Belo Garden Park

Belo Garden Park is a 1.7-acre (0.69 ha) public park located in downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The park is located between Main and Commerce, east of Griffin in the Main Street District. The park, formerly a parking lot, features perennial gardens, shaded groves, plaza spaces, an interactive fountain, a 10’ high hill which provides topographical relief and views over the central fountain plaza, and a shaded garden grove with movable tables and chairs.[1][2] In 2006 Belo Corporation (the owners of Dallas-area ABC affiliate WFAA and The Dallas Morning News) committed $6.5 million toward the $14.5 million construction of the park. It is one of several downtown parks planned by the City of Dallas, which include Main Street Garden Park and Pacific Plaza Park.

Belo Garden
TypePublic
LocationDallas, Texas
Coordinates32°46′46″N 96°48′09″W
Area1.7-acre (6,900 m2)
Operated byCity of Dallas
StatusOpen all year
WebsiteBelo Garden

Although scheduled for groundbreaking in 2008 the timeline was delayed due to the discovery of contaminated soil.[3] Soil removal began in July 2010, and the park was re-scheduled to open in early 2012.[4]

Belo Garden's design has been the center of local controversy. A 12-foot wall separating the park from the adjacent Metropolitan Building was included for reasons including traffic protection and noise isolation. Professionals called this feature unneeded and anti-urban, but a resolution with Belo was not reached.[5]

Shooting
Main article: 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers

On July 7, 2016, Belo Garden became the scene of a mass shooting targeting police officers. Five officers were killed and eight others injured by sniper fire.[6][7] The shooting occurred at the end of an otherwise peaceful protest against police killings in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.[8] It is the deadliest attack on U.S. law enforcement since the September 11 attacks.[9]

References
  1. "Hargreaves Associates - Hargreaves Associates Belo Garden". Archived from the original on 2013-01-03.
  2. "Belo Garden - The Westin Dallas Downtown". Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.
  3. Wilonsky, Robert (17 September 2009). "Before Belo Garden, Soil Remediation".
  4. "Site work to start on 1.6-acre Belo Garden in downtown Dallas".
  5. Grimes, Andrea (11 February 2011). "Is Belo Building"Wall Of Spite" Between the Downtown Garden and Metropolitan Condos?".
  6. "At Least Four Police Officers Killed in Dallas". The Atlantic. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  7. Carissimo, Justin; Garcia, Feliks; Osborne, Samuel (July 7, 2016). "Five police officers killed and seven wounded by snipers at police brutality protest in Dallas". The Independent. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  8. "2 snipers shoot 11 officers, killing 5, in shooting during demonstrations in Dallas - reports". Russia Today. July 7, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  9. "5 Police Officers Killed in Downtown Dallas Ambush". NBC San Diego. July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
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