A city park floating on air: Klyde Warren Park in Dallas
A remarkable green space floats overhead, literally flashing before your eyes as you commute or pass through downtown Dallas. Built above 3 blocks of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Klyde Warren Park is a remarkable green roof that has become a beloved public park.
Traffic flows beneath the park in all its concrete, city-dividing ugliness.
But above, trees shade Parisian-style cafe tables and chairs, a large lawn provides space for games and lounging, a playground with a splash-pad water feature entices families, and food trucks and restaurants offer quick bites or places to enjoy a meal with friends. The park bridges once-divided neighborhoods and has proved a popular attraction not only for locals but visitors too.
For the past several years, as I’ve zipped under the park on my way to other places in Dallas, I’ve longed to stop and check it out. People always seemed to be having so much fun up there!
Last month, while visiting Dallas for the State Fair and sightseeing with our kids, we included Klyde Warren in our itinerary, finding a nearby parking lot late one Saturday afternoon and walking over. It was delightful to see so many people lounging with their families and friends, enjoying games and picnics…
…playing on treehouse-like structures…
…and splashing in kid-friendly play fountains.
It reminds me of public parks in Paris.
On the lawn, people played football and other games. At a kiosk along the edge of the park, board games can be borrowed, lending-library-style, with your ID.
Surrounding the park, high-rise buildings enjoy a bird’s-eye view. Who wouldn’t want to live near something so green and enjoyable versus a concrete overpass?
Light-sparkling trees and green cafe seating make hanging out a pleasant experience well past dark.
At one end of the park, a performance pavilion offers a spot for yoga classes and live shows.
Its mirrored sign captures a reflected view of Dallas’s downtown buildings.
Behind it, a long, shallow pool entertains with fountains that splash high and low in a watery ballet. No doubt kids run through here on hot summer days.
What a delightful park, and how clever to build it over a highway that otherwise divided downtown Dallas. Have you ever visited Klyde Warren Park or other parks like it? (The High Line in NYC obviously comes to mind.) Austin, could you imagine a green-roof park over portions of I-35 downtown?
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Digging Deeper
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Man, it would be amazing to put something like this over 35!
It would!
Great idea! Toronto is doing the reverse, building a park underneath one of the overpass highways that separate the city from Lake Ontario. I haven’t seen it so don’t know how successful it is, but any bit of green public space is better than concrete.
Absolutely, Pat. That sounds like an interesting project, and I hope you’ll be able to visit one day and report about it.
What an amazing space. It is no wonder there were so many people there. I had never heard of this park. If I had to live in a city I would definitely want something like this near where I live. I have never seen one of these elevated parks in person only in pictures before. The pictures shown here of this one seems more inviting and much more green.
I like that cities are working harder to build in more green spaces with green roofs and parks. We need lots more!