Fair Park has released plans and renderings for massive renovations to the historic buildings in the area, including the Cotton Bowl, which come as a result of Dallas voters passing Proposition A last month.
Representatives from Fair Park released images showing what was planned for the stadium.
Proposition A is expected to raise more than $300 million for renovating Fair Park. The bill was approved by 68% of voters and increased the city’s hotel occupancy tax by 2%, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The money raised from the tax is supposed to be spent on improvements to Fair Park and the new downtown convention center.
“We’ve shown, for example, that the Cotton Bowl can directly compete with other major stadiums around the state,” Brian Luallen, CEO of the Fair Park First, said. “Unfortunately, the visitor experience does not hold up to the incredible history of that venue.”
Luallen said the plans for the Cotton Bowl will make it faster and easier to get in and out of the stadium. Additional restrooms will also be constructed while maintaining the historical character of the building by conforming to state standards.
Bryan Trubey, an architect for Overland Partners, is in charge of the Cotton Bowl’s redevelopment. Trubey previously worked on the American Airlines Center and AT&T Stadium. The architecture firm is also developing the new Dude Perfect headquarters in Frisco, as reported by The Dallas Express.
“Here you see a page out of George Dahl’s handbook for the original designs of the park and incorporating art deco-inspired imagery in a way that creates place-making inside the Cotton Bowl, but also improvements to vertical circulation that allow us to expand the historic concourses in a respectful way,” said Luallen, describing one of the images of the Fair Park Band Shell.
Luallen noted that the smell of mold was “pungent” in the Fair Park Band Shell and needed renovation due to its condition.
Other sections of Fair Park slated for renovation include the Fair Park Coliseum, which recently received $14 million from the City of Dallas. Luallen noted that the cash injection “made the building functional, but not good.”
Private funds are still being raised for the Community Park Complex, which cannot be funded by Prop A.
Some residents have expressed concern regarding the proposition, and Mayor Eric Johnson warned city officials against being irresponsible with the funds that will be collected as a result of Prop A.
“We shouldn’t act as if Dallas voters just handed us a blank check,” he explained. “We must ensure that these transformational projects of generational consequence are completed in a responsible and in an accountable way.”
