Dallas Architectural Firm Makes Old City Park More Accessible

By Lisa Lamkin, BRW Architects, AIA

Hollywood filmmakers have drawn us a picture of what it would be like to

live around the turn of the 20th century - romantic, beautiful and perfect.

But at Dallas's Old City Park, a historical village, it wasn't always

perfect for everyone. Getting around used to be a problem for some disabled

visitors.

Dallas-based Brown Reynolds Watford Architects Inc. (BRW) has helped make it

easier and more enjoyable for such disabled guests to visit the historic

park by looking at the smallest details.

The architecture firm made many improvements including: designing ramps into

the historic structures, creating directional signage for the handicapped

route throughout the park, and crafting accessible pathways that make it

easier to tour the park.

"The challenge for BRW was to bring the property up to American Disabilities

Act (ADA) compliance without changing the historic integrity of the

buildings," said Hal Simon, curator of collections and interpretation at Old

City Park. "I think they did a good job with matching the ramps to each

location and designing each one to be the least intrusive to the site

visually," he said.

Steve Danielson, construction administrator for BRW added, "To help do so,

we designed the ramps with inclines low enough to not require handrails or,

whereever possible, create the ramp and rail to complement the character of

the respective structure."

One of the structures in the park is a log cabin constructed from timbers

and stone. The ramp designed for handicapped access is located on the side

of the building, built at a low grade and made from similar materials as the

cabin. "They made the ramps look like they were part of the original

buildings," Simon said.

"I think we were able to blend in well with some of the more intricate

buildings like the George House, where we added turned balusters on the ramp

to match the existing porch balusters," Danielson said.

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Danielson said most plans call for a "one size fits all" solution to a park'

s accessibility challenges. "There was a study previously completed that

suggested one particular style of ramp for all the buildings, but we felt

that it was more important to match the ramp with the building," Danielson

said.

Lisa Lamkin, associate principal for BRW added, "The character of Old City

park is just that - full of character. It's a wonderful collection of all

kinds of buildings and to have a "one size fits all" solution would just

stick out like a sore thumb. All the buildings have their own personality."

Another major improvement to the property was to replace the gravel pathways

with a more user-friendly material. Simon said he was concerned about

replacing the existing gravel pathways because that's what was used when the

buildings were originally built, but he was pleased with the results.

"BRW spent a lot of time making the pathways look as much like gravel as

they could while making them ADA compliant," he said. "It turned out looking

quite well and durable from a maintenance standpoint." The architects at

BRW experimented with stained and integrally colored concrete and a

sandblasting technique until they found the right look.

Lamkin added, "We wanted everything to work with the pleasing backdrop of

the park."

According to Lamkin, the project accomplished more than helping disabled

visitors. "I think the project has not only made it easier for the disabled,

but also for everyone else," she said. "The concrete paths give you a more

firm footing and the ramps make it easier for moms with strollers to get

into the buildings."

In making the changes, BRW's architects didn't just look at the obvious, but

instead studied every detail. For instance, hardwood thresholds were added

to doorways into the buildings to make the entry smoother. "It allows those

people with walkers and those on crutches an easier way to get into the

building so they won't trip," Simon said.

Maintaining historical accuracy was important to all involved. At the entry

to the park, pavers engraved with donors names had to be removed so the area

could be leveled and brought within ? inch offset. To ensure proper

replacement occurred, photos of the area were taken and detailed diagrams

were made.

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The park, originally City Park, is Dallas's oldest city park. Located at

1717 Gano St., it opened in the late 1960s and has grown to accommodate more

than 38 historic buildings including, a print shop, general store, law

office, hotel, train depot and shotgun house.

The renovation of Old City Park comes on the heels of the 10th Anniversary

of what some consider sweeping civil rights legislation, the ADA. Title III

of the act requires public and business properties to be made accessible to

people with limited hearing, speech, mobility and sight.

The project cost of $910,000 for the Old City Park renovations seems small

when you consider an estimated 60 million Americans fall into this protected

class. "It feels good to know that the work you are doing is allowing

someone with limited capabilities to participate in the activities everyone