This project is deeply personal and written with a purpose – to stop developers from building an unnecessary events center on the community’s favorite hangout spot (“my hill”) in my neighborhood back home in Dallas. It was later paired with a proposition for a splash park as an alternative, and is being reviewed by the Parks Board.
We don’t need (or want) another building to replace greenspaces in Dallas.
When I think of home, I think of a small bench on top of a small hill that overlooks a small lake, where I would often walk to from my house to read or people-watch. On any day of the week, it is consistently crawling with bikers, joggers, and walkers, and during the weekend you might also witness an informal car show, driving slowly to avoid pedestrians; families of many generations fishing, kicking around a soccer ball and having cookouts using the public grills; young and old couples having picnics closer to the shore, and groups of highschool friends like my own gathering to listen to music and talk about life. Everyone could gather there, everyone was welcome, and there was no entrance fee – the only limitation was the dozen or so parking spots, but neighbors usually found a way to walk there, anyway.
My hill, the space where the Dreyfus Club used to sit, has always been my go to spot, one that over time became more and more special as memories accumulated on its surface. I called it “my hill,” not only because I was one of many who lived walking distance from it, but because no matter who I felt like being that day, how crazy my life felt, or how uncertain things were during the pandemic, I would always find some sense of belonging there. In fact I still do, even now that I moved away for college, and when I come home my hill is one of the first stops I make.
In recent months, the White Rock Lake Conservancy has been developing a plan for my hill – to rebuild the Dreyfus Club building which burned down in 2006. According to the collaborators the building would be “designed with the park and its history in mind,” serving as an indoor venue space available for rent. Surveys were conducted to measure the public response to this idea, but the responses were not reflective of the local community, which would likely have several grievances with the rebuild plan. As always, a development like this always comes along with construction, traffic, and other disturbances during the building process. But the major theme of my protest against the building is what I find to be an inequitable and frankly inappropriate use of the hill parks are intended to be outdoors spaces, not indoor spaces, and the community space is intended to be one to share, not to limit to those with the means to rent it out. Dallas has plenty of indoor venues available for rent – do we really need another one in White Rock Lake Park? Not every piece of greenspace needs to have a building on it, and there are many amenity opportunities that don’t include a building. In fact, I am very supportive of many aspects of the existing proposal – almost all of them aside from the building itself. I think that the areas for shaded picnics and sunset viewing, the public restrooms, water station and bike racks, are all fantastic ways to update and renovate the hill’s facilities while preserving what has truly drawn people to the space for the past 16 years. I also support the effort to pay homage to the old Dreyfus Club, whether that be incorporating the original bricks into a structure like a birdbath or garden planter, or even placing informational plaques around the space where people can learn about the history of the club and its function back in the World War II era.
My alternative proposal to building a new clubhouse is to turn the space into a splash park. Like a playground with water, these recreational spaces have countless benefits to a community, the most important of which is its inclusive and accessible nature to community members of all demographics. Think about everyone who visits White Rock Lake – the first group that comes to mind, particularly in the summertime, is families. It is a strange phenomenon to be so close to a body of water that you are unable to access unless by boat – a splash park would satisfy that craving to come to the lake in a swimsuit, cool off in the water, all with a view of the lake. The hill would still serve as a perfect place for adults to fish, barbecue, or watch the sunset, while their children play at the splash park right above them. In the evenings, or during the winter, the splash park would be designed in such a way that it still stands as an attractive statement piece that requires practically no maintenance, and the space would be accessible to all of the other demographics of visitors – the picnicking couples laying blankets in the grassy area, the bikers in need of a water stop with a view, the neighbors taking an evening stroll with their dogs. This, rather than a structure that is not unlike the many within a five mile radius of the hill, which would require people to pay rent, exclude neighbors, and force the city to maintain.
In addition to my splash park idea, my neighbors imagine the hill improved with other uses of the greenspace that they support more than a new clubhouse. For example, one suggestion was a screened porch that is accessible and not necessary to rent, but perhaps available to reserve. This idea would supplement the existing seating area with an option that is more protected from the elements and better suited for small social gatherings. Other neighbors proposed a skate park, more grilling and picnic areas, and even a dark sky space for stargazing…
I speak alongside my neighbors when I urge the city to reconsider developing on the Dreyfus Club hill and to instead preserve our activity centric greenspace. We are 15 minutes from downtown Dallas, a concrete jungle – do we really need another building on my hill?