Dallas-Fort-Worth-Freeways-Book-08
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Dallas Public Library19 Surrounded by freeways This 1977 view looking northeast shows Texas Stadium and its surrounding freeways—SH 183 at the bottom, Loop 12 on the left and SH 114 on the top right. The Texas Stadium Drive-in cinema screens, operational from Decem- ber 1972 to November 1982, are visible to the right of the stadium. CHAPTER 8 Texas Stadium Freeways When people look back on the history of Texas Stadium they’ll remember the great legends Em- mitt Smith setting the all-time NFL career rushing record. But from the perspective of free- ways,who played Texas there,Stadium the was five also Superbowl very distinguished. championship No teams other andstadium the great in the moments United States like has been as closely surrounded by freeways as Texas Stadium. You could walk about 500 feet in nearly any direction from the stadium and you would be at a freeway. Sitting in the middle of the nexus of northwest Dallas Nov 1970 County freeways, Texas Stadium was the most freeway-fo- cused stadium in United States history. The idea of combining Diamond Interchange so many freeways and so many parking lots with a stadium = Project Phase 1 was a product of its place in time, the late 1960s. New sta- Completed July 2012 diums still tend to be close to a freeway or sometimes even two freeways, but today the emphasis is more on integrating Highway dates: the stadium into a community to promote development and June 1971 Completed to revitalization. 114 freeway status The Freeway Loop LOOP Sept 17,1971- 12 Feb 1971 The existence of a small-radius freeway loop away from a April 11, 2010 482 city center is very unusual in freeway systems, and the loop Texas formed by SH 114, SH 183 and Loop 12 is the only such loop Stadium in North Texas. So how did it come to be? SH 183 between Dallas and Fort Worth was originally Loop 12 south of SH 183 opened in 1949 as a basic two-lane 183 road.opened Both as ahighways two-lane were highway later in designated 1944 (see tophoto become page free 439).- 500 feet Sept ways. The freeway loop was formed when SH 114 was aligned 152m 1969 July 1959 through the area. SH 114 was first designated as a freeway 35E 635 Location of 114 Texas Stadium Irving 1971-2010 183 75 161 12 Dallas 360 30 Fort Worth Arlington Cotton Bowl Opened 1930 Cowboys Stadium Opened 2009 20 371 372 Dallas-Fort Worth Freeways Chapter 8 UT-Arlington Library Special Collections20 Pre-stadium 1954 This view looks southwest with SH 183 crossing from left to right and Loop 12 in its original two-lane highway configuration. The freeway loop was not yet in plan- Locations of ning documents at the time of this May 30, 1954, photo. pre-stadium aerial views 114 in January 1953 when TxDOT approved the Dallas County LOOP 1954 highway master plan. At that time SH 114 was envisioned 12 to be along the alignment of present-day Northwest High- 482 1965 Texas John Carpenter owned most of the land northwest of Texas Stadium Stadium—landway, about 1.5 miles which to was the laternorth. developed Influential into civic Las leader Colinas of-way for the freeway to shift the alignment through his 183 (see page 421). Carpenter offered to donate the right- Countyproperty, freeway an offer system. eagerly In accepted recognition, by local SH 114 officials was namedwho 1959 thewere John struggling W. Carpenter to find Freeway sufficient in funds January to build1960, the seven Dallas - 1967 way planning map showing the realignment of SH 114 with themonths freeway after loop Carpenter’s in Irving death was in in July June 1957. 1959. Formal The first agree free- ments for the construction of SH 114 were completed in Stadium Origins 1958 and a public hearing for the new alignment with the By the mid-1960s the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park near down- freeway loop was held in September 1959. The SH 183 seg- town Dallas was no longer a suitable home for the Dallas ment of the freeway loop was completed in 1959, and the Cowboys. The aging facility with virtually no amenities, SH 114 and Loop 12 segments began construction in 1966 splintering wood plank benches, a lack of restrooms and with completion in 1971. The timing for completing the freeway loop was ideal as Cowboys owner Clint Murchison major event. In 1965 began looking for a location for his new stadium in 1966.1 theinsufficient possibility parking of renovating was barely the suitable aging Cotton for any Bowl, team much or any to the dismay of MurchisonState Fair who officials wouldn’t were settle still for studying any- thing less than a new, state-of-the-art