Photo courtesy of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League

Photo courtesy of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League

A school building and a burial ground are the two Oak Cliff places that made Preservation Dallas’ recently released most-endangered list.

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A plan to expand Interstate 35, known as the Southern Gateway plan, could put the 1892  McAdams Cemetery at risk. The list named McAdams as well as Pioneer cemetery Downtown and McCree cemetery in Lake Highlands.

These cemeteries include examples of early stone grave makers with exquisite design and symbolism. Over the years, many have suffered vandalism, deterioration, storm damage, and improper upkeep of the markers. Historic cemeteries often have limited resources for care and maintenance with many markers lost in overgrowth or toppled to the ground. Historic cemeteries must be treated with the utmost respect and the resources found to properly maintain the resting places of the early citizens who helped make Dallas the city it is today.

photo via preservationdallas.org

photo via preservationdallas.org

Also endangered, according to the list: Rosemont Elementary School’s upper campus. While Sunset High School is a City of Dallas Historic Landmark, other historic DISD campuses are not.

One of those historic schools being considered for replacement is Rosemont Elementary at 719 N. Montclair Avenue in Oak Cliff. Completed in 1922, it has long been an anchor for the neighborhood and the building is still rated as “Good” in DISD’s conditions inventory. Historic schools are too important to be lost due to closure or replacement and every opportunity should be afforded by DISD for their continued use and preservation. 

The Forest Theater in South Dallas also made the list. The 1,500-seat venue was built in 1949 and hasn’t been in regular use as a theater since the mid-1960s, according to Preservation Dallas. Low-rise Downtown building such as the Milliner’s Supply Co. building at 911 Elm, the Cabana Hotel on Harry Hines and the Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue are among the other endangered places listed. See the full list here.