Gail Thomas

Trinity Trust's Plan for River Amenities Is a Vivid, Impossible Fever Dream

Say what you will about boring stuff like feasibility -- as surrealist art the latest renderings of potential park-like amenities between the Trinity River levees are pretty damn amazing. Tragically, the solar-powered water taxis we've all grown to love from earlier sales pitches for the Trinity pr ... More >>

If You Weren't Paying Attention For the Past Decade, the Calatrava Bridge Will be Recapped in 30-Minute Documentary

Just when you thought the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge had been thoroughly feted, the Trinity Trust sends word that the celebration's not quite over yet. On June 13, WFAA will premiere Bridging the Trinity For the Love of the City, a half-hour homage by local filmmaker Judy Kelly. From Trinity Trust ... More >>

On the Calatrava For a Sneak Peek at the Weekend's Doings and a Giant Puppet Head

The first thing we need to remind you about the impending Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Celebration this weekend is that there will be "mammoth puppets." If this information makes you feel the need to stay home, perhaps under the bed, that's fine and understandable. For the rest of us, there was a previ ... More >>

Margolin: Horse Park Proposal Not What Voters Agreed To. Allen: But It'll Be "World Class."

​The council's Economic Development Committee kicked off its morning meeting by taking up the Texas Horse Park, which came up $14 million short in private funds but remains high on the city's to-do list. Hence, as we've noted in recent days, Park and Rec and the city manager's hope that the counci ... More >>

Can City Council Tell the Difference Between a Photo Op and a Hole in the Ground?

Drive around Dallas -- not the suburbs, Dallas -- and what do you see? You see a nice kind of new well-kept Dallas toward the northern end of the city, with a few glitches here and there. But anywhere south of Mockingbird you're likely to see a bunch of crapped-out streets and busted curbs. If you g ... More >>

City Hall's Giant Neighbor Has New Owners With Desire to Revive That End of Downtown

​Back in May, at the request of a City Hall worker who's been staring at the carnage next door for far too long, we peaked into 500 South Ervay and discovered the old Butler Brothers furniture warehouse wasn't just a 500,000-square foot mess, but also one tied up in litigation with ... dunh dunh d ... More >>

When It Comes to the Trinity Toll Road, For Some, "Sorry" Seems to Be the Hardest Word

​It's just beginning to dawn on me. I should be in heaven right now. I don't know why I'm not. The sheer dumbness of the Trinity River toll road is now at long last apparent for all to see. It's blown sky high and is comin' down! And none of the people who foisted it off on the city can get o ... More >>

Wave Bye-Bye? That Ill-Conceived Whitewater Feature on Trinity River Nearly Claims a Life.

​On May 5 I wrote a column about the city's bungled "whitewater feature" in the Trinity River -- a fake rapids for kayaks that cost $4 million to build -- and I included the following observation about a so-called safe bypass around the fake rapids for canoers: "One powerful current slams you ... More >>

In Front of Dallas City Hall, Grabbing a Bite on The Living Plaza. "And It Only Took 30 Years."

Council member Jerry Allen tosses a Frisbee to Trinity Trust President Gail Thomas on the City Hall Plaza today at noon.​I'd intended to spend, oh, maybe half an hour in front of Dallas City Hall today, where, decades after William H. Whyte first proposed the idea of making that expanse of concret ... More >>

Committee Approves Margaret McDermott Bridge Redesign That Pays Calatrava Eight Million Bucks But Costs the City Nada

Photo by Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm answers questions at today's TRCP Committee meeting.​At the behest of City Manager Mary Suhm, the city council's Trinity River Corridor Project Committee this morning unanimously approved a revised $8 million contract with architect Santiago Calatrava ... More >>

Mayor Dwaine Caraway's "Calling a New Play"

Photos by Sam MertenMayor Dwaine Caraway, his wife and council member Dave Neumann this morning at the City Hall Flag Room.​Just minutes before presiding over his first meeting as the city's newly minted mayor, Dwaine Caraway assured a group of around 150 folks gathered for a light breakfast i ... More >>

Schutze, It's Your Trinity Too, Ya Know

​Just saw this hot-off-the-virtual-presses release about a February 8 wingding at The Trinity Trust concerning the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opening-week ceremonies scheduled for October. As you'll note, there's a photo of Gail Thomas, Lyda Hill and Lynn McBee standing next to a placard bearing th ... More >>

In Trinity Trust News: Calatrava Party Plans! And, the Promise of a "More Humane City."

