​Overview

Scope and Content

Collection contains correspondence, memoranda, materials invoices, and orders regarding the construction of Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, 1940-1942.

Dealey Plaza is a 3.07-acre park in downtown Dallas, Texas, known both as the site of the founding of Dallas in 1841 and as the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.  In 1841, John Neely Bryan built a log cabin on the site, on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River.  The bluff was later altered in 1928 through landscaping and flood control improvements of the Trinity River by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and other entities.  The area was further developed as "The Front Door of Dallas" between 1935-1942 as a vehicular park and a triple underpass constructed in part by workers from the federally-sponsored Works Progress Administration and the National Youth Administration.  Until the development of Dallas' highway system, Dealey Plaza served as the major gateway to the city from the west. 

In 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in the heart of the Plaza.  In 1993, the United States Department of the Interior designated Dealey Plaza as a National Historic Landmark District.

Organization

The collection is arranged chronologically.

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Citation

Park and Recreation Department Subject Files:  Dealey Plaza, 1940-1942 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Materials

Collection 2002-001—Dallas Park and Recreation Department Plans and Drawings

Index Terms

Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)
Dallas (Tex.) – History
Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark (Dallas, Tex.)
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 – Assassination
Park facilities -- Texas – History
Parks -- Texas – History
Plazas -- Texas -- Dallas
United States. National Youth Administration
United States. Works Progress Administration

Container List