stadium. First, Mur- Texas Stadium Freeways 373 UT-Arlington Library Special Collections21 Pre-stadium 1959 This January 15, 1959, photo shows construction in progress to upgrade SH 183 to a freeway. The freeway opened in June 1959 as a four-lane freeway and was later widened to six lanes. The freeway loop had been adopted into the official regional plan by 1957, and the interchange at the upper right was designed to accommodate the future SH 114. Pre-stadium 1965 This January 1965 view looks southeast one year before work began on the north and west sides of the freeway loop. UT-Arlington Library Special Collections22 374 Dallas-Fort Worth Freeways Chapter 8 UT-Arlington Library Special Collections23 Pre-stadium 1967 This October 14, 1967, view shows work underway on SH 114 and Loop 12 with the freeway loop clearly de- fined. Cowboys owner Clint Murchison had arranged options to buy most of the land within the freeway loop by January 1967 when the stadium location was first reported by the press. An official announcement of the stadium site was made on Decem- ber 23, 1967. chison needed to select a location for the new stadium.2 in 1966, and Murchison had a new plan—a plan that in- In 1966 there were proposals for new stadiums in volved the land surrounded by the three freeways in Irving. downtown Dallas and at Fair Park to replace the Cotton Bowl. Murchison preferred a downtown stadium site but knew that to avoid land speculation and rising land costs, could not get Mayor Erik Jonsson’s support. Jonsson had heBut needed being a to businessman be stealthy about first and his foremost,plans.3 Murchison other priorities at the time, including building DFW Air- Perhaps taking inspiration from the legendary secre- port, a new city hall and the University of Texas at Dallas. In October 1970 Murchison directly blamed Jonsson for the in Florida in 1965 for Disney World, Murchison set up the demise of plans for a downtown Dallas stadium, and Jons- tive land acquisition used by Walt Disney to acquire land son responded that nationally recognized urban planners stadium. When news of the potential new stadium site was working on a master plan for downtown recommended Industrial Foundation of Irving to acquire property for the against the stadium since it would be “dead space” the vast purchase 70 of the 86 acres in the freeway loop. The Irving majority of time. Jonsson’s tenure as mayor from 1964 to stadiumfirst reported remained in January in rumor 1967, mode Murchison for the rest had ofoptions 1967 to 1971 is viewed favorably for its civic accomplishments and Jonsson’s effort to restore Dallas’ image after the 1963 plans for the estimated $15 million stadium at the Irving assassination of John F. Kennedy. However, many viewed siteuntil and December its name, 23 Texas when Stadium. Murchison The officially stadium announced would be Jonsson’s lack of interest in the stadium as an opportunity City of Irving which were lost. partially funded by $250 bonds purchased by fans for the Stadium speculation became the local sport of the day rightfinanced to buy by bondsseason from tickets. the Bonds for 38,000 sideline seats Texas Stadium Freeways 375 both images: Irving archives, Irving Public Library Irving voters first voted in favor of Texas Stadium with 62% of the vote in a nonbinding referendum on April 2, 1968. The financial plan for the stadium stated that the City of Irving would issue bonds were slated to be sold, with prime seats between the to finance construction without using tax funds, with much of the funding coming from bonds required for the purchase of season tickets. However, a lawsuit against the bond issuance was filed by $670030 yard in lines 2013 requiring dollars.4 the $1000 purchase of four Irving construction executiveHoward Currens in December 1968, bonds.In JanuaryThe $1000 1968 bond Murchison cost in 1968 announced is equivalent that a to just before the December 31 deadline to issue the bonds. Cur- sliding cover would be added to the roof to allow the rens maintained that the stadium would not be built as originally stadium to be fully enclosed for non-football events. presented to the voters due to planned cost-saving measures to There was some grumbling from season ticket hold- keep the stadium on budget. Currens’ suit remained active as the ers about the high price of the season ticket bonds deadline approached and the Texas Attorney General would not approve municipal bond issuance with litigation in progress. Late lawsuit, but bond sales proceeded well, with 15,827 in the evening on December 31, with the deadline about to arrive bondsand some sold season by the ticket end of holders February.