The Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society invites everyone to join community leaders and fellow residents on Sunday, November 10th as the organization dedicates three Centennial Historic Landmarks in Highland Park as part of the celebration of Highland Park’s 100th year.
The ceremonies begin at 2:00 p.m. at Armstrong Elementary School, 3600 Cornell Avenue at the main entrance on Cornell. Then at 2:45 p.m., join us at the Dallas Country Club, 4144 Mockingbird Lane at the main entrance to Dallas Country Club building. The final landmark will be at 3:30 p.m. at Highland Park Village, 4200 Mockingbird Lane, in the center court near the clock tower, between Billy Reid and Lela Rose.
The exact wording on the plaques will read as follows:
Highland Park Independent School District
In 1914, the Highland Park Independent School District was founded for the education of the children of this community. John S. Armstrong School opened that year, and was named for the developer of the Town of Highland Park.
Grades K - 10 met in this four room schoolhouse, but students completed high school at Bryan St. High School in Dallas until a district high school was built in 1922 on Normandy Ave. The District currently has seven campuses.
The high school is consistently ranked among the nation's best, excelling in academic, athletics and the fine arts. Alumni have earned distinctions including the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Heisman Trophy, Olympic metals, and have served in leadership roles in many fields. They personify the District's motto, "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve."
Dallas Country Club
Founded in 1896, Dallas Country Club is the oldest country club in Texas, and among the oldest in the United States. It was also one of the first to be used as the centerpiece of a residential development.
The Club has been the site of many firsts in Texas golf, hosting the first Dallas tournament in 1898, the first state-wide tournament in 1903, and the first Texas Golf Assn. Tournament in 1906.
The Club moved to its current location from Oak Lawn in 1912, and became the center of social activity in Dallas. This clubhouse is the sixth, and opened in 2012.
Highland Park Village
Highland Park Village is located on land that was originally part of the Cole family farm, and later became Henry Exall's wheat field. As the Town of Highland Park grew, its developers, Hugh Prather and Edgar Flippen decided to create a town square for the community. Seeking inspiration for the Spanish-Mediterranean style, they traveled with their architects, Marion Fooshee and James Cheek, to the 1929 Barcelona World's Fair as well as Mexico and California.
When it opened in 1931, the only tenants were a gas station on Preston Rd. and the block of shops at the southwest corner of the center. The Village is recognized as the first planned shopping center with a unified style and stores facing interior parking. The Village Theater was opened by Karl Hoblitzelle in 1935, and was the first suburban movie theater in Texas. Completed in 1947, the Village is today one of the most exclusive shopping centers in the country.
More about PCHPS:
The mission of the Park Cities Historic and Preservation Society is to preserve, protect and promote the historic, architectural, cultural and aesthetic attributes and traditions of the Park Cities. New members are always welcome!
The next general meeting is a very exciting one, open to members and guests on Monday, November 11, 2013: Remembering JFK at 6:30 p.m. entitled “The President’s Been Shot and They Are Bringing Him to the Emergency Room”
Ronald C. Jones, M.D. FACS, Department of Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center: In 1963 Dr. Jones was Chief Resident of Surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital when President John F. Kennedy was shot. He treated both President Kennedy and the presumed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Dr. Jones is featured in the Parkland Hospital exhibit on the first floor of the Kennedy Museum in Dallas. His deposition for the Warren Commission was taken by attorney and former U.S. Senator Arlen Specter.
Pierce Allman: Pierce was a young reporter who did the only on-scene broadcast of the JFK assassination from the lobby of the School Book Depository Building. Later Secret Service confirmed that the individual he asked for the telephone location was Oswald on his way out of the building.
For details on membership and more information call 214-528-0021 or email info@pchps.org or visit the website at http://www.pchps.org
More about The Highland Park Centennial Celebration:
Highland Park is special, retaining a sense of place, and people. The town occupies land, originally four land grants, dating from the Republic of Texas. The founders of Highland Park were entrepreneurs, leaders not just in development, but in the quality of life for the larger community including Dallas. That tradition of citizen participation endures. One hundred years of leading and learning shows our Centennial theme!
Visit the website at http://highlandparkcentennial.com/