The Bishop Arts District is a small shopping and entertainment district in north Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas (USA), near the intersection of Bishop Street and Davis Street (SH 180).

About[link]

The area was originally developed as warehouses and shops in the 1920s. In the 1930s, a trolley stop along Davis became Dallas' busiest trolley stop. The district began a decline in the mid-60's through the beginning of the 80's. The reasons for the decline included the rise of the shopping mall, the loss of sizable tenants such as Astor theater and Goodier Cosmetics, neighborhood demographic changes and finally the fact that buses began to replace streetcars making trolley stops like Bishop and Seventh useless.

In the fall of 1984, Jim Lake saw a bargain in the now run down storefronts and began buying up property. He said, "Hopefully we'll make money on this in the future, but in the first three to five years I'm gonna feed it." Lake said of his decision to buy the property, "I just thought it needed saving." As a sign of his commitment, Lake provided, rent-free for a year, space for a police storefront. This was an important element in the area's security and sense of community. Continuing through the 1990s and 2000s, renovations have taken place to transform the two city blocks into a walkable, urban environment, although the surrounding area has yet to undergo revitalization. Murals, brick pavers, and other street elements have polished the rough look of the warehouses and have made the area a popular leisure and dining destination.^[1]

Neighbors and visitors enjoy an eclectic mix of restaurants including Bolsa, Cafe Brazil, Chan Thai (Thai), El Jordan (Mexican), Eno's Pizza Tavern (Italian), Espumoso Coffeehouse (Coffee and pastries), Greek Cafe and Bakery (Greek), Dude, Sweet (Chocolate), Gloria's, Hatties (American Bistro), Cretia's (bakery), Hula Hotties Cafe & Bakery (Hawaiian), Hunky's (Hamburgers), Spiral Diner & Bakery (Vegan), The Soda Gallery (Bottled Sodas), Tillman's Roadhouse (American), Vera Cruz (Meso-American, Mayan, Aztec) and Zen Sushi (Sushi). In June 2010 Nova Restaurant opened in the old Kavala spot and then spring 2011, Lockhart Smokehouse (Central Texas-style Barbeque) opened as well. In mid 2011, Lucia's (High-End Italian) opened as well.

Bishop also includes many stores including, Shambala (Soaps), Indigo (Clothing), Epiphany (Clothing), Cozy Cottage (Children Clothing and Toys), GreenPet (Pet store), Alchemy Salon (Hair Salon), Bishop Arts Market (Assorted), Fete-ish (Assorted), Dirt (Plants), Make (Hand-made Pillows, Bags, etc.).

Education[link]

The Bishop Arts District is served by the Dallas Independent School District.

Residents of the Bishop Arts District are zoned to John H. Reagan Elementary School, W.E. Greiner Middle School, and W.H. Adamson High School.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bishop Arts District, Dallas, Texas

• Bishopartsdistrict.com - Official Website

Coordinates: 32°44′56.23″N 96°49′42.02″W / 32.7489528°N 96.8283389°W / 32.7489528; -96.8283389

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An arts district is a demarcated urban area, usually on the periphery of a city centre, intended to create a 'critical mass' of places of cultural consumption - such as art galleries, dance clubs, theatres, art cinemas, music venues, and public squares for performances. Such an area is usually encouraged by public policy-making and planning, but sometimes occurs spontaneously. It is associated with allied service-industry jobs like cafes, printers, fashion outlets, restaurants, and a variety of 'discreet services' (see the back-page small-ads of almost any cultural events-listings magazine).

There may also be some artists' studios located in nearby back-streets. But, as Richard Florida has found from his research, cultural production facilities are often better sited some miles away from cultural consumption facilities - except in some very tolerant cities and in countries where a boisterous alcohol-based nightlife scene does not lead to aggressive and anti-social behaviour.

In the UK the term sometimes used is "Cultural quarter" or "Arts quarter".

Notable arts districts in the USA include:

• Arts District, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Arts District, Dallas, Texas
• Arts District, Portland, Maine
• Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri
• Cultural Center Historic District, Detroit, Michigan
• Downtown Arts District, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Gateway Arts District, Hyattsville/Mount Rainier/Brentwood/North Brentwood, Maryland
• Midtown, Atlanta, Georgia
• Noho Arts District, Los Angeles, California
• Ray Street Arts District in North Park, San Diego, California
• Pearl District, Portland, Oregon
• Short North, Columbus, Ohio
• Uptown, Oakland, California
• Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, Gary, Indiana
• NoBo Art District, Boulder, Colorado

Art districts in London include:

• Shoreditch
• Broadway Market

See also[link]

• Urban regeneration
• Creative industries
• Cultural industries
• Entertainment district
• Creative class

References[link]