Oak Cliff Conservation League

166-Year-Old Oak Cliff Cabin, One of Dallas' Oldest Buildings, At Risk of Being Lost

Last night at the Turner House, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League unveiled its 2012 Architecture at Risk List, its annual enumeration of properties in danger of being demolished, neglected, and otherwise relegated to the dust bin of history. They offered a sneak peek of the first item on their l ... More >>

Developer Still Plans to Raze 1929 Humble Service Station in Oak Cliff

Neighbors have pretty much given up on saving the vaguely octagonal white-and-blue building at the corner of Zang and Beckley that housed a long-departed Humble service station. Developers Jay Song and John Chong plan to demolish the 1929 structure to make way for a convenience store. It's going to ... More >>

Drilling Task Force Nails Down Set-Backs, Narrowly Votes Against Injection Wells

David Biegler​At yesterday's meeting, the council-appointed drilling task force grappled with some of the more divisive issues in front of them -- and actually nailed down what they'll recommend the council do about set-back distances and allowing disposal wells for produced frack water. As th ... More >>

Last Week, Several From Dallas City Hall Took a Couple of Field Trips to the Justice Department

Photo by Anna MerlanDomingo Garcia and Delia Jasso at last night's redistricting confab​The answer is no, the question being: Will we ever stop writing about the city redistricting process? But it's been a little while, so let's review. Then we can discuss the dueling delegations who apparentl ... More >>

Gas Drilling Committee Trims List of Task Force Applicants to Nine Slated For Council Vote

Photo by Leslie MinoraLinda Koop, seated next to outgoing council member Dave Neumann, chaired yesterday's meeting.​After postponing last Thursday's meeting so council members could ride in the Dallas Mavericks' parade through downtown, the city council's Ad Hoc Gas Drilling Task Force Nominating ... More >>

A Liveblog As City Council Meets Its First Round of Finalists for the Gas Drilling Task Force

Task force nominees await their turn to chat with the council. It only gets more exciting from here.​Welcome back to Dallas City Hall for the epic second episode of the gas drilling task force selection process, where the ad hoc committee of city council members will be meeting candidates for face ... More >>

This Old House Says Now's the Time to Buy in North Oak Cliff, a "Best Old House" 'Hood

According to Nest Realty's North Oak Cliff website, this Winnetka Heights house is about to hit the market.​Last year, This Old House magazine singled out Junius Heights as one of the Best Old House Neighborhoods in the country, insisting, "Proximity to downtown Dallas, great schools, and recent r ... More >>

About Those Proposed Permit Fee Hikes ...

​For months Theresa O'Donnell, director of the city's Sustainable Development and Construction department, has been meeting with contractors and developers about how to loosen up the permit-granting, inspection-making logjam caused in recent months by departmental layoffs and other budget-busters. ... More >>

They're Taking Down Oak Cliff Christian Church. But You're Welcome to Bid On a Piece Of It.

​Ten days before Christmas we broke the news: The Dallas Independent School District has purchased the old Oak Cliff Christian Church with the intentions of razing the 94-year-old 10th Street structure to make way for an athletic complex accompanying the W.H. Adamson High School redo. But court he ... More >>

Quick! Be Part of Slow Living in Oak Cliff, ASAP.

Sara KerensBikos don't bite. They bike. (Pictured: Jason and Andrea Roberts.)​If you're not presently a Cliffdweller, here's hoping you really like where you live before you read this week's feature, "Greener Acres," about the biking, gardening and quality-of-life-obsessed activists Jim Schutze ch ... More >>

Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Prez Makes Late-Hour Plea About Bishop/Davis Plan

​After "thousands of hours of discussion and debate," according to architect Rick Garza, head of the Bishop/Davis Land Use and Zoning Study steering committee, the Dallas City Council will finally vote on the plan Wednesday. Bob Stimson, the former city council member who's  now president of ... More >>

Eat, Drink, Rock and Remember the Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts Saturday Night

Photos by Patrick Michels​Andrea, Patrick and I just spent the last half hour getting baked in the Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts parking lot on Fort Worth Avenue -- sadly, not that kind of baked (though I guess we could have ...). Broiled is more like it -- that concrete alley is mothereffin' hot. Neve ... More >>

Time's Running Out for Preservationists Hoping to Save Old Oak Cliff Christian Church

Unless a buyer steps up before August 17, DISD can go ahead with plans to raze the church at 10th and Crawford. ​​Late yesterday afternoon, John McCall Jr. -- the former president of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League and its current attorney -- sent word that the future of the old Oak C ... More >>

For the First Time, Old Oak Cliff Conservation League Release Its "At-Risk" Buildings List

A sign on the Eagle Ford School, one of the OOCCL's at-risk buildings​Preservation Dallas's most-endangered list won't be released till June 30. But this morning, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League has released its own variation -- an "Architecture at Risk List," its first. Not surprisingly, th ... More >>

Three-peat! Following Up With Tom Hicks, Jaime Cortes and the Oak Cliff Christian Church.

​Just returned to the office from an interview to find three press releases in the Unfair Park in-box worth noting. As always, let's start with the unusually chatty Tom Hicks, who spoke today with, among other media outlets, Business Week and the UK Guardian. To the former he reiterates what has b ... More >>

Knocking Down the Historic Demolition Ordinance That's Before the Council Today

​Five years ago a fierce battle was fought to stop the demolition of a house on my block in Dallas's first and oldest historic district (The Swiss Avenue Historic District). Blogista (and friend) Sharon Boyd called those of us who wanted to save the house "Preservation Nazis," which I guess is be ... More >>

When It Comes to Bishop/Davis Study, Not Everyone In Oak Cliff Is On the Same Page

From the Bishop Davis Land Use & Zoning Study, which we'd recommend downloading from here before trying to open​With even Oak Cliff homeowners associations split over the Bishop Davis Land Use & Zoning Study, if nothing else yesterday's public hearing at the City Plan Commission proved th ... More >>

Notes from Last Night's Methodist Hospital Meeting, or: Hey, Oak Cliff, You're So Great. Why Are You So Great?

Daniel RodrigueBob Stimson and Schutze find common ground: Oak Cliff kicks ass.​The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce offered up a smorgasbord of presentations last night focusing on various initiatives from parks and the arts to bicycles and trolleys, and the community turned out in droves. An es ... More >>

As Time Runs Out For Oak Cliff Christian Church, Some Lookers But No Takers

The Old Oak Cliff Conservation League had downtown architectural firm RTKL draw up some conceptual renderings of the church featuring DISD's proposed athletic fields for the new Adamson High.​Like we said last month, the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League has till August 15 to find a buyer for the ... More >>

Oak Cliff Becomes Cool Embracing What Other Parts Of Dallas Have Fought: Builders, Bikes And Immigrants

Friends of Oak Cliff Parks Concerned Council Will Derail Long-Planned WPA Pergola Redo

Courtesy the Old Oak Cliff Conservation LeagueThe WPA pergola as it looked in 1945 ...​Schutze wrote the other day that Oak Cliff gets stuff done despite Dallas City Hall. Which is fine, until City Hall does get involved: The Friends of Oak Cliff Parks have been out and about in recent weeks warni ... More >>

Oak Cliff League's Prez Amonett on Mediation With DISD: "At Least We Have Hope Now."

Daniel RodrigueJohn McCall Jr. (right) and Gus Galanis discuss how best to tarp the roof.​As we mentioned yesterday, members of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League and John McCall Jr., its attorney and former president, met on the sidewalk in front of the Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th S ... More >>

Preservationists Insist "Some Good" Has Come Out of Mediation With DISD Concerning the Fate of Oak Cliff Christian Church

Spike JohnsonDISD was all ready to raze Oak Cliff Christian a few weeks ago. So, now what?​It's been exactly two months since Unfair Park broke the news that the Dallas Independent School District had purchased the old Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th Street with the intention of razing Charles ... More >>

Conservation League Goes to Court to Stop DISD From Razing Oak Cliff Christian

Spike JohnsonEarlier this week, crews were cutting off the gas to the old Oak Cliff Christian Church, which DISD wants to raze for tennis courts for the new Adamson.​Now we know where we'll be at 4 p.m. today: at the George Allen Court House -- specifically, in Judge Teresa Guerra Snelson's court ... More >>

DISD May Still Get to Raze Historic Church, But Not Before Turning Over Financial Records

From left: Michael Amonett of OOCCL, Jason Roberts of Bike Friendly Oak Cliff and attorney John McCall Jr. after today's hearing​Schutze is right -- they ought to trademark it, "The Oak Cliff Way." Now, it's more than likely the  Old Oak Cliff Conservation League won't stop the Dallas Indepen ... More >>

Well, It Looks Like It's Time For Your Weekly Oak Cliff Christian Church Update

Photos by Michael AmonettThis is the scene today at Oak Cliff Christian Church, which should be razed in a matter of weeks.​But, don't worry, there won't be too many of these left: Michael Amonett, president of the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League, sends word (and pictures) today that Ponce Const ... More >>

A Sort of Tour of the Interior of the Oak Cliff Christian Church, Which DISD Plans to Raze

​Right before Christmas, Dallas Independent School District board president Adam Medrano told Unfair Park he is "not sure what can be done at this point" to save the Oak Cliff Christian Church, which DISD purchased in the fall to make way for some piece of the new Adamson High School campus. (Tent ... More >>

DISD Board President Medrano "Not Sure What Can be Done" to Save Oak Cliff Church

​Early this morning, a Friend of Unfair Park forwarded along an update from the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League: "A Glimmer of Hope for Oak Cliff Christian Church." That, of course, is a reference to the 1905 building recently acquired by the Dallas Independent School District for the Adamson Hi ... More >>

With Demo Permit in Hand, DISD's Closer to Razing Historic Oak Cliff Christian Church

Oak Cliff Christian Church in an undated photo, courtesy the Oak Cliff Conservation League​Dallas Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander says he can't talk about the district's intentions with the former Oak Cliff Christian Church on 10th Street, which, as we first mentioned Tuesday m ... More >>

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