The lawn on the opening day of Halperin Park. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
The public grand opening of Halperin Park kicked off Saturday morning with hundreds in attendance to see Dallas’ second deck park.
The park currently spans approximately 2.8 acres above Interstate 35E with the completion of Phase One. When the highway was built in the 1950s, neighborhoods of Oak Cliff became separated and now Halperin Park is seen as a bridge that reconnects the community.
Ben Richards, a former Oak Cliff resident, said his family of five had been following the park’s progress. Upon learning that it was opening day, they decided to return to the neighborhood to see the new green space.
Richards said that the unique amenities, such as the style of the playground and the water features, are definitely exciting for his kids.
“It just feels like a little oasis in the middle, kind of like Klyde Warren, like just another section of the city that’s a bit of an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle,” he said.
Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
While the park drew some folks out to Oak Cliff, others came from just down the street. Lou Ann Sims, a Tenth Street resident, said she walked from her home to enjoy the park.
“It brings people together. And to get activity for all ages to participate, from being creative to performance, just communicate with one another,” she said. “I think it’s from a positive note to see everybody come together in the heart of Oak Cliff.”
Kenneth Thomas, another Tenth Street resident, said that seeing the reconnection of the east and west sides of the neighborhood has been a long time coming.
“I’m just glad I lived long enough to see it,” he said. “Because my mother didn’t see it, and people like that, people that were here before me didn’t see it.”
Thomas added that he is glad to see the city and private donors make this investment so Oak Cliff can “feel like a community again, where this is where people want to be.”
Benny Walker, also a Tenth Street resident, said he hopes infrastructure issues in his neighborhood, such as damaged sidewalks and roads, will be addressed once the park gets big enough.
Within Halperin Park, Walker said the space provides a place for people to connect and release pressure.
“I mean, everybody walking around here like there’s nothing wrong, and we got a war going on,” he said. “Everybody is in a relaxed mood and thinking about life. And I’m glad to see it. Everybody’s speaking to everybody. Everybody’s saying hi … It feels like it’s for the common person. You ain’t got to be rich, ain’t got to be poor. You just come.”
