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SUMMARY OF THE MARCH 4 PUBLIC SESSION
First, we wish all of you well amidst the current global upheaval. We hope you and your families are safe and healthy.

Second, we'd like to update you on the latest with the Kalita Humphreys Theater (the Kalita.) Our last newsflash alerted you to the public information session organized by the Dallas Theater Center (DTC) on March 4 at the Kalita to kick off the Update to the 2010 Master Plan.

We left the session feeling encouraged that the upcoming planning process will be a collaborative one. At the end of this year, a plan will be presented to Council and Commissions for approval and public/private funding. Everyone is energized about moving this plan forward, and we want to be as supportive as possible.

NOTE: See our June 2019 newsletter for background on the Council Resolution that extended the expired DTC lease for five years and gave them the right to privately fund an “Updated Master Plan’ for the Kalita – and the entire park that surrounds it on both sides of Turtle Creek.
THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE
1. Session Summary

2. Statements We Support

3. Our Ongoing Concerns

4. How You Can Help – GIVE YOUR INPUT NOW
SUMMARY OF THE SESSION
The DTC team, led by Kevin Moriarty, Artistic Director, and Jennifer Altabef, Board Chair, spoke enthusiastically about what they are bringing to the vision for the Kalita, and many of their descriptions reflected themes from the original publicly-funded 2010 Master Plan in important ways.
 
Members of the team were thanked, including initial steering committee members: Park Director Willis Winters, Planning Director Peer Chacko, and Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) Director Jennifer Scripps. (The owner of the buildings is the OCA and the owner of the park is the Park and Recreation Department.) HillwoodUrban, a Perot Company, is acting as Project Manager, and GFF architects helped prepare the proposed program that was attached to the “Request for Proposal/Qualifications” (RFPQ) used in defining project scope for the architectural consultant.
 
The selected firm, Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), a high-design, New York-based firm, was introduced as the prime consultant of a multi-disciplinary planning team, as yet to be announced.
 
DS+R reviewed relevant past works, to give the gist of their approach to the Updated Master Plan. They emphasized that they have not begun their design and are keeping an open mind, receptive to public input. Relevant past projects included a turf-covered restaurant at Lincoln Center plaza, a park near Red Square with infrastructure hidden below grade and dramatic cantilevered walkways. They showed several projects in the category titled “adaptive restoration.”
 
Principal Kevin Rice shared his knowledge about significant aspects of the theater as a performance space and also a work of architecture.
 
See our March 4 newsflash for additional background on DS+R and a description of the issues – both for optimism and for concern.
WE SUPPORT THESE STATEMENTS
Here are themes from this first public session that we wholeheartedly support:

- First and foremost, the DTC and the consultant team emphasized both the need and the wish to hear from the whole community during the planning process.

- The theater exterior is to be restored to its original period of significance. The DTC team expressed enthusiasm for this mandate and DS+R principal Charles Renfro was quoted in their press release saying, “this project is an opportunity to restore the Kalita Humphreys – one of Dallas’s most overlooked pieces of architecture – to its rightful place in the pantheon of design masterpieces in the city.”

- A plan was described to restore the theater interior to original intentions for theatrical and other performing arts, with modifications for functionality. The presentation depicted the Kalita as a unique theater and suggested that ancillary theaters will take the burden off the Wright/Baker space to function in ways for which it was not designed. Again, quoting Renfro: “Not only is it Frank Lloyd Wright’s only built theater, but it has also made significant contributions to the way theater has been presented and seen.”

- A support building will meet the theater’s needs post-restoration and add amenities that are now lacking. The design of that building no doubt will have the innovative but sympathetic approach for which DS+R is known.

- An appreciation and awareness of the landscape’s unique qualities was shown, and the intention is to create “a balanced approach between the onsite buildings and the site's extraordinary natural features.” They value a “restored landscape” to enhance the natural park, which will maximize the “urban green” and create a “strengthened relationship to the creek.”

