Dallas Is Looking for Design That Can Tackle Loneliness
Finalists in a new design competition proposed public infrastructure for Thanks-Giving Square in downtown Dallas that can make the plaza a more welcoming place.
Dallas’ Thanks-Giving Square, which features a chapel designed by architect Philip Johnson, opened in 1976. But it could use an upgrade to make it more welcoming, say organizers of a local design competition.
Photographer: James Leynse/Corbis NewsBuilt in the heart of downtown Dallas in the 1970s, Thanks-Giving Square stood in antithesis to the city’s then-reputation as the “City of Hate” — a nickname given to Dallas in the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The public plaza, designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Philip Johnson and featuring a concrete interfaith chapel shaped like a spiral conch shell, was envisioned as a place for finding common ground among strangers.
“The idea was to create a sanctuary in the center of the city where anyone is welcomed, no matter their faith, religion, what brings them there, or their backgrounds,” says Krista Nightengale, executive director of Better Block, a placemaking nonprofit based in Dallas.