Will Jefferson Blvd in Oak Cliff ever look like this again?

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by FreeVilley

Well I've been down on Jeffferson about 6 times this past year, and it seems pretty vibrant. Considering the deck park thats also under construction, the pendulum will continue to swing upward.

Many of us Dallas Natives can at times fail to notice the rapid changes occuring in the city because we don't feel the need to travel to certain areas we were once familiar with or we are even in different places in our lives where the connection to a place just doesn't resonate the same.

This! I’m not too prideful to admit when I’m wrong. NGL I knew about and seen the developments in Bishop Arts, but I just forgot about some of the development projects that is happening a long Bishop and Madison Aves towards Jefferson. Including the road diet on Bishop Ave and the two way conversion on Polk/Tyler Sts. Like you said, I guess so much is going on…I forget about some things. I’ve now seen the completed projects and it has changed the area further. Time sure does fly…I remember when most of it was U/C or in the planning stages.

[TheOverdog]

In my opinion, in both of those videos, the street was entirely too wide, and considering that 711 is on the distant corner in one of them, it doesn't look particularly all that enticing either. If you like that, then it's available in any suburb of DFW and not even comparable to the actual or faux redone downtowns around DFW - they are all far better.

[Dallaz]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

In my opinion, in both of those videos, the street was entirely too wide, and considering that 711 is on the distant corner in one of them, it doesn't look particularly all that enticing either. If you like that, then it's available in any suburb of DFW and not even comparable to the actual or faux redone downtowns around DFW - they are all far better.

I mean, Jefferson is a boulevard and not an actual neighborhood street. Never thought a 4 lane major roadway was wide. The beginning of the 2nd video is Oak Lawn, not Jefferson. So, that 7/11 was not on Jefferson. Jefferson doesn’t start until 1:04.

1913

(Tyler St and Jefferson Blvd)

https://flashbackdallas.files.wordpr...ection_smu.jpg

1929

https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/wp-...Tyler-1929.jpg


(Jefferson Blvd and Bishop Ave)

the 30s or 40s

https://flashbackdallas.files.wordpr...r-top-tier.jpg

(Jefferson Blvd and Zang Blvd)

1960s after the streetcars were removed

https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/...or-caption.jpg

(Jefferson Blvd near Zang Blvd, aerial view)

https://images.app.goo.gl/4qVegLyaWxApruCQ9

Edit: it’s crazy how the majority of the structures are still there after over 100 years.

[jsnww81]

The biggest knock on Jefferson Boulevard wasn't demographic changes, it was the opening of Red Bird Mall in 1976. A lot of the national chain stores that were on Jefferson - department stores like JCPenney and Sears, shoe stores, womens' fashion, etc - moved to the mall and got replaced by smaller mom-and-pop outfits (many of which served the newer demographics moving into Oak Cliff). The street did get rather run down in the 1980s and 1990s. The same changes happened on Ross Avenue in east Dallas, Garland Road in the White Rock area, Buckner Boulevard in Pleasant Grove, and even Lemmon Avenue in Oak Lawn. Crime was up nationally in those decades, and people preferred to shop in malls versus an older area that was perceived - rightly or wrongly - as dangerous.

I share the perspective that Jefferson has always been busy and vibrant - that hasn't changed. The retail mix shifted downscale after Red Bird Mall opened and that impacted public opinion. There's greater emphasis on walkable shopping areas in urban design today (Red Bird Mall is pretty much dead, as are the majority of indoor shopping malls) and with Oak Cliff transitioning to a greater blend of income levels, Jefferson holds a lot of promise. Will be exciting to see how/if it shifts over the next decade.