Demolition permits have been filed for the old Dallas ISD headquarters at 3700 Ross Ave. (Photo by Emily Charrier)
It may be on the very edge of our neighborhood, but it’s an issue that touches close to many East Dallas hearts: Historic preservation. Demolition permits have been pulled to take down the 1950s building that housed Dallas ISD’s headquarters for decades at 3700 Ross Ave.
In a thoughtful column on the ease with which historic buildings come down in Dallas, Robert Wilonsky broke the news that DISD had “filed a demo permit on behalf of the Leon Capital Group, the soon-to-be-owner, which still isn’t saying what it intends to do with the block at Ross and Washington Avenue. The developer referred all calls to DISD. Scott Layne, the district’s chief operations officer, said he doesn’t know the buyer’s plans either.”
According to the article, District 14 Councilman Philip Kingston is trying to save at least the building’s façade, but the wrecking ball seems imminent once a permit is approved.
DISD is in the process of relocating its headquarters to a 16-story office park at Central Expressway and Walnut Hill, which was purchased for $46.5 million last year. The district says the move will save money in the long run by consolidating space and limiting the amount of building upkeep it has to manage.
