Pegasus Plaza is a public

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Located at the corner of Akard and Main Street in the Main Street District, the plaza takes its name from

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

, the iconic sign atop the adjacent Magnolia Hotel and the mythical flying horse. The shaded plaza includes several fountains and is used for concerts, festivals and Christmas celebrations.

History

Pegasus Plaza was created as the centerpiece of a $7 million restoration program for the historic Main Street District. The project reconstructed Main Street and included new lighting, landscaping and street furniture in hopes of spurring redevelopment of many Dallas historic structures. The $2.5 million plaza, an idea of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, was paid for with $750,000 of 1982 bond election money and private donations, including $500,000 from actress

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was a British-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the homef ...

. Constructed on a corner parking lot originally the site of the Southwestern Life Insurance Building (Otto H. Lang, architect; built 1912; demolished 1972), work on the plaza began in 1993 and the plaza was opened in September 1994 by Dallas Mayor

Steve Bartlett Harry Stephen Bartlett (born September 19, 1947) is an American politician and former president and CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, an advocacy group lobbying the U.S. federal government on financial services legislation, a position w ...

and former Mayor

Annette Strauss Annette Louise Greenfield Strauss (January 26, 1924 – December 14, 1998) was an American philanthropist and politician who served as the 54th mayor of Dallas. The Annette Strauss Artist Square in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas is ...

. The plaza has been the site of many city celebrations since its opening, including the city's millennium celebration in 2000 which included fireworks and relighting of the restored Pegasus atop the Magnolia Building.

Design

The overall Main Street redevelopment project was created by a consortium of architects and engineers led by Good Fulton & Farrell Architects, the Slaney/Santana Group and Cardenas-Salcedo and Associates. Artist Brad Goldberg was responsible for the design of the Pegasus Plaza itself. Although the plaza sits in the shadow of the 50-year-old namesake neon sculpture atop the Magnolia Building, the idea for the plaza and its crowning jewel heavily references Greek mythology. The design retells the story of when the warrior

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

slew the serpent-haired monster

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

and

sprang from her severed head. He stamped the earth with his hoof, creating the Fountain of the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

. A limestone fountain and winding stream anchor the design of the plaza. The fountain is connected to a natural mineral spring below the Magnolia Building and is the source well for water in the plaza. A series of concentric circles embedded in the pavement radiates from the fountain into the surrounding streets. Scattered throughout the plaza are nine granite boulders taken from Marble Falls carved and dedicated to the nine Muses. A stone dedicated to

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; , "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word " terpsichorean", which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance Terpsichore is usually d ...

, the Muse of dance, is next to a performance area. A stone dedicated to

Melpomene Melpomene (; ) is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne (and therefore of power and memory) along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask. Etymolog ...

, the singer of elegies and tragedies, is next to a grove of willows, which are a symbol of death. A 4,000-pound quartz crystal, a grove of bald cypresses and other symbols of healing also fill the plaza.David Flick. (1994, October 18). Downtown's newest park nearly ready - Sculpor wants to make Pegasus Plaza `sacred place'. The Dallas Morning News HOME FINAL ed., 1A. Retrieved December, 15 2009 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)

References

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External links

Flashback Dallas: The Akard Street CanyonPublished photo of post-demolition space that would become a parking lot
Buildings and structures in Dallas Parks in Dallas