Old Footage of Dallas

[dallaz]

I came across old footage of Dallas on YouTube. I thought it would be cool to share. Here’s some of the videos I liked the most. (You can also see more footage on the “SMU Jones Film” channel)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YlZ1M1Hh2 ... TgG4w&t=0s

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8AU2pVTHa ... GmwB6TgG4w

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d6sBFaD4m ... GmwB6TgG4w

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d31lFz0B8 ... 4w&index=7

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ndAPZzRxx ... 4w&index=6

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=deUA8EYQb ... GmwB6TgG4w

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7CIMl2Dcv ... GmwB6TgG4w

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IvB2oJJPx ... GmwB6TgG4w

[lakewoodhobo]

I love the Dallas of the late 60s and early 70s, before any of the "new" stuff was built that decade. Everything constructed in the 50s was starting to show its age and things just had a weathered/gritty look overall. First time that people talked about redeveloping downtown, in a modern sense, from what I gather.

[mdg109]

I had no idea downtown was still this popular in the 60s/70s. These are awesome videos.

[Tnexster]

Those are fun, I wish I could walk into one of those videos and just take a look around.

[dallaz]

I had no idea downtown was still this popular in the 60s/70s. These are awesome videos.

Same here. I thought Downtown went into serve decline during that time.

[dallaz]

Those are fun, I wish I could walk into one of those videos and just take a look around.

Oh how I wish...

[dallaz]

In this video, you can see the ground level of the Old Sanger-Harris Dept. Store (now DART HQ)

**notice that the signage over the door says “Sanger-Harris Open tonight until 9:00”**

It would be awesome (today) if we could get any large retailer to stay open until 9 pm.

Skip to 0:13

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbDdMMft ... 0s&index=2

[cowboyeagle05]

What is also great about that is you can see how much more open the building looked from the pedestrian level when it was a department store with the glass storefronts wrapped around the ground level with the beautiful mural above. DART really destroyed the beauty of the building in their conversion to an office building. Time will tell if some of that beauty can be restored once DART finally moves out to a better space for them. It won't be a department store again but it could be a cool building with a mixture of restoration and new use changes.

[dfwcre8tive]

In this video, you can see the ground level of the Old Sanger-Harris Dept. Store (now DART HQ)

**notice that the signage over the door says “Sanger-Harris Open tonight until 9:00”**

It would be awesome (today) if we could get any large retailer to stay open until 9 pm.

Skip to 0:13

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbDdMMft ... 0s&index=2

Also, there are no doors at the entrance. Climate was controlled by an "air curtain" at the opening. Probably very inefficient and hard to secure, but unique.

[DPatel304]

Those are fun, I wish I could walk into one of those videos and just take a look around.

Oh how I wish...

That definitely would be an experience to see Dallas as such a vibrant and lively city. Although, I feel like in a decade or so, Dallas will be just as (or even more) lively than before. One cool way of looking at it, is that this might be one of the rare times where we all get to experience parts of Dallas while they are still a bit deserted.

I remember going to Deep Ellum on a Saturday night a couple years ago and the street was empty, and there were only a handful of people in some of the bars, and I also remember going to the Farmer's Market Food Hall when it just opened and it was also very barren at the time. I guess it's not really a good thing that parts of our city are so dead, but, it's kinda cool to think that 20 years from most of these sights will be jam-packed full of people but we can all remember a time when that definitely was not the case.

[mdg109]

Going through all these videos, I'm still seeing all the surface lots that exist today (check out 0:20s on that last link). It looks like all the pedestrian activity and vibrancy was concentrated on EMC & Pacific.

[dallaz]

In this video, you can see the ground level of the Old Sanger-Harris Dept. Store (now DART HQ)

**notice that the signage over the door says “Sanger-Harris Open tonight until 9:00”**

It would be awesome (today) if we could get any large retailer to stay open until 9 pm.

Skip to 0:13

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbDdMMft ... 0s&index=2

Also, there are no doors at the entrance. Climate was controlled by an "air curtain" at the opening. Probably very inefficient and hard to secure, but unique.

Thanks for pointing that out. I totally forgot about that. I couldn’t imainge how much energy it took to maintain that air curtain...especially, during the summer.

[lakewoodhobo]

One thing in this video that I can't figure out is seeing the "Copper Cow" restaurant on Commerce. The video is labeled March 1974 but according to at least two stories in D Magazine, that building burned down in 1960.

Screen Shot 2018-06-04 at 4.37.47 PM.jpg

https://www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/20 ... -pheasant/
https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/ ... t-inferno/

EDIT: Learned that the restaurant did catch fire in 1960 but reopened the same year, closing for good in 1980.

[tamtagon]

Sure would be nice if the city allowed normal signage again. "Cleaning up" the appearance of downtown street, decluttering and whatever sure seemed to make sense a couple decades ago, just like cutting into the sidewalks for additional traffic lanes.

I suppose for a generation or two, initiatives like that had some positive impact; mimicking the clean and safe suburban environment was the goal for many downtowns. Now it simply diminished excitement.

[dallaz]

Sure would be nice if the city allowed normal signage again. "Cleaning up" the appearance of downtown street, decluttering and whatever sure seemed to make sense a couple decades ago, just like cutting into the sidewalks for additional traffic lanes.

I suppose for a generation or two, initiatives like that had some positive impact; mimicking the clean and safe suburban environment was the goal for many downtowns. Now it simply diminished excitement.

So, that’s what happened to all the signage. To me signage, (when appropriate) makes a downtown seem more lively.

[cowboyeagle05]

Maybe its some stock footage they mixed into the bulk of new footage from that day?

The sheer number of steakhouses back then downtown is funny as well.

[lakewoodhobo]

One of the blade signs that stood out for me in that footage was the one for Piccadilly Cafeteria. In 1964 this was the site of a protest that lasted 28 days over the restaurant's refusal to desegregate its counter.

I found out that it was located at 1503 Commerce St, opened in 1955 and closed in 1977. The building was home to a Scholtzky's at one point and was still standing in 2008. It was purchased by Headington and torn down for the first Joule expansion.

Piccadilly Casfeteria.png

[LongonBigD]

The sheer number of steakhouses back then downtown is funny as well.

Like the sheer number of steakhouses currently in Uptown?

[tamtagon]

One of the blade signs that stood out
Piccadilly Casfeteria.png

I love signs like that, Downtown absolutely needs re-regulation so business can announce themselves like this. Call it a wayfinder if that's the kind of lingo decision makers have become conditioned to recognize. Whatever.

I never knew Piccadilly was in Dallas/North Texas, not surprised by the Old South Segregationist hold-out.... I think there's still a few in The ATL, but it's been years since I've eaten at a place like that.

I'll be surprised if the contemporary food court branding trend (!!! Food Hall !!!) doesn't settle down into renewed interest in delicious cafeteria food.