City Park, From the Air: 1948-1997
by Paula Bosse
City Park, 1948 (Dallas Municipal Archives)
by Paula Bosse
These eight aerial photos of City Park/Old City Park in The Cedars, just south of downtown, show the encroachment of an ever-increasing acreage of asphalt onto what was once the city’s most beautiful park. (All photos are from the Dallas Municipal Archives, and all are larger when clicked.) The one thing present in all photos is the late Ambassador Hotel (RIP).
Above, in 1948, before the cement mixers arrived (photo by Barnes Aerial Surveys).
Below, 1954.
Squire Haskins, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1954
1966:
Squire Haskins, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1966
1969:
Squire Haskins, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1969
1972:
Squire Haskins, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1972
1975:
Squire Haskins, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1975
Circa 1982:
Dallas Municipal Archives, ca. 1982
1997:
Reginald D. Loftin, Dallas Municipal Archives, 1997
Today-ish (or at least before the Ambassador burned down in May, 2019):
Google Maps
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Sources & Notes
All photos are from the Dallas Municipal Archives Collection, via the Portal to Texas History; they can all be found here.
Read about the history of the Ambassador Hotel in the Flashback Dallas post “The Majestic Hotel/The Park Hotel/The Ambassador Hotel: R.I.P — 1904-2019.”
A few old postcards of City Park in its heyday can be found in the post “Iola Bridge.”
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Copyright © 2020 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Flashback : Dallas 
Another great post!
Not an aerial but here is a recent satellite image of the area that shows the scar left where the Ambassador was:
Not as old as the Ambassador but the City Park Elementary School, now Vogel Alcove, which was built in 1919 is also in all the photos.
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We were married there in 1989 – rode a horse and carriage from the Ambassador to the church and had an afternoon reception at the Ambassador – RIP.
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I went to city park in the early 60s ..i remember a Mr. Haynie ..my favorite teacher mebbe ..a miss Moore music teacher ..a mis Reif , a nasty math teacher ..also swam in the park pool.
We could rent sporting goods at the “clubhouse ” then at the park ..it was great then ..and sometimes we would play hide n seek in the park un till mid- nite . John Galasio Connie Herrera Joe Palma Jimmy and Dale Higdon. and my friend Walker Warren are school- chums . It’s funny , sometimes my dad would take me to the Past Time bar with him .I only had soda pop of course ..i was really sad to hear the Ambassador burnt down
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Thanks for sharing your memories!
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I learned to swim in the city park swimming pool,1955
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