The West End Historic District of Dallas, Texas, is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

that includes a area in northwest

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, generally north of Commerce, east of I-35E, west of Lamar and south of the

Woodall Rodgers Freeway Woodall may refer to: People Given name *Woodall Rodgers (1890–1961), attorney, businessman and mayor of Dallas Surname *Al Woodall (b. 1945), American football player *Corbet Woodall (1929–1982), British newsreader for the BBC * Derek Woodal ...

. It is south of Victory Park, west of the Arts, City Center, and Main Street districts, and north of the Government and Reunion districts. A portion of the district is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Westend Historic District. A smaller area is also a Dallas Landmark District. The far western part of the district belongs to the Dealey Plaza Historic District, a National Historic Landmark around structures and memorials associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

History

The area that would become the West End originally consisted simply of a trading post, established by

John Neely Bryan John Neely Bryan (December 24, 1810 – September 8, 1877) was a Presbyterian farmer, lawyer, and tradesman in the United States and founder of the city of Dallas, Texas. Early life Bryan was born to James and Elizabeth (Neely) Bryan in Faye ...

. In July 1872, the Houston & Texas Central Railroad arrived in downtown, attracting manufacturing companies whose warehouses would come to define the architecture of the West End. The district reached nationwide prominence in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

in a Presidential motorcade traveling through

Dealey Plaza Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the "birthplace of Dallas". It was also the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963; 30 minutes after the shooting ...

. While the assassination brought the attention to the West End, the district's economy still struggled, with many businesses leaving the city center for suburban locations. As development changed downtown Dallas and older buildings were demolished, local developer Preston Carter Jr. began the revitalization of the West End in June 1976 in an effort to preserve its history. Old warehouses and other brick buildings were converted to restaurants and shops. In November 1978, the West End Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, over seven million people visit the West End annually, making it one of the city's leading tourist attractions. In recent years the area has suffered a decline. The West End Marketplace, a massive mall/entertainment complex, closed its doors on June 30, 2006. Due to the recent development of Victory Park, the main marketplace was redeveloped into an apartment and business complex.

Attractions

* John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial * Old Red Museum * Dallas World Aquarium * Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance *The

Sixth Floor Museum The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is a museum located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building (formerly the Texas School Book Depository) in downtown Dallas, Texas, overlooking Dealey Plaza at the intersection of El ...

, located in the Texas School Book Depository, the building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy according to the conclusions of four government investigations. File:West End Marketplace.jpg, A giant dinosaur greets visitors to the West End Market Place (Picture circa 2002. No longer there) File:DART's West End Station in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas.jpg, Looking west along Pacific Street at West End Station

Transportation

Light rail

DART , , , * West End Station

Education

The district is zoned to schools in the Dallas Independent School District. Residents of the district south of Pacific are zoned to

City Park Elementary School A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Billy Earl Dade Middle School Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...

, and James Madison High School. Residents north of Pacific are zoned to

Hope Medrano Elementary School Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

, Thomas J. Rusk Middle School, and

North Dallas High School North Dallas High School is a public secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, United States. It enrolls students in grades 9- 12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. As of 2017, the principal admini ...

.Dallas ISD
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References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Texas Dallas Landmarks Economy of Dallas National Register of Historic Places in Dallas Warehouse districts of the United States Romanesque Revival architecture in Texas Chicago school architecture in Texas Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas