06-02-2011, 06:52 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-02-2011, 07:22 AM by Bernice Moore.)
i still not have found the other photos of the tunnels,Correction :wavey:...they are maps drawn of the tunnels, Not photos...tx i will persue...thought i posted this but...so...this was from the original underground tunnel site..b
« Johnny America / Archives / Non-Fiction / Dallas Underground i just clicked this on the left and it came up...?????? good...
Dallas Underground
by Shawn LIVENGOOD
You may not know this, but there is an elaborate system of pedestrian tunnels throughout downtown Dallas. It was originally designed as a way to keep busy Dallasites out of the heat during the summer and the thunderstorms in the spring and fall. There are also spaces available for retail and services underground, creating a sort of self-sufficient city underneath the streets.
It's a good idea…in theory. Of course, like many cool things in Dallas, it all went horribly wrong when it actually got put into practice. Number one, downtown Dallas is dead. As soon as five o'clock passes and offices close, the worker bees of downtown buzz back to their hives in the suburbs as fast as their Hummers can carry them. Even during the day it's a rare occurrence to see a living soul outside of their cubicle. Number two, anything that requires the people of Texas to get out of their SUVs and actually move their lazy asses around by mere footpower is destined to fail. As a result, walking through the tunnels is like walking in a ghost town. Empty retail spaces outnumber the occupied ones at least two to one. Even the ones that remain open are host to absent customers and one or two extremely bored-looking clerks. The employees underground seem to spend more time engaging in idle conversation with each other, pausing only to emit a sigh of frustration whenever a potential customer saunters by.
One day, I set out to explore the mysterious labyrinth I had heard so much about. Equipped with my wits, an iPod, and a blurry map culled from the dark corners of the internet, I began my journey at Fountain Place Plaza, roughly three blocks east of the Dallas Museum of Art. You might know it as "that weird looking kind-of-triangular" building. The neat thing about Fountain Place Plaza is that the building changes shape depending on which direction you view it from. It goes from wide triangle to thin sliver of glass to chopped-up obelisk as you move around its perimeter. Dallas must be one of the only cities with a 60-story optical illusion in its heart.
I walked down a staircase leading from the street to enter a massive garden of fountains. Unlike most building complex names like "Forest Park" or "River Glen", Fountain Place is actually a place with a lot of fountains. During a summer afternoon you might find business types enjoying their lunch under a shady tree, mingling with the bored children of summer enjoying an illicit dip in one of the dozens of fountains.
The underground entrance is tucked away behind one of the tiered fountains. I was in; I had finally gained access to the elusive tunnel system. No longer did I have to endure the scorching wrath of the Texas sun. I was free from the legion of panhandlers shuffling about the sidewalks. The great labyrinth was mine to explore. Of course, things do get a little confusing when your only method of navigation is a barely-legible map and no sense of direction; I had foolishly neglected to bring a compass. What would my former scoutmaster think of me? Only a handful of signs offered cryptic directions, and surprise junctions connected underground tunnels to second-story skywalks. It's kind of like following a dusty old pirate map, only there's no treasure at the end. Or pirates, for that matter.
It's easy to get lost between buildings due to lack of signs, but it does add a bit of adventure to an otherwise bland atmosphere. While other cities have their clearly marked subways and helpful tourist maps posted on every corner, Dallas seems to antagonize anyone foolish enough to wander the strangely angled streets of downtown. The city is a trap for lost souls who dare to escape the clean, organized uniformity of the suburbs. You almost expect to find David Bowie and an army of Jim Henson puppets taunting you at every corner.
The path winds through a number of prominent buildings in the downtown area, but the tunnel system itself remains disturbingly bland. Most of the way, gray or white walls are all that you see. At some points it's like walking through a parking garage with no air conditioning. These corridors were built in a time where function triumphed over form. In some corners, however, you can still see the faint ghosts of decoration: an unlit fossil display, a faded mural, signs advertising shopping areas long derelict. The tunnels were built with the noble purpose of creating a subterranean fusion of business, shopping, and leisure. Now, they merely shuttle sun-weary businesspeople between cubicle prisons.
After an hour or two of exploration and disappointment, I decided to turn back. I had expected some grand endeavor of smart urban planning. Instead, I got a few air-conditioned skywalks and empty store facades. It's sad to see noble efforts fall into such disuse. But it is a good way to waste a lazy afternoon.
