Dallas developer Shawn Todd, his company Todd Interests, and his partners at East Quarter are making a major investment in downtown’s fourth urban park.
Parks for Downtown Dallas, a nonprofit that aims to establish major downtown public parks, announced that Todd Interests and East Quarter Partners are donating $1 million to help fund the construction of Harwood Park. It’s the fourth urban park to be completed as part of a public-private partnership between Parks for Downtown Dallas and the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.
Located in downtown Dallas, Harwood Park is a new public park that would serve as a connection point between the East Quarter District, the Dallas Farmers Market District, and the Downtown core. It’s bounded by Harwood Street to the west, Jackson Street to the north, Pearl Expressway to the east—equating to nearly four acres in size.
[Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Courtesy of Parks for Downtown Dallas and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department]
Once complete, Harwood Park will sit across from 300 Pearl, East Quarter’s newest mixed-use development that’s slated to open Spring 2021.
“To have a leading, urban planning-oriented firm like Todd Interests and their partners at East Quarter not only support this effort, but put financial muscle behind it is a very, very significant moment for us and the City of Dallas,” Robert Decherd, chairman of Parks for Downtown Dallas, said in a statement.
The goal of Parks for Downtown Dallas is to build four new urban neighborhood parks by the end of 2022. In conjunction, the nonprofit hopes to develop a framework for maintaining and improving downtown Dallas’ public parks.
“We look forward to fulfilling the 2013 Downtown Parks Master Plan Update and completing all four priority parks,” Amy M. Meadows, president and CEO of Parks for Downtown Dallas, said in a statement. “The realization of this plan will give downtown Dallas nearly 14 acres of new green space, helping to solidify the notion that downtown is a place to build a life and call home.”
[Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Courtesy of Parks for Downtown Dallas and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department]
Construction for Harwood Park is scheduled to start in Spring 2021, with Austin-based firm Ten Eyck Landscape Architects leading the design.
Once complete, it’s going to activate the area, Shawn Todd, who serves as managing partner and CEO of Todd Interests, said. He points out that every great city in America has a strong urban core that people can live, work, and play in. Typically completing that is a green space to interact with.
READ NEXT Placemakers: For Todd Interests, Revitalizing a Downtown Dallas Neighborhood is a Family Affair
“This park is very special because it has historic buildings that are a part of it. To interweave and be a part of those buildings with new architecture that we’re building, historical architecture that exists—it’s powerful,” he said in a video announcing the investment. “It’s calming to your soul. It’s calming to your mind. And it’s uplifting to your spirit.”
[Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Courtesy of Parks for Downtown Dallas and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department]
According to Philip and Patrick Todd, partners at Todd Interests and Shawn’s sons, the real estate firm and its partners in East Quarter are excited to be part of the history taking place in the urban core of Dallas.
“Urban parks define the soul of a city. Parks for Downtown Dallas has forever changed the landscape of our city by adding not one, but four new parks,” Patrick Todd said in a statement. “The impact of these parks cannot be understated.”
East Quarter encompasses an area north of the Farmers Market and just west of Deep Ellum along streets that mostly converge around 2200 Main St. Todd Interests took on the area, aiming to transform it into a mix of restaurants, creative office space, and residences, all connected by wider sidewalks and narrower roadways. Now, it is home to many of Dallas’ most innovative companies and restaurateurs.
East Quarter will wrap around the future Harwood Park.
[Image: Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, Courtesy of Parks for Downtown Dallas and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department]
Watch this
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors' picks. Plus, you'll find more selections to "save the date."
-
The hybrid event in August will take place in person at SMU and virtually. The seventh annual Dallas Startup Week powered by Capital One is Dallas-Fort Worth's largest event focused on driving entrepreneurial success, economic impact, and innovation in the region.
-
You'll find deadlines coming up for a new accelerator program; and many more opportunities.
-
The Water Cooler at Pegasus Park—the largest shared nonprofit space in Texas — is a place designed to accelerate impact, together. From Big Thought to SVP Dallas to The Trust for Public Land, the 15 ‘exceptional nonprofits' were picked after an application process last summer. They’ll join Water Cooler's five founding tenants.
-
BioLabs at Pegasus Park shared space and state-of-the-art lab is slated to open in December. It's a place where entrepreneurial innovators can test, develop, and grow their ideas.
