Former jail to be reimagined and integrated into Dallas’s Harold Simmons Park

The Trinity Park Conservancy has selected Weiss/Manfredi to reimagine the former Jesse R. Dawson State Jail at 106 W Commerce Street. Malone Maxwell Dennehy Architects will serve as the local architect.

The project team will integrate the building and its surrounding neighborhoods into Harold Simmons Park, a planned 200+ acre park designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. The park is planed along the Trinity River, connecting downtown Dallas to West and South Dallas.

“We are inspired by the potential of 106 W Commerce to create a dynamic community destination and gateway to Harold Simmons Park, and are thrilled to begin work with the Trinity Park Conservancy, the Dallas community, and Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to create an open and inviting civic hub for the Park and its surrounding communities,” said Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, in a release.

The idea of a collaborative process was a central part of the design team’s proposal, with the team seeking input from the communities that surround the building and the park as the project moves forward.

Weiss/Manfredi's design was selected from over 45 submissions from regional, national, and international architects.