Filed under Non-Fiction on 1 September, 2005.
So far sixteen comments relate to this item. Read or add to the discussion.
So far sixteen comments relate to this item. Hide comments.
Comments
Don't they have an ice rink in there?
Posted by Anonymous on 12 September, 2005 at 04:57 PM.
At one time, there was one near Plaza of the Americas which is in the "skybridges" section. Do not know if it is still there.
Posted by aanon on 7 October, 2005 at 05:13 PM.
From what dark corner of the internet did you cull your map of the pedestrian tunnels?
Posted by Anonymous on 19 April, 2006 at 02:03 PM.
Unfortunately for your readers you are very off base. Maybe if you did some research before attempting to play travel expert you might know that first of all the tunnels were not designed to keep the people of Dallas out of inclemental weather, but designed and layout for the Santa Fe railroad company back in 1924 and used to transport troops and supplies during WWII.
Posted by Anonymous on 10 May, 2006 at 06:46 PM.
Interesting Story. Were there any retail shops or restaurants still open down there? Did you make it over to the One Main Place building? I hear there may be some stuff open down that way? Just curious……
Posted by Brian on 30 May, 2006 at 01:13 PM.
Keep talking shit about TEXAS, I hope it makes you feel better.
Posted by Winston on 22 June, 2006 at 12:15 AM.
you did not respond to any of the questions…so never mind
Posted by rich on 24 August, 2006 at 01:55 PM.
There are still plenty of food courts and pharmacies and doctors offices and banks and gift shops and jewelry shops and starbucks and art dealers and clothiers and massage therapists and various other ventures that are alive and well in underground' Dallas - you just have to know where they are
Posted by Anonymous on 1 June, 2007 at 04:15 PM.
yes what dark corner of the internet did you get yopur map from.
Posted by Brent on 26 June, 2007 at 02:13 AM.
http://dallastunnels.taitlifto.net/index.html
…dark corner of the internet located here
Posted by undergroundjordan on 23 March, 2009 at 04:23 PM.
Very cool, but as said before - it's a shame that nothing really came of these tunnels. I'm hearing different reports of the history of them - trains? Military transport? Does anyone have some citations for any of this?
Posted by Ben^2 on 9 May, 2009 at 01:21 AM.
check out the information on this web-site… this is closer to what I have heard about Dallas' Underground.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1...ncent.html
Posted by Cristal on 26 October, 2009 at 11:33 PM.
Johnny, You will LOVE the site I found…
http://dallastunnels.org/
This man has taken MANY pictures of the underground that you may be able to post to your map.
Also… here is the best map that I have found…
http://www.fountainplace.com/pages/tunnelmap.asp
Hope this all helps!
Sincerely, Cristal
Posted by Cristal on 27 October, 2009 at 01:37 PM.
Back in the mid seventies I worked for The Dallas Chamber Of Commerce. I went into the tunnel weekly and had lunch. It was a thriving, beautiful adventure. Of course many of the pretty, glamorous people of Dallas were there. Ia anything in this article by Shawn Livengood true?
Posted by Gary Bouslog on 4 November, 2009 at 03:01 PM.
I had always wondered what we had stumbled onto back in the early eighties, it was late - after midnight or so, we were running through the streets back then and ditched into an underground parking lot that had a small entrance into what appeared to be an underground rail system. It was very unusual, we picked up an old police billy club (spring loaded!), police flashlight and some misc army crap (canteens, belts et al) if I remember right. We wondered these tunnels for most of the night till early morning, never went back - but had always wondered that these tunnels were for, now I know - Thanks for the blog!
Posted by Aaron C on 1 December, 2009 at 11:59 PM.
I had always wondered what we had stumbled onto back in the early eighties, it was late - after midnight or so, we were running through the streets back then and ditched into an underground parking lot that had a small entrance into what appeared to be an underground rail system. It was very unusual, we picked up an old police billy club (spring loaded!), police flashlight and some misc army crap (canteens, belts et al) if I remember right. We wondered these tunnels for most of the night till early morning, never went back - but had always wondered that these tunnels were for, now I know - Thanks for the blog!
