DALLAS — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
A five-acre park under construction over a freeway in southern Dallas has received a $23 million grant to complete phase one of the project.
Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation announced Sept. 19 it received the large gift from the Halperin Foundation. The grant allows Southern Gateway to meet its phase one funding goal of roughly $112 million. The park, currently referred to as Southern Gateway Park, will officially be named Halperin Park as a result of the donation.
Jim Halperin, co-founder and co-chair of Heritage Auctions and president of the Halperin Foundation, said the donation is the largest single gift in the foundation’s history.
"This donation will serve many purposes. It will use green space to reconnect communities long ago separated by a highway," Halperin said in a statement. "It will help create a destination park for all of Dallas. And, I hope, it will inspire future generations of Halperins to give back to the city that has given them so much."
Halperin Park will span I-35E between Ewing and Marsalis avenues, adjacent to the Dallas Zoo, and is anticipated to open in early 2026. The park is a public-private partnership with the City of Dallas, Texas Department of Transportation, North Central Texas and Southern Gateway and aims to spur economic and community activity in the historically overlooked sector.
Many have referred to this as a transformational project for Dallas, one that can bring people together and bolster community in similar ways to Klyde Warren Park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway in the city's downtown.
"This is one of the most significant private gifts in the history of our city’s park system," April Allen, president and CEO of Southern Gateway, said in a statement. "It not only enables us to complete phase one construction, but it also unlocks an additional $7.5 million in challenge grants and supports the long-term sustainability of the park."
The park is being built in two phases. When it's done, it will feature a stage pavilion, dedicated food truck areas and outdoor classroom space. Halperin Park is estimated to have 2 million visitors and generate more than $1 billion in economic impact within five years.
The Halperin Foundation grant comes after Southern Gateway secured $77 million from government partners earlier this year for construction of the park’s phase two infrastructure.
