West End, Dallas
Encyclopedia
The West End Historic District is an area in northwest downtown
Dallas
, Texas
(USA
), generally north of Commerce, east of I-35E
, west of Lamar and south of Woodall Rodgers Freeway. It is south of Victory Park, west of the Arts, City Center, and Main Street districts, and north of the Government and Reunion districts. The area is a Dallas Landmark District.
. In July 1872, the Houston & Texas Central Railroad arrived in downtown, attracting manufacturing companies whose warehouses would come to define the architecture of the West End.
The district reached nationwide prominence in the 1960s, however, when President John F. Kennedy
was shot in its Dealey Plaza
. While the assassination brought the district attention, the district's economy was struggling, with many businesses leaving the city center for suburban locations.
As Downtown Dallas' skyline was changing and history was being demolished local developer Preston Carter Jr. revitalized the West End Historic District to preserve history in June 1976. Old warehouses and other brick buildings were converted to restaurants and shops. The West End is one of the better urban areas in Dallas thanks to the set-up of the historic district.
Today, over seven million people visit the West End annually, making it one of the city's leading tourist attractions. In recent years the area has suffered a decline. The West End Marketplace, a massive mall/entertainment complex, closed its doors on 30 June 2006. However the development in Victory Park to the north may spur a re-birth.
, ,
.
Residents of the district south of Pacific are zoned to City Park Elementary School, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, and James Madison High School. Residents north of Pacific are zoned to Hope Medrano Elementary School, Thomas J. Rusk Middle School, and North Dallas High School
.
Private Schools
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), generally north of Commerce, east of I-35E
Interstate 35E (Texas)
Interstate 35E , an Interstate Highway, is the eastern half of Interstate 35 where it splits to serve different cities in Texas. I-35 splits into two branch routes, I-35W and I-35E at Hillsboro. I-35E runs north for , maintaining I-35's sequence of exit numbers. It runs through Dallas before...
, west of Lamar and south of Woodall Rodgers Freeway. It is south of Victory Park, west of the Arts, City Center, and Main Street districts, and north of the Government and Reunion districts. The area is a Dallas Landmark District.
History
The area that would become the West End originally consisted simply of a trading post, established by John Neely BryanJohn Neely Bryan
John Neely Bryan was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of Dallas, Texas.- Early life :...
. In July 1872, the Houston & Texas Central Railroad arrived in downtown, attracting manufacturing companies whose warehouses would come to define the architecture of the West End.
The district reached nationwide prominence in the 1960s, however, when President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was shot in its Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. While the assassination brought the district attention, the district's economy was struggling, with many businesses leaving the city center for suburban locations.
As Downtown Dallas' skyline was changing and history was being demolished local developer Preston Carter Jr. revitalized the West End Historic District to preserve history in June 1976. Old warehouses and other brick buildings were converted to restaurants and shops. The West End is one of the better urban areas in Dallas thanks to the set-up of the historic district.
Today, over seven million people visit the West End annually, making it one of the city's leading tourist attractions. In recent years the area has suffered a decline. The West End Marketplace, a massive mall/entertainment complex, closed its doors on 30 June 2006. However the development in Victory Park to the north may spur a re-birth.
Attractions
- The Conspiracy MuseumConspiracy MuseumThe Conspiracy Museum was a private exhibition in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas . It opened in 1995, funded by a retired architect who calls himself an "assassinologist."...
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy MemorialJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy MemorialThe John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial is a monument to the late U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas erected in 1970.- The Monument :...
- Old Red MuseumOld Red MuseumThe Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1891 of red sandstone rusticated marble accents, is an historic governmental building located at 100 South Houston Street in Dallas, Texas. Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it is now the Old Red Museum, a local history museum. It was designed in the...
- Dallas World AquariumDallas World AquariumThe Dallas World Aquarium is an aquarium and zoo located in West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA. The zoo aids conservation and education by housing many animals that are threatened or endangered as part of a cooperative breeding program with other zoos around the world.The...
- Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & ToleranceDallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & ToleranceThe Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance is a Holocaust museum located in Dallas, Texas. In 1977, 125 Jewish Holocaust Survivors and North Texas residents joined together and formed an organization called Holocaust Survivors in Dallas. In 1984, the survivors along with national...
- The Sixth Floor MuseumSixth Floor MuseumThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is a museum located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building . The museum examines the life, times, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy...
, located in the Texas School Book DepositoryTexas School Book DepositoryThe Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
, the building from which Lee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
shot President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
according to the conclusions of four government investigations.
Light rail
DARTDallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
, ,
- West End StationWest End StationWest End is a DART Light Rail station located in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas on Pacific Avenue, between Market and Lamar Streets near CBD West Transfer Center...
Education
The district is zoned to schools in the Dallas Independent School DistrictDallas Independent School District
The Dallas Independent School District is a school district based in Dallas, Texas . Dallas ISD, which operates schools in much of Dallas County, is the second largest school district in Texas and the twelfth largest in the United States.In 2009, the school district was rated "academically...
.
Residents of the district south of Pacific are zoned to City Park Elementary School, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, and James Madison High School. Residents north of Pacific are zoned to Hope Medrano Elementary School, Thomas J. Rusk Middle School, and North Dallas High School
North Dallas High School
North Dallas High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, .North Dallas enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District...
.
Private Schools