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SMU/Mockingbird station

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SMU/Mockingbird station (originally Mockingbird station) is a DART light rail station in Dallas, Texas. The station is located at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway (US 75). The station serves the Red Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line. It is the northernmost station to serve all three lines: the Red and Orange Lines continue north towards Richardson and Plano, while the Blue Line continues northeast towards Garland and Rowlett.

SMU/Mockingbird
DART light rail station
Station platform viewed from street level
General information
Location5465 East Mockingbird Lane[1]
Dallas, Texas
Coordinates32°50′16″N 96°46′30″W / 32.837874°N 96.774922°W / 32.837874; -96.774922
Owned byDallas Area Rapid Transit
PlatformsIsland
ConnectionsBus interchange DART: 3, 17, 105, 209, 249, 440-SMU Express Red (M-Sat)
Lakewood GoLink Zone (M-Sun)
Park Cities GoLink Zone (M-Sun)
Katy Trail
Construction
Structure typeTrenched
Parking712 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities8 lockers,[2] 6 racks
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedJanuary 10, 1997[3]
Services
Preceding station Dallas Area Rapid Transit Following station
Cityplace/​Uptown
toward Westmoreland
 Red Line Lovers Lane
toward Parker Road
Cityplace/​Uptown
toward DFW Airport
 Orange Line
Cityplace/​Uptown
toward UNT Dallas
 Blue Line White Rock
toward Downtown Rowlett
Location
Map

The station is located 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) east of the main campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), which is on Mockingbird Lane on the opposite side of US 75. SMU operates a shuttle route between the station and the campus.[4] The station also serves the University Crossing neighborhood of Dallas and the Park Cities (i.e., Highland Park and University Park). It directly connects to the University Crossing Trail, which in turn connects to the Katy Trail, Ridgewood Trail, and SoPac Trail.[5]

Mockingbird Station is a mixed-use development adjacent to the station, which contains an open-air shopping district, an Angelika Film Center, apartments, and office space. Because of this, SMU/Mockingbird has the highest population density within three miles of any mass transit station in Texas.[citation needed]

Station

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A northbound train at the station

SMU/Mockingbird is the only entrenched station in the DART light rail system, with the main platform located 40 feet (12 m) below ground level.[6] The station is the northern end of a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) tunnel to Downtown Dallas.

The station's upper level consists of a small plaza containing ticket machines, an elevator, and a pair of escalators. The west entrance to the plaza leads to the Mockingbird Station development and the University Crossing Trail, while the east entrance leads to buses, passenger drop-off/pick-up, bicycle parking, and vehicle parking. A stairwell to the rail platform is located at each end of the bus platform.

On the lower level is the rail platform, which is an island platform. Southbound and westbound trains board on the western side, while northbound and eastbound trains board on the eastern side. All three lines use the same platforms.

Artwork

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The eastern entrance to the station contains six 20-foot (6.1 m) archways, each of which are decorated with colorful mosaic tiles and topped with a stained-glass mockingbird. The western retaining wall is decorated with a colorful ribbon pattern, while the eastern retaining wall is landscaped with shade-tolerant plants.[6]

History

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Plans for a station at North Central and Mockingbird date back to DART's 1983 rail plan.[7] A revised plan in 1986 called for the Mockingbird Lane station to open in 1994 as the initial northern terminus for the North Central line.[8] Later in the decade, DART obtained two rail corridors that intersected north of Mockingbird Lane, one from Southern Pacific (which became the Red Line)[9] and the other from Union Pacific (which became the Blue Line).[10]

A 1990 study of the Southern Pacific corridor determined two possible locations for the Mockingbird Lane station. One location would consist of two separate stations north of the Southern Pacific/Union Pacific junction, while the other would consist of a single station south of the junction. Both proposals included a 950-space parking lot.[11] DART ultimately chose the southern site.[12] The site was located near the former headquarters of Dr Pepper, which was demolished in 1997.[13] A proposal was made to name and theme the station after Dr Pepper, but this was rejected.[14]

Mockingbird station opened on January 10, 1997 as part of a Red Line extension from Pearl to Park Lane.[3] The station did not receive Blue Line service until September 27, 1999,[15] and said service was weekday-only until the opening of White Rock station on September 24, 2001.

