Hamilton Park, Dallas, Texas
Encyclopedia
Hamilton Park is a neighborhood in north
Dallas
, Texas
(USA
), named for Dr. Richard T. Hamilton, a physician and black civic leader. It is located just to the west of Lake Highlands
, on the southeastern side of the North Central Expressway
(US 75
)/I-635
interchange (High Five
), north of Forest Lane, and west of DART
's light-rail line. The neighborhood had a population of 2,148 in 1990.
homes in south Dallas
were bombed, and in 1953, a Dallas bond election okayed the demolition of housing in black neighborhoods so that Love Field airport could expand. This created a desperate need for black housing in the city, so home builders worked with the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce (today the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce) to stir up activism to get developments built.
The largest proposal was a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) community along the Trinity River
, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northwest of downtown
that blacks ultimately rejected due to its proximity to the "riverbottom." In May 1949 Karl S. J. Hoblitzelle encouraged trustees of his charitable foundation to contribute to the cause. In 1953, the group donated US$
216,872.93 to the Dallas Citizens' Interracial Association to purchase a 233 acre (0.94291838 km²) site for Hamilton Park. In addition, the group borrowed $423,619.99 from three Dallas banks to finance infrastructure.
The neighborhood was dedicated in October 1953, opened in May 1954, and was complete by 1961. It contanied a shopping center, a park, a twelve-grade school (later made six-grade), 742 single-family homes and an apartment complex. The school built in the neighborhood (now known as Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet) was originally segregated
, but this ended in 1975 when the school started the Pacesetter program and parents of non-black children sent their kids to the school.
Hamilton Park's prime location is at the SE portion of what is now the High Five Interchange
or the intersection of North Central Expressway
(US 75
) and I-635
attracted interested in 1985—that year, a developer proposed to purchase part or all of Hamilton Park for high-rise buildings but residents opposed the propsition and it fell through.
North Dallas
North Dallas is an expensive area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas . The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of North Dallas is located in Dallas County while a small...
Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), named for Dr. Richard T. Hamilton, a physician and black civic leader. It is located just to the west of Lake Highlands
Lake Highlands
Lake Highlands is an area in Dallas, Texas . It is located in the northeast portion of the city, and is sometimes considered to be a part of, or connected to, East Dallas and/or North Dallas...
, on the southeastern side of the North Central Expressway
Central Expressway (Dallas)
Central Expressway is a north–south highway in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas.- North Central Expressway :The best-known section is the North Central Expressway, a name for a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, Texas...
(US 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
)/I-635
Interstate 635 (Texas)
Interstate 635 or the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway is a partial loop around Dallas, Texas between Interstate 20 in Balch Springs, Texas and State Highway 121 at the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. The route is long...
interchange (High Five
High Five Interchange
thumb|High Five interchange.The High Five Interchange is a five-level freeway interchange, designed by the HNTB Corporation, that connects Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway and Central Expressway in Dallas, Texas, United States...
), north of Forest Lane, and west of DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas . It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs...
's light-rail line. The neighborhood had a population of 2,148 in 1990.
History
Hamilton Park's founding can be traced to two instances—in 1950, several blackBlack people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
homes in south Dallas
South Dallas
South Dallas is an area in Dallas, Texas, . It is usually either defined in one of two ways: As the area south of the Trinity River and south of Interstate 30, which consist mostly of Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove, or to the area bounded by I-30 and Downtown Dallas to the north, the Trinity River to...
were bombed, and in 1953, a Dallas bond election okayed the demolition of housing in black neighborhoods so that Love Field airport could expand. This created a desperate need for black housing in the city, so home builders worked with the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce (today the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce) to stir up activism to get developments built.
The largest proposal was a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) community along the Trinity River
Trinity River (Texas)
The Trinity River is a long river that flows entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It rises in extreme north Texas, a few miles south of the Red River. The headwaters are separated by the high bluffs on the south side of the Red River....
, 5.5 miles (8.9 km) northwest of downtown
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...
that blacks ultimately rejected due to its proximity to the "riverbottom." In May 1949 Karl S. J. Hoblitzelle encouraged trustees of his charitable foundation to contribute to the cause. In 1953, the group donated US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
216,872.93 to the Dallas Citizens' Interracial Association to purchase a 233 acre (0.94291838 km²) site for Hamilton Park. In addition, the group borrowed $423,619.99 from three Dallas banks to finance infrastructure.
The neighborhood was dedicated in October 1953, opened in May 1954, and was complete by 1961. It contanied a shopping center, a park, a twelve-grade school (later made six-grade), 742 single-family homes and an apartment complex. The school built in the neighborhood (now known as Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet) was originally segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, but this ended in 1975 when the school started the Pacesetter program and parents of non-black children sent their kids to the school.
Hamilton Park's prime location is at the SE portion of what is now the High Five Interchange
High Five Interchange
thumb|High Five interchange.The High Five Interchange is a five-level freeway interchange, designed by the HNTB Corporation, that connects Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway and Central Expressway in Dallas, Texas, United States...
or the intersection of North Central Expressway
Central Expressway (Dallas)
Central Expressway is a north–south highway in Dallas, Texas and surrounding areas.- North Central Expressway :The best-known section is the North Central Expressway, a name for a freeway section of U.S. Highway 75 between downtown Dallas and McKinney, Texas...
(US 75
U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
) and I-635
Interstate 635 (Texas)
Interstate 635 or the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway is a partial loop around Dallas, Texas between Interstate 20 in Balch Springs, Texas and State Highway 121 at the north entrance of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas. The route is long...
attracted interested in 1985—that year, a developer proposed to purchase part or all of Hamilton Park for high-rise buildings but residents opposed the propsition and it fell through.