A City Plan for Dallas (open access)

A City Plan for Dallas

Report of the Park Board in Dallas, Texas, including the text of the proposed city plan, called the "Kessler Plan." The plan describes suggested changes to the city including building levees; creating a belt railroad; building a union station; creating freight terminals; organizing a civic center; eliminating railroad grade crossings in downtown districts; extending roads in downtown areas; building parks, parkways, and boulevards; and adding playgrounds throughout the city. The text includes accompanying drawings and illustrations. The fiscal report of the Park Board is included at the end of the book.
Date: 1911
Creator: Kessler, George E.
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History

General Plan for a System of Parks and Boulevards for the City of Dallas, Texas.

Map displaying existing and proposed parks and boulevards (colored green) in Dallas, Texas, as part of the Kessler Plan. The main part of Dallas and Oak Cliff are represented, with some streets, railroads, and bodies of water.
Date: 1911~
Creator: Geo. E. Kessler & Co.
Object Type: Map
System: The Portal to Texas History

General Plan for the City of Dallas, Texas: Map Showing General Features of Suggested Improvements in Transportation Facilities Except Street Car Lines

Map displaying proposed changes to railroads and transportation infrastructure (colored green and red) in Dallas, Texas, as part of the Kessler Plan. The main part of Dallas and Oak Cliff are represented, with some streets, railroads, and bodies of water.
Date: 1911~
Creator: Geo. E. Kessler & Co.
Object Type: Map
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Kessler City Plan For Dallas: A Review of the Plan and Progress on its Accomplishment (open access)

The Kessler City Plan For Dallas: A Review of the Plan and Progress on its Accomplishment

This pamphlet contains the reprints of twenty-three articles from The Dallas Morning News regarding the Kessler Plan for the city of Dallas, Texas and the progress that had been made over the fifteen years since its inception. The articles in order are: Article 1--Origin of the Plan; Article 2--Early Efforts at Civic Development; Article 3--Kessler Plan for All of the City; Article 4--The Trinity River Levee Plan; Article 5--Belt Line Railway Proposal; Article 6--Pacific Avenue Track Removal; Article 7--Street Widening and Extension; Article 8--The Supplemental Plan of 1920; Article 9--The Central Avenue Boulevard; Article 10--Lamar Street Trafficway; Article 11--St. Paul Street Improvements; Article 12--The Cadiz-Williams Proposal; Article 13--Downtown Street Extensions; Article 14--Oak Cliff Trafficways; Article 15 -- Beauty to Follow Utility; Article 16--Cooperation in Suburban Development; Article 17--Park and Parkway Plans; Article 18--Large vs. Small Parks; Article 19--Playgrounds Considered; Article 20--Inner and Outer Boulevards; Article 21--The Mill Creek Parkway; Article 22--Outer Parkway and White Rock Plans; Article 23--Financing the Plan.
Date: 1925
Creator: Head, Louis P.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from McCarty Moore to John E. Surratt, December 31, 1925] (open access)

[Letter from McCarty Moore to John E. Surratt, December 31, 1925]

Letter from W. McCarty Moore to John E. Surratt at the Kessler Plan Association congratulating the Association on the success of the Kessler Plan. The letter included a check for $50 for a membership subscription.
Date: December 31, 1925
Creator: Moore, W. McCarty
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from the Kessler Plan Association, January 19, 1926] (open access)

[Letter from the Kessler Plan Association, January 19, 1926]

Letter from John E. Surratt at the Kessler Plan Association to members of the Advertising League regarding ways that the special committee could help to promote the Kessler Plan Association's city plan for Dallas, Texas. The original letter included copies of maps and literature about the Kessler Plan.
Date: January 19, 1926
Creator: Kessler Plan Association
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Prospects Bright for Kessler Program Cary Report Urges Action: Points Out Unity of Support and Cost of Further Delay (open access)

Prospects Bright for Kessler Program Cary Report Urges Action: Points Out Unity of Support and Cost of Further Delay

Article describing the changes to the city of Dallas, Texas during 1925 under the supervision of the Kessler Plan Association which designed the city plan. The article includes an over view of the plan, expenses, progress, county assistance, legal issues, and opinions. A sub-section includes a breakdown of some specific projects that happened under the plan.
Date: 1926~
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Two Letters of Interest to Dallas Folks (open access)

Two Letters of Interest to Dallas Folks

Two letters to John E. Surratt, secretary of the Kessler Plan Association, printed on the same page. The first is from J. C. Nichols, suggesting that the Association postpone the election for bond issues (rather than holding them during a regular municipal election). The second letter is from F. W. A. Vesper discussing reasons that bond measures did not pass in Kansas City, Missouri.
Date: unknown
Creator: Nichols, J. C.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
What Does "Our City" Need? (open access)

What Does "Our City" Need?

Printed speech about city planning that was presented to the Woman's Forum of Wichita Falls, Texas by the secretary of the Kessler Plan Association in Dallas, Texas. The address includes an overview of what city planners need to consider, including growth, parks and recreation, alleys, landscaping around highways, consultants, and funding.
Date: 1930
Creator: Surratt, John E.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History
A Zoning Ordinance: For the City of Dallas (open access)

A Zoning Ordinance: For the City of Dallas

Text of a new ordinance for the city of Dallas, Texas outlining the zoning plans for areas of the city as part of the Kessler Plan. It includes a map that notes tentative zones for residential, business, and industry areas throughout the city.
Date: 1930
Creator: Dallas (Tex.). City Plan Commission.
Object Type: Pamphlet
System: The Portal to Texas History