DALLAS — Nearly 22,000 historic antiques and artifacts are among the items that the organization managing Dallas' Old City Park will make available for the public to purchase in an estate sale starting April 29, its interim CEO said.
The sale, which will include furnishings, quilts, documents and some non-historic items used for the non-profit's day-to-day work (think office equipment), is necessary ahead of the parks impending transition to city control next month, said the Dallas County Heritage Society's Michael Meadows.
"This is not a happy transition," Meadows said. "There's a lot of sadness that we're at this point."
He said the nonprofit's contract with the city to manage the park is set to expire May 26. Continuing to operate the facility, which includes more than a dozen historic buildings, at the existing contract rate was not sustainable, he said.
The Dallas Parks Department will take over management of the park on May 27 and undergo a master planning process before it considers accepting proposals for a different private partner to manage the park, he said.
"While Old City Park will no longer be registered as a museum, visitors, can expect a museum-like experience when exploring the historic buildings on the 20-acre property," said Dallas Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Andrea Hawkins.
The Dallas County Heritage Society plans to change its name and mission to continue supporting Old City Park, but Meadows said it will not apply to manage the park again.
"We're not going anywhere as an advocate for Old City Park," Meadows said. "But our role is changing from manager to supporter."
The thousands of artifacts up for sale are a combination of some items on display and many in a warehouse. Objects deemed to have historic value have been donated to other organizations like libraries and museums, Meadows said.
The estate sale will run from April 29 through May 4.
"The Department has no plans to demolish the historic structures or sell any part of the property. Old City Park is a dedicated park land that will be maintained and used as a public park. The artifacts inside the buildings after the transition date will become property of the Department," Hawkins added.