The 2016 Form Follows Fitness 5K Presented by Blackson Brick Co and benefiting the educational programs of the Dallas Center for Architecture will hit the streets with the starting line at Klyde Warren Park on Saturday, February 20. Not only will it be a well-managed event and race, but the route takes you past some of Dallas’ most important and interesting architectural icons that make our cities skyscape one of the most unique.
Here are a few highlights!
Klyde Warren Park is a new addition to downtown Dallas and is already proving its purpose as a bridge between downtown and uptown and as a destination for visitors from all over the area and beyond. Opened in 2012, the park’s masterplan and landscape were designed by The Office of James Burnett. The restaurant and performance pavilions were designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners.
Just past the starting line, you’ll see three projects by three of the most noted American architects and their firms. Currently under construction, McKinney and Olive is designed by Pelli Clark Pelli Architects; it will be an office building with restaurants and an expansive green space at street level.
The Ritz Carlton Hotel and Residences was designed by noted post-Modernist Robert A.M Stern, and The Crescent was designed by Philip Johnson, winner of the first Pritzker Prize and architect of Thanksgiving Square and the JFK Memorial.
Another highlight of the route is the buildings of the Arts District, including the striking red drum of Foster + Partners’ Winspear Opera House, the stark aluminum façade of Rem Koolhaas’ Wyly Theatre, and the geometries of I.M. Pei’s Meyerson Symphony Center.
Finally, as you prepare for your assault of Mount Woodall at the end of the route, you will pass by Fountain Place—a favorite downtown building of many—designed by Pei Cobb freed and Associates with striking water gardens by Dan Kiley.
So, as you’re striving for that personal best, keep your eyes open and appreciate the rich architectural fabric that is the trademark of the #FFF5K.