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The Heart of Texas, Belo Garden Park!

History

Belo Garden park is a public park located in the heart of Texas. After a year of persistent effort and hard work, the garden finally began to welcome the general public.

After approximately 20 years of the park’s creation, the Dallas Park and Recreation Board decided to unanimously change the name of the Belo Garden to the Civic Garden on the 17th of June, 2021.

Whether you have been seeking a place to enjoy the warm breeze after a tiring day or simply the optimum location to hang out with your friends, visiting a park is undoubtedly the best location for any gathering. Belo park has redefined every crevice of Texas in the best of ways.

Belo Garden park is one of the many parks that have been constructed and planned by the City Of Dallas Parks and Recreation department. Built on the land which once housed a parking lot, the Belo Garden opened for the general public in 2001.

Around six years before the construction of this family park, the Belo Co-operation decided to allocate around 7 million dollars merely for the construction of this park.

The heart of texas, belo garden park!
Beautiful view of belogarden
The heart of texas, belo garden park!
Beautiful greenery view of belogarden

According to the initial plans, the Belogarden was supposed to welcome visitors in 2008. Unfortunately, the path of construction for this park was not a very smooth one. Upon initiation of construction, contaminated soil was discovered within the construction premises, which served as an immediate indication to halt ongoing construction.

Along with providing a platform for people to hang out, this park has various features that distinguish it from other parks, both within and outside of Dallas.

Features of Belo Garden

The Belo Garden Park merges beauty with functionality, allowing a few features the park withholds, including perennial gardens and plazas, amongst several other features. We will examine some of the features of this garden and why it is the perfect place to escape when you need a break from the city.

Texas Grove

Believe us when we say that Texas Grove is what sets the Civic garden apart from others. Where an isolated parking lot once stood is now a garden that serves as a haven for most. An individual will undoubtedly be fascinated by the view that Civic Park offers when the summer season gives way to the fall.

The heart of texas, belo garden park!
The heart of texas, belo garden park!

A grove is planted right in the park’s center. Several trees in this grove originate directly from Texas, including Bigtooth, Green Ash, Kentucky Coffee tree, and several others. Now. Take a minute and picture a fall evening next to Texas Grove. A sensation that is nearly identical to perfection, right?

An Urban Oasis

Trees originating from Texas center the park, as flowers of every possible color surround each nook and crevice of the park. Belogarden is the best place to go if seeking a breathtaking view. A getaway from the contemporary world, this garden merges traditionality with absolute beauty and provides individuals with the perfect place to relax.

Whether you prefer to listen to the birds’ chirp over the busy, consistently noisy streets of Dallas helps you seek solace or, you choose to let the various shades of colors overweigh your emotions, Belogarden is unquestionably a true Urban Oasis.

Fountain Plaza

Most people, including children and adults, are drawn to the fountain plaza, which is situated in the center of the Belogarden. People can host events, hold meetings, and even attend casual performances at the Fountain. The fountain may be turned off if requested to accommodate plaza events and weddings.

The heart of texas, belo garden park!
Fountain of belogarden

The summer heat can be grueling, and visiting a park during the summer days can be a dreadful thought. For this reason, the Belogarden contains a Fountain Plaza surrounded by trees that provide shade from the summer sun.

Prairie Inspired Gardens

With just one goal in mind, prairie gardens are defined as gardens that are planted with both late-flowering perennials and wispy forms of grass. Although these gardens are humanly-planted, these gardens are planted in a way to ensure that they give off a naturalistic appearance.

The heart of texas, belo garden park!
The heart of texas, belo garden park!

The Praire Garden, which existed long before humans emerged, is reminiscent of the Belogarden since it is filled with native trees, grass, and wildflowers. These gardens, which frame the Garden Grove and the fountain, produce beautiful areas that highlight various prairie species, including Muhly Grass, Texas Aster, and others.

Garden Grove

An area built next to the East garden is called the garden grove. This region is ideal for crucial meetings or to spend a peaceful evening surrounded by silence. A soft breeze blows across Dallas’s elm branches every afternoon, casting dancing shadows across the wall. Similar to the fountain, there is shade all around this spot. Regardless of the season, the garden grove remains the top place to enjoy a quiet evening.

Belo Garden Team

Here are the teams which took part in the construction of belogarden

Hargreaves Associates

George Hargreaves is the proprietor of Hargreaves Associates, a reputable landscaping and consultancy business. The company comprises several skilled architects and designers who assisted in bringing Belo Garden’s idea and vision to life.

Although Hargreaves Associates’ offices are dispersed across the world, including San Francisco and Cambridge, their headquarters are close to New York. This business served as the driving force behind the Belo Garden and oversaw its planning and construction.