- The presentation emphasized connectivity in plural modes. The intention is to create connections to neighborhoods and trails, and to revitalize the park as a whole through greater activity for the public at all times of day.

- The team supports the Dallas Cultural Plan's goal of ensuring equitable access and adds the goal of “revealing all kinds of new possibilities for artists.”

- The importance of visitation to this property was recognized. The Kalita is to be for “all the citizens of Dallas, visitors from North Texas and throughout the world.”  

All were vocal that this property is “of immense cultural value” locally, nationally, and internationally. DS+R affirmed the Kalita’s relation to Fallingwater and the Guggenheim, saying that the architecture of the Kalita Humphreys Theater is in the top tier of Wright’s works and of international significance. 
WE REMAIN VIGILANT ABOUT THESE CONCERNS
- Theater Interior Restoration – Features we believe are key to the interior restoration are the original spatial volume, acoustic, panoramic stage, monochromatic color scheme, and seating design. Read more in the March 4 newsletter about the theater interior.

- Theater Interior Back-of House – In the pre-determined program of the RFP, back-of-house areas were slated for alteration. All original built-ins, railings, fixtures, etc are protected by the Historic Ordinance, and it is so important that interior built-ins, metal detailing, doors, libraries, and down-center stage are retained with the original qualities for modern use.

- Size of the Program – The space allocation program in the RFPQ more than doubles the space recommended in the 2010 Master Plan. The number of potential users increased during the Lease Agreement negotiations, prior to the June 2019 Council Resolution, placing additional burdens on the Kalita and its site.

- Potential for Over-building – Doubling the area of buildings on the site would be undesirable from the point of view of the neighborhood and the landmark value of the site. Traffic, roof-scape, noise, green space, and context for the landmark structure are all concerns we share. 
We invite you go to the KTC website to look at the video animation of 2010 Master Plan, which reflects a balanced site-to-building ratio.

- Strategic Plan for Economic Viability – To generate additional revenue, the pre-determined program includes a table-service restaurant and an income-producing parking garage. Instead of adding many more venues for revenue, we would like to see a current analysis that includes the revenues for the landmark through grants, visitation, and philanthropy. A property of this importance can produce substantial revenue in additional to theater revenues, but only if the inherent significance of the property is maintained.

- Strategy for Management - The parameters for management in the DTC proposal request already assume that the DTC will be the sole manager of the site. We believe that this should be evaluated as a part of the master planning process. The 2010 Master Plan recommended a collective framework for the many entities that have site jurisdiction.

- Reinventing the Wheel – Dallas taxpayers already paid for a masterplan in 2010. The June 2019 Council Resolution granted the right to DTC to do an “Updated Master Plan" with the caveat that the 2010 Master Plan be briefed to the Arts and Culture Commission, Landmark Commission, Park Board, and Arts and Culture Council Committee at the beginning, middle, and end of the Update process. But at the recent public session, the current privately-funded effort was referenced as “creating a new master plan.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP – NOW IS THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS
Give Written Feedback to the Consultant Team

At the information session, the DTC asked for broad public input to help shape the plan. This is an invitation for everyone to jump on board. Input is essential now, in the early planning stages.

Send comments to the DTC and their Consultants via their form here.

We will make sure your letters or emails will be received by decision-makers if you copy/paste your note into an email to info@wrightinthepark.org. We will compile responses and letters and give them to City staff and elected and appointed officials at meetings and events.

The updated plan is to be completed by the end of 2020 for approval by Council, but at the beginning, middle, and end of the process there are to be public sessions, and also briefings to Council Committees and Commissions.

We will post notices of upcoming hearings, meetings, and briefings on our website, as well as other news and links. Sign up to subscribe to receive our informative newsletters.
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THE KALITA HUMPHREYS THEATER AT TURTLE CREEK CONSERVANCY – THE KTC – is a 501(c)(3) non-profit working to transform the Kalita Humphreys theater and its park site into an enduring cultural asset that supports active use for plural interests including theater, architecture, nature, and connectivity.
Copyright © 2020 Wright in the Park, All rights reserved.


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