city leaders can point at their model and tell everyone how beautiful their empty park is.
I am opposed to anything that costs that much money,unless it is good as they say it's going to be. It will not be as it appears because trees will have roots that will upset the balance of nature.It may be best to just plant laarge bushes instead of trees.It may be best not to have a roller coaster in the park. If the Roller Coaster has too many riders,the park will have to be larger and there will be no additional money to make it larger.
I don't care what everyone says - you can't piss me off. This park is a game changer for Dallas - and it is going to be wonderful.
I am opposed to anything that costs that much money,unless it is good as they say it's going to be. It will not be as it appears because trees will have roots that will upset the balance of nature.It may be best to just plant laarge bushes instead of trees.It may be best not to have a roller coaster in the park. If the Roller Coaster has too many riders,the park will have to be larger and there will be no additional money to make it larger.
Hi - a few answers. -The private Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation will maintain the park, so it will not be subject to city budget cuts. -The city invested $20 million towards the $110 million total. The rest of the funding comes from private donations, state and federal sources. -
Haters gonna hate. I wonder how this would have been received if the Trinity debacle had never occurred? This is a bridge I personally approve of and might actually use.
But oh! how they danced! The litt'l people of <i>Stone 'Enge</i> ...
I think it's bizarre enough that the City's building a Park it still doesn't have the money to finish (>$20 million in private money yet to be raised) but better yet: Since Dallas can't maintain it's current parks now how will it take care of some this management intesive? Per the DMN (sorry 'bout the repeat): "The Texas Trees Foundation dedicated Pioneer Plaza to the city in 1996. In recent months, the foundation also has done a good deal of work to improve the site's condition. That includes new landscaping with drought-resistant native plants and repaired lighting. The group is testing how to attach new signage to better explain the display. Monear said the group hopes that the Convention Center will consider relandscaping the area under the bronze sculptures and that the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs will make the needed repairs to the sculpture. Those repairs may be a while off. "Nothing is planned for that, and the city of Dallas eliminated the conservation and maintenance budget for public art for 2010," said Kay Kallos, public art manager for the cultural affairs office. "Of course, if there is any issue that represents a public safety hazard, we will respond to that." http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/problemsolver/stories/DN-problemsolver_18ent.ART.West.Edition1.4cd9e3e.html Think about that, not one piece of public art will be maintained for the next year. So how is the City going to take care of this complex management intensive park and that magical fountain in the foreground? I think the DO at the time the Pioneer Plaza Park was approved by Council pointed out the real cost would be annual maintenance, the City and supporters claimed that wasn't a issue. Turns out it is a issue. Anyone remember when Raymond Nasher repossessed his sculptures from City Hall Plaza because they had fallen into disrepair due to neglect and vandalism? Dallas: Hasn't taken care of parks for years, isn't taking care of it's parks now, won't take care of it future parks. World class.
Zoolander reference. That is way cool.
Coleman says: I don't wanna hear your excuses! The weird deck park has to be at least... three times bigger than this! ********* Why am I thinking of Stonehenge now? "In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing..."
Man thats a lot of trees for the homeless to water. I hope the city plans on handing out free beer and caffinated drinks to attact enough homeless to water all those trees. All that concrete and heat will need to be treated with evaporation therapy too. They may need to enlist downtown workers to help out. Maybe a pee on a tree adoption program.
"The Park's trees will sequester an estimated 7 tons of carbon per year at maturity" lets do some math :) 5.2 acres * (43560 sf/acre) = 226,512 sf (assume 6" concrete deck...conservative) 226,512*.5 = 113,256 cubic feet concrete weighs about 150 lbs / cubic feet 113,256*150=16988400 lbs or 84,942 TONS of concrete concrete is typically 10% cement. 84,942*0.10 = 8,494 tons of cement. 1 ton of cement production = 1 ton of CO2 emitted. 8494 tons of cement= 8,494 TONS OF CO2 emitted. 8500 tons of C02 minimum for the concrete... add the wall to hold up the deck, add the fuel from the construction equipment, the exhaust from all of the increased traffic during construction, etc. and how much will all those trees sequester again? 7 a year? what a joke. p.s. we need those rain forests.
They have cars running through the center? Barf.
If anyone ever wonders why our city, county, state and country are going broke.....tell them about our wonderfully $80,000,000 DECK PARK. At a cost of a mere $353.18 per square foot, we can enjoy the roar of traffic, the stench of fuel exhaust, and the sunny glare from a dozen post-modern glass box buildings. Does that make me a hater?
@Hannibal Lecter, I'd rather my tax money go to $100M for a park the size of a Wal-Mart as opposed to a $100M tax incentive for an actual Wal-Mart. Haters gonna hate. Bring on the park I say!
I don't wanna hear your excuses! The weird deck park has to be at least... three times bigger than this!
" There will be 40,000 square feet of lawn" LOL
$100M for a park the size of a WalMart...
How do I get a job making models for the city? Seems like every time I turn around, there's some new model. I like playing with tiny trees, honest!
@Newsdog- It depends how many Nike ads there are...
And how many of those trees will be cut down in the first couple of years because they block the view of a billborad or some other privately owned contrivance along, or near, the park?