Belo Corp

The Dallas-based media company Belo Corp. had numerous television stations across the United States as the financial details of the Belo Garden were being settled. Unquestionably, a significant element in the park’s building was Belo Corp’s 3 million dollars projected funding for the park’s construction.

The Belo Foundation

Another significant foundation that contributed to the creation of this park and made it into the reality it is today was the Belo Foundation. Belo Foundation’s 2.5 million dollars in expected funding for the park’s construction played an important role in its creation. The Belo Foundation was renamed “Parks for Downtown Dallas.” This company now primarily focuses on raising funds for the development of parks in Dallas.

The Dallas Park and Recreation Department

The Dallas park and recreating department is one of the major municipal park systems in the nation and was the most significant company that helped in the construction of the park. This department currently owns Belo Park and is responsible for everything from management to introducing new facilities.

Downtown Dallas, Inc.

Downtown Dallas, Inc supports Downtown activities that include festivals and sports leagues at different parks and venues within Dallas. This company’s main function is ensuring that areas scattered throughout Dallas are lively and vibrant. This company allocated a grant of 2 million dollars towards the park’s construction.

Austin Commercial

Austin Commercial is an expanding company that provides commercial, civil, and industrial construction services. With employees that exceed the six thousand figure, this company has been nationally recognized for its incredible services.

When the question of how this company played a part in the construction of the Belo Garden, the answer is quite straightforward. Austin Commercial served as the general contractor of the Belo Garden.

Good Fulton & Farrell Architects

How can one expect an exquisite park to be constructed without the guidance of an architectural expert? Good Fulton & Farrell Architects is a multi-disciplinary design firm owned by Larry Good.

This firm has been offering architectural, interior, planning, and landscape architectural advice for over thirty years, and one of the projects they worked on included the architectural aspects of the Belo Garden.

Allyn Media

Whether you own a business, run an amusement park or own a park, one factor binds the three examples together. Any venture is impossible to run without the support of the general public. Allyn Media played a vital role in keeping the public informed about the design and construction of Belo Garden, along with the latest updates.

By keeping the general public up-to-date with the latest news, Allyn media has been providing a link between the worlds for 37 years!

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is the park?

Belo garden, a park crafted with beauty in every nook and corner, is a 1.7-acre park.

What types of amenities does Belo Garden offer park visitors?

The BeloGarden provides users with various amenities that further help establish how great this park is. At the Fountain Plaza, there are sixty wooden benches and another thirty around the garden walkways. Garden Grove has 46 hardwood seats, 11 tables, and other furnishings, making it a fantastic place to have a picnic or even lunch.

When does the fountain run?

The fountain will operate between the hours of 7 and 9:30 am, 11:30 and 1:30 pm, and 3:30 -11 pm. It is set to operate on weekends from 9 am to 11 night. However, the fountain will turn off on its own if the wind speed surpasses 15 mph.

I’d like to rent Belogarden for an event; who should I contact?

To rent Belo Garden for your event, Jaime Clintsman, the Marketing & Events Coordinator with Downtown Dallas, Inc., is the person you should contact. You may reach her via clintsman@downtowndallas.org or (214) 744-1270.

How is Belo Garden different from Main Street Garden?

Both the aforementioned gardens have been constructed for two different purposes. Belo garden had been built to create a garden with lush plants and trees. In contrast, the Main Street Garden was designed to be a community gathering place for Dallas residents.

Is Belo Garden a dog park?

Although it is permissible to bring along dogs with you, the Belo Garden requests that owners keep their dogs on a leash and clean after them.

How many trees are planted in Belogarden?

More than 100 trees can be seen in the Belo Garden. The park is filled with trees that are native to Texas, including varieties like the Chinkapin Oak, Bigtooth, Autumn Blaze Maple, and others.

Who maintains the park?

The City of Dallas has a contract with Downtown Dallas Inc. for the Garden’s upkeep, which includes duties like mowing the lawn and trash collection. This agency is also in charge of everything from management to adding new facilities. A private donation from Maureen and Robert Decherd will be used to finance a capital improvement and repairs endowment.

Is this part of the Parks Master Plan?

Yes. The Belo Garden was the second park to be completed within the Parks Master Plan.

Who paid for the park?

The City of Dallas was able to purchase the land for the park with money dedicated to parking development by the voter-approved 2006 City of Dallas bond package. Belo Garden’s design and construction were transformed into reality by private donations from Belo Corp., The Belo Foundation, Downtown Dallas, Inc., and the M. R. & Evelyn Hudson Foundation.

Was this a brownfield?

Since the land where the Belo Garden now stands was a parking lot, the City Of Dallas had been awarded two grants to clean up that location. These grants were provided by the North Central Texas Council of Governments and one from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The cleaning up of this location was incredibly important as the former parking lot now meets the highest environmental standards.