Last night I espied this billboard in a TV trailer for Country Strong, which clearly takes place in the distant future. The Dallas Trinity Arena can be found next to Ray's Sporting Goods. Or Austin, home of Hornitos.​The Trinity Trust this morning sends further details concerning the grand opening ... More >>

Idea Week Shines on Dallas Bike Plan This Morning, with Second Annual Ride to City Hall

Photos by Patrick MichelsTip o' the hat to DMN photographer Jim Mahoney, who first spotted the biker riding in high heels to City Hall. She said this is how everyone does it in Europe.​All the Idea Week fun that kicked off with a little "speed ideating" downtown on Monday (maybe next year we'll f ... More >>

Lookin' for a Home in the Heart of the 21st Century City at Dallas City Hall Next Month

Joel Kotkin​We -- meaning, you -- just got the nicest invitation to Dallas City Hall on November 12. It's for a little get-together called the 21st Century City Conference, which is being staged by The Trinity Trust, The Dallas Institute and the CityDesign Studio. There's some info on the website ... More >>

"Dallas Tomorrow" ... Tonight!

Sam Merten​A programming note.A few weeks ago we gave you the very advance heads-up that tonight, at the Belo Mansion, the Dallas Bar Association is hosting the "Dallas Tomorrow" forum featuring quite the bold-faced line-up: Mayor Tom Leppert, University of North Texas Chancellor Lee Jackson, Trin ... More >>

"Dallas Tomorrow" Scheduled for August 3

The Trinity Trust​I know, I know -- it's a few weeks off. Still, write it down in your Trapper Keeper: Beginning at 5 p.m. that Tuesday, the Dallas Bar Association's Public Forum Committee is holding a three-hour what's-up-Dallas at the Belo Mansion featuring quite the foursome: Mayor Tom Leppert, ... More >>

After Prematurely Selling Bonds, City Urges Nonprofit to Fund Design of Scaled-Down Version of Texas Horse Park

Robert WilonskyPark and Rec's assistant director, Willis Winters, at Main Street Garden's construction site in October.​In case you missed it, the nonprofit folks over at the Trinity Trust and Texas Horse Park, Inc. flew media types and others in a helicopter last week to check out the 600 acr ... More >>

What the Shuck: Steve Blow, Good Job on That Trinity Column. Except ...

​Editing memo to Steve Blow: Thank you for getting around to writing the column I directed you to write on the Trinity River. It was a good effort, in the main. I hate to quibble with you, but I do need to point out a few errors and omissions. If you recall, I wrote that the following elements wer ... More >>

It's Official: The Trinty Trust Gives $2 Million to Set Up "CityDesign Studio" in Dallas City Hall

Speaking of the Trinity Trust, they've still got those T-shirts available.​The suspense is over. (See what I did there?) Following up its September 24 announcement concerning $10 mil going toward turning the Continental Avenue Bridge into a pedestrian pathway-n-park, the Trinity Trust this morning ... More >>

Brent Brown, Who Rebuilt Congo Street, Will Head Dallas CityDesign Studio in City Hall

Brandon ThibodeauxBrent Brown​Couple of weeks back we debuted the Dallas Urban Design Studio, a Trinity Trust-funded endeavor that'll get its own office in Dallas City Hall in order to "elevate the design consciousness and culture of Dallas, while working to balance social, economic, environmental ... More >>

Wait, Even the Trinity Project Model Isn't Done Yet? And It Took Two Years?

Sam Merten Mayor Tom points to the two Trinity bridges, but does he know which is which? The big unveiling of the model for the Trinity River Corridor Project was held today at the Trinity Center, and, as expected, all the Trinity folks gathered to pay homage. A short press conference began the fes ... More >>

Toll Road Taking its Toll

D's Eric Celeste, who's worked for more publications than you've read I had my close-up with D yesterday. The story is being written by Eric Celeste. It’s not actually totally about moi. In fact, now that I’ve made an ass of myself pledging how they shall not crucify me on the cross of FAME, I� ... More >>

Say it Like Seinfeld: Neumann

Trinity Trust? Not on Yer Life.

Angela Hunt: "Let the Voters Decide."

In March, Angela Hunt began her campaign to allow voters to decide the fate of the mayor's new, improved Trinity Parkway. Mayor Miller and referendum opponents hold up the Balanced Vision Plan as proof that all is well with the toll road project. They argue that the toll road will not be the massive ... More >>

Laura Miller and Alex Krieger Are "Astounded" and "Outraged."

Harvard's Alex Krieger insists Jim Schutze and Angela Hunt have distorted the meaning of his original e-mail to Mayor Laura Miller. From: Laura Miller To: Bill Eager, Alex Krieger CC: David Webb, Robert Wilonsky, Dave Levinthal, Colleen Nelson, Keven Ann Willey, Trey Garrison, Craig Holcomb, Gail ... More >>

Eye Candy

It's overpriced, it's gaudy and we have to put it on a credit card. Yep, that Calatrava bridge says Dallas all over.

Flood Blood

Politicians create flooding, not the Bible

What's the Catch?

This new Trinity River plan is suspiciously reasonable

Soul Power

The city's future is in the hooves of a winged horse--and in the New Age musings of the Dallas Institute of Humanities.