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Main Street District, Dallas facts for kids

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Main Street District
A long exposure of Main Street, from east of Akard
A long exposure of Main Street, from east of Akard
Location in Dallas
Location in Dallas
Country United States
State Texas
Counties Dallas
City Dallas
Area Downtown
Elevation
430 ft (130 m)
ZIP code
75201, 75202
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972

The Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas (United States) runs along Main Street and is bounded by Elm Street one block north, Commerce St. one block south, N. Lamar St. to the west, and US 75/I-45 (I-345) elevated highway to the east. The district is the spine of downtown Dallas, and connects many of the adjoining business and entertainment districts. It does not include Dealey Plaza or the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial which are a few blocks west in the West End Historic District.

About

Looking down Main Street from Elks Building, Dallas, Texas
Looking down Main Street from Elks Building, Dallas, Texas (postcard, circa 1911)

Main Street has historically been the center of the city of Dallas. Many of Dallas' major retailers, hotels and banks once located here, and the district includes the city's early skyscrapers. Subsequent development of downtown moved north and east to the City Center District in following years, leaving many of the historic buildings inefficient for modern offices.

The Main Street District was the first district of downtown Dallas to experience extensive urban revival. Many of the grand historic buildings that had been neglected have been restored and adapted for new use. Pegasus Plaza, an urban plaza bounded by the Magnolia Hotel, Iron Cactus Restaurant, Adolphus Tower and the Kirby Building, is a gathering place for visitors and residents at the heart of the district. The narrow tree-lined street is a major pedestrian route through downtown. The district contains many sidewalk restaurants, basement night clubs and retail stores (most notably Neiman Marcus). While several of the buildings have found new life, there are many still awaiting restoration. Main Street Garden Park is a new focal park of the district's east end.

Commerce and Elm Streets, major east-west thoroughfares, form the boundaries of the district and also contain many additional landmark structures.

Current and future projects

Landmark Structures of the Main Street District

Neiman Marcus Commerce Street
The flagship Neiman Marcus at Main and Ervay
Address Building Links
801 El Centro College Website
901 Bank of America Plaza Info
1200 The Metropolitan Info, Website
1201 One Main Place Info
1309 Davis Building Info, Website
1407 1407 Main Website
1412 Center City Plaza Info
1415 Elm Chase Bank Building [2]
1415 Main Gulf States Building Website
1509 Main Kirby Building Info
1530 Main Dallas National Bank Building Info
1607 Main Praetorian Building Info
1623 Main Wilson Building Info
1700 Main Mercantile National Bank Building Info
1717 Main Comerica Bank Tower Info
1900 Elm Titche-Goettinger Building Info
1933 Main Dallas Hotel Indigo Info
106 S Harwood Dallas Municipal Building
1810 Commerce Mercantile Continental Building
1618 Main Neiman Marcus Building

Education

The district is zoned to schools in the Dallas Independent School District.

Residents of the district west of Central are zoned to City Park Elementary School, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, and Madison High School. Residents east of Central are zoned to Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School, Alex W. Spence Middle School, and North Dallas High School.

In the fall of 2014, the University of North Texas System opened the UNT College of Law in the Titche-Goettinger Building at 1900 Elm St. / 1901 Main St. After the completion of a $70 million dollar renovation in 2019, the law school moved to the former Dallas city hall on South Harwood Street next to Main Street Garden Park. the Beaux Arts style structure opened in 1914 and once held Lee Harvey Oswald but had slowly deteriorated over the decades. As of 2020, the UNT College of Law is the only public law school in the City of Dallas.

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