Sherman Arts and Culture District

kk173 Sherman Arts and Culture District

Many Sherman citizens may not realize that we have an officially designated “Arts and Culture District” in Sherman. The area of downtown near city hall, Kidd-Key Auditorium, the Municipal Park, Finley Playhouse, Honey McGee Theater, Bearcat Stadium, and The Methodist and Presbyterian Churches all make up the district, and its one of the parts of our town that has the most distinct character.

One character defining trait to the neighborhood is that many of the buildings are red brick. A future ordinance implemented by the city could mandate that future developments in the district be constructed with a brick that is compatible. Of course, as always, meritorious exceptions could be granted, should we have the opportunity for a super-hip titanium clad concert hall or a modernist steel and glass structure. But consistent materiality is often a good way to further develop a neighborhood’s character. Imagine an expanded Bearcat Stadium with a red brick arcade and plaza (similar to Ranger Stadium in Arlington) facing The west side of the Municipal Building? Wouldn’t it be phenomenal to expand the stadium’s seating up over the existing plaza and create a stadium architecture that is consistent with the other buildings in the neighborhood? Upon arrival, walking under the seating through brick arches would definitely improve the quality of a visitor’s experience.

Jared Tredway lives in Sherman and works as a designer for David Baca Studio, a local architecture firm. He is also Vice-President of DSP&R, a non-profit organization dedicated to the redevelopment of Sherman’s urban neighborhood

Another character-defining trait to the district is its unique geography. The Kidd-Key Auditorium is situated right on the edge of a rolling hill that peaks at Travis Street. The stadium is also nestled in the side of a hill, and as one visits the municipal park for a Hot Summer Nights Concert, the tree-covered hill on the other side of the freeway affords views of quaint cottages and of the WNJ campus at its crest. I am often taken aback at how similar the geography is to some New England towns. Church steeples and classical architecture further enhance that impression.

Imagine this area further developed with additional theater venues, art museums and galleries, and dare I say, urban living? What if we had fabulous two story town homes with stoops right on the sidewalk and rows and rows of street trees? What if the municipal lawn were further landscaped to be more like Central Park in Manhattan or Boston Common, with a low iron fence and shrub rows defining its boundaries, and fountains and plazas inside to further enhance the urban park experience?

The Arts and Culture District is a unique attribute to our town that could be further developed and expanded into a world class urban neighborhood. Rather than continue development on the town’s periphery, I for one (in agreement with the City of Sherman’s recently adopted comprehensive master plan) would love to see public and private reinvestment in the city center, including the Arts and Culture District. Rather than be a typical suburban community, I think we have the opportunity to have an extraordinary identity as a hip and urban metropolitan town. Local industry, such as Texas Instruments, has been suggesting a need for this kind of atmosphere as a draw for some of their younger talents and executives to come to Sherman. I believe that with a strong unique identity, business and industry would follow as more and more people can’t get enough of a good thing.

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