Fanfare and music greeted hundreds of people in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood Saturday for a day nearly a decade in the making. The $300 million Halperin Park officially opened to the public through a combination of taxpayer funding and private donations.
Patrick Rooney brought his 7‑year‑old granddaughter, Lylah, to see the new space.
“I think it’s great for the community,” Rooney said. “I think the best thing is bringing people together and to have a place for bringing all kinds of kids. It’s a very diverse community, as everybody knows, and now we’ve got one place to call our own.”
“I’m looking forward to doing the activities and playing,” Lylah said.
First phase brings new amenities
Visitors can now enjoy green space, a pavilion, an indoor activity area, and a splash pad as part of the project’s first phase.
“It’s three acres. There will be an additional two acres in phase two that starts construction early next year. That takes us all the way to Marsalis,” park spokesperson Kristin Kelly said.
A neighborhood once split by a highway
Interstate 35E divided the Oak Cliff community in the 1950s. Now, in 2026, park leaders hope the new development will help revive and reconnect the area.
“We have this opportunity with the park to literally knit it back together and just create a beautiful, peaceful space that people can come, they can commune, they can get to know people maybe they’ve never met before,” Halperin Park President April Allen said.
When phase two is complete, the park will span I‑35E between Ewing and Marsalis avenues.
Residents welcome improved access and connection
“I’ve always had some concerns like you’re having the zoo here and not having a good pedestrian walkway to the zoo, and so getting the park and the zoo connected I think is pretty great,” resident Brenda Martinez said.
Phase two is currently in the design stage and will include a dog park. For now, children and families can enjoy Halperin Park’s offerings during the hot summer months and beyond.