Downtown Dallas is the main business district in Dallas. The area officially termed "downtown" is bounded by the downtown freeway loop.
Downtown Dallas achieved notoriety on November 22, 1963, with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy and Governor John Connally (who survived) were shot as their motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in the West End Historic District. Part of the former Texas School Book Depository is now the Sixth Floor Museum, with exhibits about Kennedy and the assassination. Nearby is the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial.
The building boom of the 1970s and 1980s produced a distinctive contemporary profile for the downtown skyline, influenced by nationally prominent architects. At the same time, the establishment of the West End Historic District in the 1980s preserved a group of late-nineteenth-century brick warehouses that have been adapted for use as restaurants and shops.
With the construction of the Dallas Center for Performing Arts in the Arts District of downtown, Dallas will be the only city in the world that has four buildings within one contiguous block designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winners.
The downtown area is undergoing a transition as dozens of residential conversions and new high rise condos bring more 24/7 residents to the downtown area.
Its redeveloped Main Street has recently become the place for Dallasites to play after several restaurants, hotels, and residential towers opened their doors along the strip. Downtown's growth can partially be attributed to DART's two (soon to be 4) LRT lines and the one commuter line that run through downtown. The city, along with several non-profit organizations, has recently pushed for the development of the deck park over Spur-366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway) to create a seamless Uptown/downtown district, hoping the Uptown real estate market would help further redevelop downtown.Most important, The Trinity River Corridor is undergoing transformation (the Trinity River Project) into a giant urban park. The park is expected to include an equestrian center, lakes, trails and three bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava.
Neighboorhoods within the downtown loop:
Arts District
City Center District
Convention Center District (http://www.visitdallas.com/visitors)
Farmers Market District (http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/,http://www.dfmfriends.org)
Government District
Main Street District (http://www.downtowndallas.org/downtown_partner/index.html)
Reunion District (http://www.reunionarena.org)
West End Historic District (http://www.dallaswestend.org)