05-02-2012, 04:46 AM
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/colum...02-dallas-
dealey-plaza-site-of-jfk-assassination-to-get-face-lift.ece
Robert Miller
Published: 02 February 2012 10:06 AM
Dealey Plaza, on the western edge of downtown Dallas , is known around
the world as the site where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
on Nov. 22, 1963.
More than a million people visit the site each year to pay homage to the
fallen president.
There was a 2001 master plan to revitalize the plaza, but only a small
part of it was completed. Conditions at the plaza had deteriorated, and
with the 50th anniversary of the assassination approaching in 2013,
something needed to be done.
In late 2010, Judith Garrett Segura, retired president of The Belo
Foundation, and Nicola Longford, director of The Sixth Floor Museum at
Dealey Plaza, met for lunch and agreed that the city needed to tackle
the problem with more urgency.
Segura agreed to lead a fund drive to help the city of Dallas accomplish
the task.
City Manager Mary Suhm gave a critical boost to the project.
Segura enlisted The Dallas Foundation to serve as the fiduciary agent
for the campaign. Last year, the foundation established the Dealey Plaza
Restoration Fund to help the city of Dallas complete its $2.2 million
restoration plan.
"This is the right thing to do since Dealey Plaza is a national historic
landmark district but doesn't include any federal support for upkeep,"
Segura said.
The plaza dates to the 1840s, when Dallas' first settler, John Neely
Bryan, marked the site as Dallas' birthplace. A century later, under the
leadership of the publisher of The Dallas Morning News, George Bannerman
Dealey, the concrete colonnades and triple underpass were built to serve
as the "front door of Dallas."
The plan to revitalize the plaza includes maintenance work on the steps
leading to the two concrete pergolas, concrete repair, lead paint
removal, and cleaning and painting of the pergolas and the underpass
that serves Commerce, Main and Elm streets. There will also be upgrades
to the lighting and directional and historical signs. The goal is to
complete the project by November 2013.
The Dealey Plaza Restoration Fund has secured more than $1.1 million in
commitments, including $750,000 from the city of Dallas.
Other major gifts include: $125,000 from Downtown Dallas Inc., $100,000
from The Decherd Foundation, $50,000 from Belo Corp., $50,000 from The
Dallas Foundation, $35,000 from The Jim and Lynn Moroney Family
Foundation and $25,000 from A.H. Belo Corporation.
Dallas Foundation president and CEO Mary Jalonick said that all
donations are welcome, regardless of size.
To make a gift to the fund, visit dallasfoundation.org and search for
"Dealey Plaza." You can also mail a contribution to Dealey Plaza
Restoration Fund of the Dallas Foundation, 3963 Maple Ave., Suite 390,
Dallas, Texas 75219-3209.
dealey-plaza-site-of-jfk-assassination-to-get-face-lift.ece
Robert Miller
Published: 02 February 2012 10:06 AM
Dealey Plaza, on the western edge of downtown Dallas , is known around
the world as the site where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
on Nov. 22, 1963.
More than a million people visit the site each year to pay homage to the
fallen president.
There was a 2001 master plan to revitalize the plaza, but only a small
part of it was completed. Conditions at the plaza had deteriorated, and
with the 50th anniversary of the assassination approaching in 2013,
something needed to be done.
In late 2010, Judith Garrett Segura, retired president of The Belo
Foundation, and Nicola Longford, director of The Sixth Floor Museum at
Dealey Plaza, met for lunch and agreed that the city needed to tackle
the problem with more urgency.
Segura agreed to lead a fund drive to help the city of Dallas accomplish
the task.
City Manager Mary Suhm gave a critical boost to the project.
Segura enlisted The Dallas Foundation to serve as the fiduciary agent
for the campaign. Last year, the foundation established the Dealey Plaza
Restoration Fund to help the city of Dallas complete its $2.2 million
restoration plan.
"This is the right thing to do since Dealey Plaza is a national historic
landmark district but doesn't include any federal support for upkeep,"
Segura said.
The plaza dates to the 1840s, when Dallas' first settler, John Neely
Bryan, marked the site as Dallas' birthplace. A century later, under the
leadership of the publisher of The Dallas Morning News, George Bannerman
Dealey, the concrete colonnades and triple underpass were built to serve
as the "front door of Dallas."
The plan to revitalize the plaza includes maintenance work on the steps
leading to the two concrete pergolas, concrete repair, lead paint
removal, and cleaning and painting of the pergolas and the underpass
that serves Commerce, Main and Elm streets. There will also be upgrades
to the lighting and directional and historical signs. The goal is to
complete the project by November 2013.
The Dealey Plaza Restoration Fund has secured more than $1.1 million in
commitments, including $750,000 from the city of Dallas.
Other major gifts include: $125,000 from Downtown Dallas Inc., $100,000
from The Decherd Foundation, $50,000 from Belo Corp., $50,000 from The
Dallas Foundation, $35,000 from The Jim and Lynn Moroney Family
Foundation and $25,000 from A.H. Belo Corporation.
Dallas Foundation president and CEO Mary Jalonick said that all
donations are welcome, regardless of size.
To make a gift to the fund, visit dallasfoundation.org and search for
"Dealey Plaza." You can also mail a contribution to Dealey Plaza
Restoration Fund of the Dallas Foundation, 3963 Maple Ave., Suite 390,
Dallas, Texas 75219-3209.