In 2015, DART added two dedicated spaces for carsharing company Zipcar to the station's passenger pick-up/drop-off zone.[16] An additional space was added later in the year.[17]

On November 4, 2017, a pedestrian bridge over Mockingbird Lane, which connected the station to the Katy Trail, was opened.[18]

On August 12, 2019, DART renamed the station to SMU/Mockingbird station, with SMU paying DART $463,000 for a 10-year naming rights agreement.[19][20]

Development

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The Lofts at Mockingbird Station, the residential section of the development

Several months after the DART station opened, developers Ken Hughes and Archon Group announced plans for Mockingbird Station, a transit-oriented development complex with a pedestrian connection to the DART station.[21] The 10-acre, $100 million complex, built on top of a former Western Electric warehouse, opened on July 1, 2001.[22]

The complex contains 211 apartments, 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) of office space, and 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of retail and restaurant space.[23] Notable retail tenants include Angelika Film Center, Bath & Body Works, Loft, and Urban Outfitters.[24] The property is currently owned by CBRE Group, which purchased the property in 2015.[25]

A 2004 study of transit-oriented developments by the Transportation Research Board called Mockingbird Station "a TOD success story," praising it for its location with "strong local demographics, and an abundance of adjacent regional attractions," as well as for being driven by private developers.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "SMU/Mockingbird Station". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bicycle Parking". Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Howell, Curtin (February 2, 1997). "DART's light rail making tracks: First-week ridership exceeds expectations by 33 percent". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 37A – via NewsBank.
  4. ^ "SMU Express Shuttles". Parking and ID Card Services. Southern Methodist University. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "Linear Trails". Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. City of Dallas, Texas. July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Rodrigue, George (August 7, 1983). "The DART Decision: DART would alter growth pattern, experts say". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 31A – via NewsBank.
  7. ^ Maxon, Terry (May 10, 1986). "DART staff offers cut-down rail plan". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1A – via NewsBank.
  8. ^ Kelley, Chris (April 5, 1988). "DART makes first rail land buy". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 13A – via NewsBank.
  9. ^ Kelley, Chris (October 25, 1989). "DART OKs rail land deal". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 21A – via NewsBank.
  10. ^ "North Central Corridor: Local Environmental Assessment" [report]. DART Historical Archive, pp. 16, 18-20. The Portal to Texas History, University of North Texas. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  11. ^ Brown, Steve (June 20, 1990). "Dr Pepper site faces foreclosure: NCNB posts property, county records show". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1D – via NewsBank.
  12. ^ Rivas, Mariana (June 16, 2021). "What happened to Dr Pepper's Mockingbird plant? Curious Texas investigates". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  13. ^ North, Kim (December 4, 1994). "Landmark site won't lose its Dr Pepper fizz: Key historic ingredients combined in new store". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 33A – via NewsBank.
  14. ^ Hartzel, Tony (September 25, 1999). "Blue line expanded north to Mockingbird Lane". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 36A – via NewsBank.
  15. ^ "DART, Zipcar collaboration completes last mile". Mass Transit. Endeavor Business Media. February 4, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Formby, Brandon (June 22, 2015). "Zipcar adds vehicles at Inwood/Love Field Station". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation – via NewsBank.
  17. ^ Montes, Bianca R. (November 4, 2017). "Mockingbird Bridge Officially Opens". Park Cities People. People Newspapers. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "DART station renamed SMU/Mockingbird Station". SMU News. Southern Methodist University. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Dickson, Gordon (September 6, 2019). "SMU paid naming rights for DART Mockingbird Station. Can TEXRail do this in Fort Worth?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  20. ^ Brown, Steve (June 26, 1997). "Apartments, shopping planned next to rail stop". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1D – via NewsBank.
  21. ^ Dillon, David (July 1, 2001). "An urban space that sings: Mockingbird Station creates harmony from old and new, odds and ends". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. pp. 1C – via NewsBank.
  22. ^ Brown, Steve (October 5, 2016). "DART seeking developers for Mockingbird Station properties". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  23. ^ "Directory". Mockingbird Station. CBRE Group. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  24. ^ Brown, Steve (October 16, 2015). "Dallas' popular Mockingbird Station ready to change hands". The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  25. ^ Transit-Oriented Development in the United States: Experiences, Challenges, and Prospects (PDF). Transit Cooperative Research Program. Transportation Research Board. 2004. pp. 302–305. doi:10.17226/23360.
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