Posted by Aaron C on 2 December, 2009 at 12:02 AM.
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« Johnny America / Archives / Non-Fiction / Dallas Underground
« Johnny America / Archives / Non-Fiction / Dallas Underground i just clicked this on the left and it came up...?????? good...
Dallas Underground
by Shawn LIVENGOOD
You may not know this, but there is an elaborate system of pedestrian tunnels throughout downtown Dallas. It was originally designed as a way to keep busy Dallasites out of the heat during the summer and the thunderstorms in the spring and fall. There are also spaces available for retail and services underground, creating a sort of self-sufficient city underneath the streets.
It's a good idea…in theory. Of course, like many cool things in Dallas, it all went horribly wrong when it actually got put into practice. Number one, downtown Dallas is dead. As soon as five o'clock passes and offices close, the worker bees of downtown buzz back to their hives in the suburbs as fast as their Hummers can carry them. Even during the day it's a rare occurrence to see a living soul outside of their cubicle. Number two, anything that requires the people of Texas to get out of their SUVs and actually move their lazy asses around by mere footpower is destined to fail. As a result, walking through the tunnels is like walking in a ghost town. Empty retail spaces outnumber the occupied ones at least two to one. Even the ones that remain open are host to absent customers and one or two extremely bored-looking clerks. The employees underground seem to spend more time engaging in idle conversation with each other, pausing only to emit a sigh of frustration whenever a potential customer saunters by.
One day, I set out to explore the mysterious labyrinth I had heard so much about. Equipped with my wits, an iPod, and a blurry map culled from the dark corners of the internet, I began my journey at Fountain Place Plaza, roughly three blocks east of the Dallas Museum of Art. You might know it as "that weird looking kind-of-triangular" building. The neat thing about Fountain Place Plaza is that the building changes shape depending on which direction you view it from. It goes from wide triangle to thin sliver of glass to chopped-up obelisk as you move around its perimeter. Dallas must be one of the only cities with a 60-story optical illusion in its heart.
I walked down a staircase leading from the street to enter a massive garden of fountains. Unlike most building complex names like "Forest Park" or "River Glen", Fountain Place is actually a place with a lot of fountains. During a summer afternoon you might find business types enjoying their lunch under a shady tree, mingling with the bored children of summer enjoying an illicit dip in one of the dozens of fountains.
The underground entrance is tucked away behind one of the tiered fountains. I was in; I had finally gained access to the elusive tunnel system. No longer did I have to endure the scorching wrath of the Texas sun. I was free from the legion of panhandlers shuffling about the sidewalks. The great labyrinth was mine to explore. Of course, things do get a little confusing when your only method of navigation is a barely-legible map and no sense of direction; I had foolishly neglected to bring a compass. What would my former scoutmaster think of me? Only a handful of signs offered cryptic directions, and surprise junctions connected underground tunnels to second-story skywalks. It's kind of like following a dusty old pirate map, only there's no treasure at the end. Or pirates, for that matter.
It's easy to get lost between buildings due to lack of signs, but it does add a bit of adventure to an otherwise bland atmosphere. While other cities have their clearly marked subways and helpful tourist maps posted on every corner, Dallas seems to antagonize anyone foolish enough to wander the strangely angled streets of downtown. The city is a trap for lost souls who dare to escape the clean, organized uniformity of the suburbs. You almost expect to find David Bowie and an army of Jim Henson puppets taunting you at every corner.
The path winds through a number of prominent buildings in the downtown area, but the tunnel system itself remains disturbingly bland. Most of the way, gray or white walls are all that you see. At some points it's like walking through a parking garage with no air conditioning. These corridors were built in a time where function triumphed over form. In some corners, however, you can still see the faint ghosts of decoration: an unlit fossil display, a faded mural, signs advertising shopping areas long derelict. The tunnels were built with the noble purpose of creating a subterranean fusion of business, shopping, and leisure. Now, they merely shuttle sun-weary businesspeople between cubicle prisons.
After an hour or two of exploration and disappointment, I decided to turn back. I had expected some grand endeavor of smart urban planning. Instead, I got a few air-conditioned skywalks and empty store facades. It's sad to see noble efforts fall into such disuse. But it is a good way to waste a lazy afternoon.
Filed under Non-Fiction on 1 September, 2005.
