The sad reality of Dealey Plaza is that it is an unintended memorial. The City of Dallas created a memorial about two blocks away but nobody goes there because it means nothing. Even more bizarre about Dealey Plaza is that Oswald's mother used to come there and sell her autographed business cards for $5 each. Hustlers have always been hanging around the plaza trying to make a buck. The day we shot this video, a homeless couple slept inside one of the covered areas. You can see them in the video. Dallas doesn't know what to do with the area in many ways. It was a terrible stain on the city for decades. Dallas would be better served if they cleaned the area up and made it decent-looking. Years ago, there was talk of tearing it all down, but when it was designated a National Historic Place, it couldn't be touched.
Why has the city let this place get so run down? I'd be embarrassed if I were mayor of Dallas. This is sickening. The trees look like crap because they're way overgrown. They should replace all of the small trees that line the low walls with new ones and prune the daylights out of all the trees. The grass is all dead and patchy, the monuments, i.e. pergola's, peristyles and refelcting pools all look like crap as well. People have ruined the place trampling the grass. Shame on all of you! And look there at the foot of the stairs next to where Abraham Zapruder filmed from! Eroded earth, and ugly as hell .
Thanks for the comment. There are several reasons why Dealey Plaza looks so bad. First, the heat wave that hit Texas starting in May 2023 sent daily temperatures soaring over 110 degrees for months. There was no rain either. There are no sprinklers in Dealey Plaza to water the grass. Once Dealy Plaza was designated a National Historic Landmark nothing could be changed like putting in sprinklers. During a heat wave you don’t trim the trees as it would kill them. Also during a heat wave maintenance work is suspended because the heat is too intense and people can die from it.
When the camera pans across the infamous Grassy Knoll at :41 seconds in this film clip, it looks like the area between the Grassy Knoll and the former Texas School Book Depository building has changed since November 22, 1963. It looks like the parking lot adjacent to or behind that building has been expanded from what it was back then. Does anyone know if that area was modified since 1963?
(Jon Blachley: video ) to @@michaelbarlow6610 The area behind the fence is somewhat smaller than in 1963 as it was it was used as a railroad switching area. The two stiory switching tower is still there, but the train switching area is smaller and has been moved southwest. The original area has been paved for parking for the 6th floor museum. To the west, behind the switching tower was an old water treatment plant ( used to film ROBOCOP ) and was torn down in the 1990's and has been replaced with high rise apartments and the American Airlines Event Center. The view, however from the plaza or the three streets that run throught it ( Elm, Main and Commerce ) is pretty much the same. The whole plaza was contructed as part of flood control project as the Trinity river is only about 150 yards south of the triple underpass. The drop in elevation ( intensionally dug out when the plaza was built in 1940) from Houston steet to the triple under pass is 24 feet.
"Oh boy, here come the conspiracy nuts again" oh boy , cant you idiots come up with some thing original ? . i mean if your desire is to be insulting atleast try and come up with an intelligent insult , not something juvenile as you just did .