To kick off the new year, the stone tables and pavilion at White Rock Lake are going to receive a total makeover.
The Dallas Park & Recreation board and White Rock Lake Conservancy (WRLC) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 1 of the Stone Tables Restoration project last night at the Stone Tables site at Buckner Boulevard and Lake Highlands Drive.
The picnic area is the most popular rental facility around the lake and is currently booked for the next two years. Anyone who’s reserved the tables has seen that the pavilion has received a bit of wear and tear.
White Rock Lake Conservancy was founded in 2008 by a group of park enthusiasts at the request of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. Its mission is to enhance the identity, beauty and safety of White Rock Lake in partnership with Dallas Park and Recreation and other neighborhood and lake volunteer groups, support the improvement of the hike and bike trails, buildings and park areas, and coordinate with other organizations with similar objectives.
WRLC and the Park and Recreation Department have created a master plan for the renovation with the help of volunteer architects and builders. WRLC has submitted the first round of payment to cover the costs of the project, according to their website, and the Conservancy President Mark Hoesterey presented a check to the City of Dallas during the ceremony.
Phase I of the project centers on the removal of the existing pavilion floor and the replacement of a new concrete and flagstone slab in the same style as the existing stone work. A new concrete base and flagstone border walk will be installed around the pavilion, as well as a similar pathway to the parking area. The current composition roof will be replaced with a standing seam metal roof, any damage will be repaired, and the electrical and lighting system will be updated. Learn more.
The City of Dallas built the stone tables and pavilion in 1931 as the lake’s first picnic grounds. A few years later, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was established at White Rock as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and the young men made more improvements to the picnic area, which included the addition of a lily pond to the natural spring area, tree-planting, and construction of the restroom facilities. A playground was added in the 1990s.
Construction on Phase I will begin today and should take around 60 days to complete. To learn more, watch the video below:
