Park News
DART Rail stop at Dallas' Victory Plaza gets green space upgrade
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Victory Park station, where you get off for events at American Airlines Center, has a new greenspace. Called Victory Station Plaza, it's a one-acre public green space adjacent to the DART Victory Station and across the street from the American Airlines Center.
More pertinently, it's adjacent to Victory Commons One, a new Class-A office building from Hillwood Urban, part of Hillwood, Ross Perot Jr's development company.
Hillwood Urban partnered with DART to build the greenspace, which was completed on November 19 — simultaneously to the completion of the Victory Commons building, which btw they say will offer a unique urban office environment, with outdoor rooftop terrace providing views of the Dallas skyline, plus a ground floor tenant lounge and coffee bar. Tenants only? Boo.
The plaza is the size of a football field and occupies land that was previously a parking lot. It's wedged between the above-mentioned new office building and a parking garage.
It's not much more than a patch of green with a few trees, but it's an improvement over the previous sea of cement that faced commuters as they got off the train, even if it comes to us only as the byproduct of a Hillwood new build.
A release says the green space can be used by DART commuters, arena sports fans, office workers, and Victory Park-area residents.
DART’s Victory Station opened in 2001 and hosts a larger-than-usual number of lines including DART Light Rail Green and Orange Lines, Trinity Railway Express, as well as DART Light Rail Red and Blue Lines used for special events.
The station did feature art, namely unique elements by local artist Pamela Nelson; as with all of DART's art, it reflects the neighborhood and residents it serves.
In a statement, Nadine Lee, president & CEO at DART calls the Plaza "a fantastic opportunity to provide much needed green space to the area while ensuring our passengers have enhanced access to Victory Station."
Ken Reese, executive vice president of Hillwood Urban, calls it "a terrific partnership with DART where together, we were able to bring a great new public park into an urban environment," and says it's been in the works ever since AAC was built.
"This Park space was always part of DART’s plan for this land going back 20 years to when Hillwood originally built the AAC," Reese says. "We are excited to help make this happen and enhance the neighborhood, not to mention provide great views from the office space overlooking the park."
