The West Dallas Gateway Pecan Tree will now officially be recognized by Texas Historic Tree Coalition. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The West Dallas Gateway Pecan Tree, a 175-year-old tree which has lived through floods, drought and a city growing up around it, will now officially be protected by the Texas Historic Tree Coalition.
The pecan tree overlooks the Trinity River at the intersection of Beckley Avenue and the Commerce Street Bridge. In 2009, the city presented plans to redesign the intersection. When the plans involved cutting down the tree, neighbor Katherine Homan, who built the city’s first “green” house, began advocating to save it.
After many complaints about the proposed redesign, many of them related to a decrease in walkable space for pedestrians, the city proposed a new idea. The second proposition was overseen by Oak Cliff neighbor Don Raines, who is now a senior planner at City Hall, and his plan spared the pecan tree.
The construction resulting from Raines’ plan concluded in 2o19, but Homan knew that future construction could threaten the tree once more. So, with the help of Alexander Troup, a historian and urban archaeologist, she submitted documentation detailing the history of the tree to the Texas Historic Tree Coalition. Tomorrow, the coalition will officially recognize the tree, and a permanent historical marker will be installed next to it in the coming months.
Still, the tree faces threats, mostly from traffic on Beckley Avenue. According to the Dallas Morning News, cars have struck the tree twice this year. The city plans to install flexible posts and pavement buttons along the curve of the road. Ideally, this will help keep both motorists and the tree safe from harm.
