NorthPark Center

 Everybody shops.  But, in Dallas, developers have made it possible for Texans to lift shopping to an art – some even say it’s a sport.  And, NorthPark Center – the 20th largest shopping mall in the United States - started that trend.

 

The idea for NorthPark was conceived by Dallas shopping center magnate and art collector Raymond Nasher.  The center was designed and built in 1965 by Dallas-based Omniplan Architects as a shopping destination and a place for Nasher to display his family’s extensive art collection.  When NorthPark was built it was the largest indoor shopping mall in the world.  

 

You can literally spend all day at NorthPark – breakfast at LaMadeline or Starbucks – shopping at 235 stores – including anchors Macy’s, Dillard’s, Nordstrom and Neiman-Marcus, as well as New York’s Barneys.  And, tucked inside the endless hallways of stores are priceless artworks by Andy Warhol, Frank Stella and Jim Dine, among others.  Have lunch in the upstairs International Food Plaza at places as diverse as Tin Star Taco Bar, Snappy Salads, Chick-Fil-A and Panda Express.  Then, more shopping – or movies (AMC15), or browse children's books at a branch of the Dallas Public Library (Bookmarks).  And to top it off there are eleven restaurants where you can sit down and discuss your whirlwind day at NorthPark where the world awaits: Central and South America at La Duni, the best of Italy at Lombardi’s Cibus or the Maggiano’s chain, China at the P.F. Chang’s chain, Hawaii at the Kona Grill chain or one of the city’s best Tex-Mex restaurants – Luna de Noche – or go fly a kite in the huge courtyard – the 1.4 acre CenterPark - featuring a steel and aluminum sculpture of an upside down open safety pin – Corridor Pin Blue by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.  

 

Film aficionados may recognize the fountain in the courtyard front of Dillard’s department store was the fountain that Farrah Fawcett frolicked in during a scene in Robert Altman’s “Dr. T and the Women.”  And, the fashion show scene in David Byrne’s “True Stories” was shot in the court between Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s.

 

Hello Dallas tip:

Don't forget to check the calendar on the NorthPark Center website for special events.  A fashion show or concert could be part of your shopping experience.

 

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.