Reverchon Park is a public park in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas. It was named for Julien Reverchon.
The park lies along Turtle Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River. Its main entrance is at Maple Avenue and Turtle Creek Boulevard.
Built in 1915, Reverchon Park is one of the oldest parks in the city.[1] First named Turtle Creek Park, it was renamed Reverchon Park after Julien Reverchon (1837–1905), a botanist and a member of the La Reunion Utopian Community.[2]
In the 80s and 90s, the park was notoriously crime-ridden, but a rejuvenation project beginning in 1998 helped turn Reverchon into one of Dallas' most successful parks, according to The Dallas Morning News.[1]
The Southern Methodist University baseball team played at the ballpark from 1977 to 1980,[3][4][5] before the baseball program disbanded after the 1980 season.[6][7]
Reverchon Park is 46 acres (0.19 km2) in area, and offers around 40 leisure and recreational program for citizens, including health screenings, tutoring, athletic leagues, yoga, volleyball, and after-school programs. The park also is home to baseball fields, basketball courts, and tennis courts.[8]
A playground in the park, accessible to children of all abilities, was designed by the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the City of Dallas.[8]
A section of the Katy Trail, a recreational rail trail, runs adjacent to the park. It connects to parks of the Trinity River Project.
Reverchon Park includes a 3,500-capacity 1920s-era ballpark used for high-school and amateur baseball teams.[9] It was the home field for Southern Methodist University baseball from 1977 to 1980.[3]
In July 2018, plans were announced for a new multi-purpose stadium in the park to host a Dallas franchise in the independent Southwest League of Professional Baseball, as well as local high school playoff games, amateur baseball leagues, and the Mexican Baseball League.[3] With the Southwest League never playing a game, in January 2020 the Dallas City Council approved a renovation proposal from a group led by Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson who was also an owner of the Texas AirHogs of the independent American Association.[9] The $10 million plan included new seating, artificial turf, locker rooms, dugouts, and concessions and restrooms facilities, all to accommodate professional and amateur baseball, soccer, lacrosse, concerts and rugby.[9] In October 2020, the plan was reported to be dead when the group led by Nelson failed to submit documentation before a September 30 deadline.[10]