Reverchon Park 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 ...

in the Oak Lawn area of

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 ...

. It was named for the French

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

Julien Reverchon. The park lies along Turtle Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River. Its main entrance is at Maple Avenue and Turtle Creek Boulevard.

History

Built in 1915, Reverchon Park is one of the oldest parks in the city. First named Turtle Creek Park, it was renamed Reverchon Park after Julien Reverchon (1837–1905), a

and a member of the La Reunion Utopian Community. In the 80s and 90s, the park was notoriously crime-ridden, but a rejuvenation project beginning in 1998 helped turn Reverchon into one of Dallas' most successful parks, according to ''The Dallas Morning News''. The

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

baseball team played at the ballpark from 1977 to 1980, before the baseball program disbanded after the 1980 season.

Features

Reverchon Park is in area, and offers around 40 leisure and recreational program for citizens, including health screenings, tutoring, athletic leagues, yoga, volleyball, and after-school programs. The park also is home to baseball fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts. A playground in the park, accessible to children of all abilities, was designed by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the City of Dallas. A section of the Katy Trail, a recreational

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

, runs adjacent to the park. It connects to parks of the Trinity River Project.

Ballpark

Reverchon Park includes a 3,500-capacity 1920s-era ballpark used for high-school and amateur baseball teams. It was the home field for Southern Methodist University baseball from 1977 to 1980. In July 2018, plans were announced for a new multi-purpose stadium in the park to host a Dallas franchise in the independent Southwest League of Professional Baseball, as well as local high school playoff games, amateur baseball leagues, and the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. With the Southwest League never playing a game, in January 2020 the Dallas City Council approved a renovation proposal from a group led by

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

general manager Donnie Nelson who was also an owner of the Texas AirHogs of the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

American Association. The $10 million plan included new seating, artificial turf, locker rooms, dugouts, and concessions and restrooms facilities, all to accommodate professional and amateur baseball, soccer, lacrosse, concerts and rugby. In October 2020, the plan was reported to be dead when the group led by Nelson failed to submit documentation before a September 30 deadline.

References

Sources

* "Southwest Conference's Greatest Hits," Neal Farmer, c.1996

External links

* * Parks in Dallas Baseball venues in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex SMU Mustangs baseball venues 1915 establishments in Texas {{Texas-baseball-venue-stub