Park History
Tietze Park, a 9-acre gem in East Dallas (located on Skillman Avenue between Llano and Vanderbilt Streets), was acquired in 1924 by the City of Dallas, when it was on the northeast fringe of town. First known as Keith Park, it was renamed Tietze Park ten years later, after W.R. Tietze, who was Superintendent of Parks for the city from 1896-1933. Mr. Tietze was a floriculturalist, who studied under Henry Shaw in St. Louis, philanthropist and founder of the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
A sandstone picnic pavilion was added in 1934. The park also features a community swimming pool, lighted baseball field, tennis court, basketball court, a second ball field also suitable for soccer, picnic area, children's playground, recycling drop-off igloos (funds collected benefit the park and neighborhood), a plaza with benches and tables, and more than 75 mature and outstanding oak and live oak trees, cedars, and a few “kneeling” bois d’arc trees, which are said to predate the park by 50 years or more.
A sandstone picnic pavilion was added in 1934. The park also features a community swimming pool, lighted baseball field, tennis court, basketball court, a second ball field also suitable for soccer, picnic area, children's playground, recycling drop-off igloos (funds collected benefit the park and neighborhood), a plaza with benches and tables, and more than 75 mature and outstanding oak and live oak trees, cedars, and a few “kneeling” bois d’arc trees, which are said to predate the park by 50 years or more.
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Tietze Park today is one of the most popular parks in Dallas, and is said to be the most-used per square foot. For several years, neighborhood volunteers have assisted city crews by picking up trash, and by doing minor maintenance. In 1999, public meetings organized by the Park and Recreation Department and the Lakewood Heights Neighborhood Association resulted in a new Master Plan, revising the park layout and resulting in a new playground, relocated and improved basketball court, and reconstructed tennis court. The Department identified over $2 million dollars in additional funding needed to implement the Master Plan, which did not include any new facility construction.
In 2002, a group of neighborhood residents formed the Friends of Tietze Park Foundation (FOTPF). The foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, representing all park users. The foundation is dedicated to the improvement, preservation and continued beautification of Tietze Park. In 2003, a city-wide Bond Initiative was passed by voters, and included an appropriation of $577,000 for restoration of the pavilion, improved lighting, and other improvements. In June, 2004, the Dallas City Council awarded a contract for architectural design to Marcel Quimby Architecture/Preservation, Inc. In 2004, FOTPF hosted a series of meetings, with residents from the Lakewood Heights, Lower Greenville and Wilshire Heights neighborhoods, and city representatives, to develop a revised Master Plan for park improvements. Besides the pavilion restoration and park lighting, plans now included: a pedestrian promenade (Skillman to Clements through the park center), redesign of the plaza area (west of the pavilion), a new toddler playground, reopening of the concession stand at the back of the pavillion, and sanitary improvements (hand sink, Porta-Potty screening, and water fountain with dog bowl). The first phase of work to implement the plan was completed in 2007. Phase I Master Plan improvements included: stonework restoration and a new roof for the WPA-era pavilion, new lighting throughout the park, including a lighted central promenade, landscaping improvements including new planter beds and trees, new tables and benches, and new wrought-iron fencing around the pool area. In April, 2007, the Lindsey Brown Toddler Playground was dedicated. The playground is named for Lindsey Stephenson Brown, who spent many happy hours among the trees and grass at Tietze Park. Lindsey passed away in 2006, and her family requested that FOTPF establish a memorial fund. The foundation and the Department of Parks and Recreation split the construction costs of the playground and it was included in Phase 1 work. |
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PreservationDallas, at their 10th annual awards ceremony (June, 2009) named Tietze Park the best “Rehabilitation of a Historic Landscape or Park” for the Phase I Master Plan improvements
Another city-wide bond election which passed in November of 2006, provided additional funding to continue the Master Plan improvements, including $352,500 for a perimeter walkway and park furnishings and $155,000 for pool infrastructure improvements. The city hired la terra studio in Dallas to design the perimeter walkway and associated improvements. Construction was completed in 2011. The perimeter walkway was an instant success and in constant use since its opening! |
The park’s history has been marked by ups and downs based on economic conditions. When FOTPF was formed in 2002, the park was showing considerable wear-and-tear but has greatly improved. In 2010, severe budget pressures led to cuts in Dallas park services. Fourteen of the twenty-one city-operated swimming pools in Dallas were temporarily closed. The pool at Tietze Park, the most cost-effective pool in the park system, as shown by city data, remained open. However, in the summer of 2010 it became apparent that more cuts were needed for the 2011 budget year, unless a tax increase was approved. The Tietze Park pool was proposed for closure in 2011, and city-wide park maintenance cuts, including a 28-day mowing cycle, were proposed. Objections by FOTPF and other park users, as well numerous other groups objecting to various service cuts, led the City Council to approve a tax rate increase that would allow the pool and park to continue to be maintained.
The second phase was completed in August 2011 which created the walking path and shade structures by the playground. Both of these additions drastically increased park usage by offering a shaded path to walk in the summer's heat.
The second phase was completed in August 2011 which created the walking path and shade structures by the playground. Both of these additions drastically increased park usage by offering a shaded path to walk in the summer's heat.