Soda Fountain Down
Dallas' old-timey Highland Park Soda Fountain will close in September
After 106 years, the Highland Park Soda Fountain on Knox Street is closing, due to the construction of a new office building in its location.
According to a post on its Facebook page, the last day for the old-timey restaurant is September 9, which is a Sunday.
Founded in 1912, the soda fountain was originally a pharmacy. In 2006, it was bought by Sonny and Gretchen Minyard Williams, former owners of the Minyard supermarket chain.
They shut down the pharmacy operation in 2010, but kept the quaint soda fountain going.
Its menu is a nostalgic slice with cheap prices to match. There are sandwiches, soups, salads, milkshakes, and breakfasts, all for $7 or less.
A basic grilled cheese with choice of American or Swiss cheese is $5.49. There's a club, pimento cheese, chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, or ham salad sandwich.
There are ice cream sundaes, ice cream floats, egg cream sodas, and lime or orange "freezes," like a milkshake but made with sherbet.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the family that owns Weir's Furniture has partnered with real estate firm Four Rivers Capital to redevelop the corner of Knox and Travis. Their plans include a new building in that location and an underground parking garage.
There's a chance the soda fountain could re-open — but it would be in the new building, which would seem to defeat the point.
An employee says their future is uncertain. "We are invited back, but it would be a couple of years after construction," she says.
Meanwhile, the reminiscing has begun. "Come be a part of history before it's too late," they urge. "And don't forget to get a Souvenir T-shirt."
