Dealey Plaza to undergo long-needed restoration

Dealey Plaza to undergo long-needed restoration
by GLORIA CAMPOS
WFAA, Channel 8
Updated Friday, May 11 at 11:26 PM
See: http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Dealey-Plaza-to-undergo-long-needed-restoration-151215185.html
Video of live news item has more details

DALLAS – Plans are underway to restore the historic Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas in time for the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The two-acre site, completed in 1941, has gone largely untouched for much of its more than 70 years.

The plans include repairing structural damage, updating the fountains in the two reflecting pools and bringing some sidewalks into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The restoration will be paid for with public and private funds. There is a fundraising effort underway, and the project is a little less than $1 million shy of the $4.3 million budget.

Dealey Plaza was designed in 1939 by the Kansas City, Missouri, architectural firm of Hare and Hare and it stands on what’s believed the birthplace of Dallas. The owner of the Dallas Morning News, George Bannerman Dealey, donated the land and the city park in his name was dedicated in 1949, hailed as the “front door of Dallas.”

But President Kennedy’s assassination made Dealey Plaza infamous and synonymous with the assassination.

As a result, with the exception some sporadic cosmetic touch ups and updates, the National Historic Landmark has gone largely untouched.

Visit DallasFoundation.org if you are interested in making a donation to the restoration of Dealey Plaza.

E-mail gcampos@wfaa.com