So far sixteen comments relate to this item. Read or add to the discussion.
So far sixteen comments relate to this item. Hide comments.
Comments
Don't they have an ice rink in there?
Posted by Anonymous on 12 September, 2005 at 04:57 PM.
At one time, there was one near Plaza of the Americas which is in the "skybridges" section. Do not know if it is still there.
Posted by aanon on 7 October, 2005 at 05:13 PM.
From what dark corner of the internet did you cull your map of the pedestrian tunnels?
Posted by Anonymous on 19 April, 2006 at 02:03 PM.
Unfortunately for your readers you are very off base. Maybe if you did some research before attempting to play travel expert you might know that first of all the tunnels were not designed to keep the people of Dallas out of inclemental weather, but designed and layout for the Santa Fe railroad company back in 1924 and used to transport troops and supplies during WWII.
Posted by Anonymous on 10 May, 2006 at 06:46 PM.
Interesting Story. Were there any retail shops or restaurants still open down there? Did you make it over to the One Main Place building? I hear there may be some stuff open down that way? Just curious……
Posted by Brian on 30 May, 2006 at 01:13 PM.
Keep talking shit about TEXAS, I hope it makes you feel better.
Posted by Winston on 22 June, 2006 at 12:15 AM.
you did not respond to any of the questions…so never mind
Posted by rich on 24 August, 2006 at 01:55 PM.
There are still plenty of food courts and pharmacies and doctors offices and banks and gift shops and jewelry shops and starbucks and art dealers and clothiers and massage therapists and various other ventures that are alive and well in underground' Dallas - you just have to know where they are
Posted by Anonymous on 1 June, 2007 at 04:15 PM.
yes what dark corner of the internet did you get yopur map from.
Posted by Brent on 26 June, 2007 at 02:13 AM.
http://dallastunnels.taitlifto.net/index.html
…dark corner of the internet located here
Posted by undergroundjordan on 23 March, 2009 at 04:23 PM.
Very cool, but as said before - it's a shame that nothing really came of these tunnels. I'm hearing different reports of the history of them - trains? Military transport? Does anyone have some citations for any of this?
Posted by Ben^2 on 9 May, 2009 at 01:21 AM.
check out the information on this web-site… this is closer to what I have heard about Dallas' Underground.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1...ncent.html
Posted by Cristal on 26 October, 2009 at 11:33 PM.
Johnny, You will LOVE the site I found…
http://dallastunnels.org/
This man has taken MANY pictures of the underground that you may be able to post to your map.
Also… here is the best map that I have found…
http://www.fountainplace.com/pages/tunnelmap.asp
Hope this all helps!
Sincerely, Cristal
Posted by Cristal on 27 October, 2009 at 01:37 PM.
Back in the mid seventies I worked for The Dallas Chamber Of Commerce. I went into the tunnel weekly and had lunch. It was a thriving, beautiful adventure. Of course many of the pretty, glamorous people of Dallas were there. Ia anything in this article by Shawn Livengood true?
Posted by Gary Bouslog on 4 November, 2009 at 03:01 PM.
I had always wondered what we had stumbled onto back in the early eighties, it was late - after midnight or so, we were running through the streets back then and ditched into an underground parking lot that had a small entrance into what appeared to be an underground rail system. It was very unusual, we picked up an old police billy club (spring loaded!), police flashlight and some misc army crap (canteens, belts et al) if I remember right. We wondered these tunnels for most of the night till early morning, never went back - but had always wondered that these tunnels were for, now I know - Thanks for the blog!
Posted by Aaron C on 1 December, 2009 at 11:59 PM.
I had always wondered what we had stumbled onto back in the early eighties, it was late - after midnight or so, we were running through the streets back then and ditched into an underground parking lot that had a small entrance into what appeared to be an underground rail system. It was very unusual, we picked up an old police billy club (spring loaded!), police flashlight and some misc army crap (canteens, belts et al) if I remember right. We wondered these tunnels for most of the night till early morning, never went back - but had always wondered that these tunnels were for, now I know - Thanks for the blog!
Posted by Aaron C on 2 December, 2009 at 12:02 AM.
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How You Might've Found Johnny America # 26 August, 2005 »
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« Johnny America / Archives / Non-Fiction / Dallas Underground