Jacobs and Klyde Warren Park: Giving the Gift of Social Value

Jacobs recently donated $8 million to the Klyde Warren Park Foundation to expand the beloved Dallas greenspace that is the jewel of downtown Dallas. The gift is the single-largest donation to the Klyde Warren Park project as well as the largest corporate gift made to downtown Dallas since the AT&T Performing Arts Center opened in 2009.

“This is an incredibly generous gift by Jacobs, and it’s a major step in reaching our goal of bringing more green space and free programming to the citizens of Dallas,” said Jody Grant, chairman of the board of Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. “Jacobs has a strong belief in improving the infrastructure of urban spaces around the country to make them more pedestrian friendly and accessible for all citizens. This gift will certainly help us accomplish that goal with the Park expansion, a project we believe is vital to enhancing the connectivity of our urban core.”

Jacobs has been involved with Klyde Warren Park for more than 15 years when Jacobs assisted in the original planning and design of Phase 1 of the Park. And because of the success of Phase 1 and the valuable lessons learned, Jacobs will leverage that experience for the future design and build of the Park expansion. The same team who worked on Phase 1 will work on Phase 2.

The donation will fund the expansion of the Park adding another 1.65 acres of greenspace west over Woodall Rodgers Freeway toward Field Street – this portion of the Park will be called The Jacobs Lawn. The new space will offer yet another venue to host a variety of markets, festivals, a winter ice rink, and other events for the community. The expansion project will also include a three-story building – or Pavilion Deck – as yet another venue for events and Park programming.

“We know that developing people-centered infrastructure builds strong, vibrant communities and increases value for society as a whole. Klyde Warren Park has helped transform Dallas, and everyone who works and lives in the community has a responsibility to help it continue to thrive,” said Steve Demetriou, chair and CEO of Jacobs. “The Park – and soon The Jacobs Lawn – is a place where everyone is welcome and diversity is celebrated, which is an integral part of Jacobs’ culture.”

At Jacobs, creating social value is the lens through which we plan and execute our projects. The Klyde Warren Park expansion is a great example – the Park and The Jacobs Lawn are people-centered infrastructure projects that help build strong, vibrant, connected communities. A key piece of what makes the Park expansion project so important – not only to the Dallas community – but to Jacobs’ company culture, is the focus on inclusion.

This year brought challenges never seen before, but cities must continue to invest in spaces to bring communities together. Klyde Warren Park is the living room of downtown Dallas and Jacobs is honored to play an active role in the continued growth and enrichment of Dallas-Fort Worth.