Cole Park has been part of my life since I was about ten. My dad bought an apartment building across the street, and my brother David and I spent years playing in the park. Our family eventually lived in that building, and David and I lived there as adults, too.
That gives me a personal attachment to these seven acres in Uptown. When I think about Cole Park, I think about having a beautiful green space close enough to become part of everyday life. In a densely built part of Dallas, that is a very good thing to have across the street.
The little pool I remember
I also remember the little seasonal pool. It opened for a couple of months each year, and we enjoyed it very much. That was roughly 45 or 50 years ago.
There is an interesting earlier trace in the City’s records: the Dallas Municipal Archives’ construction collection lists a 1924 file for wading pools at Exline, Winnetka, and Cole. The index does not tell us when the pool I remember operated, but it does place a Cole pool project in the park’s early history.
A century of neighborhood life
Dallas Park & Recreation dates Cole Park’s establishment to 1923. Its familiar Spanish Revival pavilion followed in 1925, according to GSR Andrade Architects, the firm behind its later restoration. The tiled roof and arches give this neighborhood gathering place a distinctive architectural presence.
The park also appears in the Municipal Archives’ list of WPA park projects from 1936–38. Decades later, another round of care addressed the pavilion and surrounding grounds. Contractor Phillips/May dates that renovation’s completion to 2010; the project received a Preservation Dallas achievement award in 2011.
GSR Andrade describes repairs to the pavilion’s walls, roof, floor, and wood ceiling, along with work on paths, landscaping, lighting, accessibility, and tennis courts. It is a useful reminder that a park’s familiar character takes care and investment to carry forward.
Come for a game, or take a walk
Today, the City lists tennis and pickleball courts, an outdoor basketball court, a playground, trails, benches, a drinking fountain, parking, and the pavilion. There is also a pet waste station for those arriving with a dog. The range of uses makes room for an energetic outing or a much quieter visit.
The pickleball courts have their own place in the neighborhood’s social life. D Magazine devoted a 2023 feature to the players who gathered here, introducing readers to a cross-section of people drawn to the game. For anyone who has watched a local park become a meeting place, the appeal is easy to understand.
I like that Cole Park can hold those different chapters at once: a childhood memory, a historic pavilion, a place for a game, and open green space surrounded by city life. Having lived across from it as a child and as an adult, I know how much that proximity can mean.
Find Cole Park at 4000 Cole Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204. The City’s Cole Park page has the current facility listing and directions.
Personal recollections by Kevin Day. Historical sources: Dallas Municipal Archives construction records and federal-relief project index; GSR Andrade Architects; Phillips/May. Additional reporting: D Magazine’s 2023 pickleball feature.
