Klyde Warren Park Expansion Adds Ice Rink, Pavilion, and 1.7 Acres
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Dallas leaders unveiled plans Monday for a nearly $200 million expansion of Klyde Warren Park that will add 1.7 acres and extend the popular deck park farther west over the remaining recessed stretch of Woodall Rodgers Freeway, connecting Uptown to the central business district.
The project will introduce a large event lawn that doubles as a seasonal ice-skating rink, a multi-story glass pavilion overlooking the skyline, and new gathering spaces intended to accommodate everything from neighborhood festivals to weddings.
Since opening in 2012, Klyde Warren Park has become one of the city’s most visited public spaces, creating a 5.4-acre park above Woodall Rodgers Freeway that draws roughly 1.3 million visitors annually.
“Fourteen years ago, many people questioned whether building a deck park over a freeway was even possible,” said Jody Grant, chair of Klyde Warren Park’s board of directors. “Today, Klyde Warren Park stands as proof of what can happen when a community believes in a bold vision. This expansion isn’t simply about adding acreage. It’s an investment in Dallas, an investment in the community and an investment in future generations.”
Construction is expected to begin before the end of 2026 and take about two years, putting the expanded park on track to open in late 2028. The project will grow Klyde Warren Park from 5.4 acres to 7.1 acres.
Officials celebrated Klyde Warren Park’s reputation as both a civic gathering place and an economic catalyst for development.
“Klyde Warren Park embodies the bold steps forward that we can take with innovative vision,” Mayor Eric Johnson said. “The expansion of this park is exactly the kind of transformative investment we must continue to make throughout Dallas’ urban core.”
The largest new outdoor feature will be The Jacobs Lawn, a 37,000-square-foot flexible green space designed to host concerts, festivals, farmers markets, civic celebrations, and other community events. During the winter months, the lawn will be converted into an outdoor ice-skating rink, with additional seasonal programming planned throughout the year.
A two-story glass-and-steel pavilion will be built over Woodall Rodgers between Akard Street and St. Paul Street. The structure will feature approximately 24,000 square feet of climate-controlled event and reception space, along with an 8,000-square-foot rooftop terrace overlooking downtown.
Officials estimate the expansion could generate another $3.5 billion in surrounding property value over the next decade. According to the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, the park has contributed an estimated $5.9 billion in increased surrounding property values while generating approximately $957 million in incremental tax revenue benefiting the City of Dallas, Dallas County, Dallas ISD, Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Dallas College.
City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said those figures illustrate the broader value of investing in public spaces.
“Klyde Warren Park demonstrates what thoughtful private-public partnerships can accomplish,” she said. “Since opening, the park has supported the generation of hundreds of millions in incremental tax revenue for the City of Dallas. But beyond the numbers, it has created a place where neighborhoods connect, businesses invest, and communities come together.”
The expansion is being funded through a partnership involving the City of Dallas, Dallas County, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the Regional Transportation Council, the Klyde Warren Park/Dallas Arts District Public Improvement District, and private philanthropic donors. During construction, the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation plans to launch another fundraising campaign to support future programming and amenities.
