“Thank-Giving Square Statement Signed Religious Leaders Join in Recognizing ‘Beacon of Hope? Religious leaders of three faiths joined ‘Tuesday in recognition of ‘the Thanks Giving Square development in Downtown Dallas which they said can be “a bescon of hope for generations” For the season of Passover and Easter, they formalized. statement drafted last summer when ThanksGiving Square Foun dation members met with clergymen to learn their thinking aboat the thanksgiving theme forthe park, First signers of the finished statement were the Most Rev, Thomas K. Gorman, bishop of the Fort WorthDallas Catholic Diocese; Ds. Herbert Howard, pastor of ark Cities Baptist Church and president of ‘the Dallas Pastors Association; Rabbi Levi A. Olan of Temple EmanvEl; the Rev. Louls Saunders, exteutive secretary ofthe Greater Dallas Council of Churches, and the Rev, 8, M, Wright, president of the Inter- ‘derostinational Ministers Alliance. They amet at the First National Bank terrace which affords. an overview ofthe skysera- pervinged park site, ‘The foundation Is neating the end of a ‘campaign to raise $1.73 million to develop the triangular acre bounded by Pacific, Er vay and Bryan as acity park by the early Jofis. The foundation, headed by Peter Stewart, has already. bought the land at ‘cost of about $2.25 million, “Over the yeats the spirit of God has blessed the people of Dallas and called them to sound a very special note of thank- fulness,” the clerical statement reads, “We are inheritors with other Americans of the reat hymn of thankfulness that has been ralsed over this continent for three cent» ries the very center of Dallas, Ina beautiful’ square, this cherished Iden will flower, Daily in ‘ThanksGiving Square we will feel the power of ancient wisdom and the joy of blessings realized, shared and ives, “It is our privilege together to complete this purpose and this place, Its truh and ‘benuty can shine forth tothe world and be a bencon of hope for gererations. Each per+ son who shares in this work gives thanks to God and blesses man,’ ‘View of Thanks-Giving Square . . . from left, the Rev. Mr. Saunders, Dr, Howard, Bishop Gorman, Rabbi Olan and the Rev, Mr. Wright.ee ome - 4 ’ Civic leaders get preview of Thanks-Giving Square Dallas civic leaders got their first look at the inside of Thanks-Giving Square during a “sneak preview" luncheon Wednesday. About 25 persons gathered in the Hall of Thanksgiving for a “box lunch and a report on the square’s upcoming activities. Dr. Ralph Stone, executive director, said a prayer vigil will be held at the square from S p.m, Wednesday, Nov. 21, through $ p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28. He said the vigit will be conducted by mem- bers of various Dallas churches and synagogues. Consecration of the chapel is sched- wled for 11 am. Thursday, Nov. 25, ‘Thanksgiving morning, Stone said. He said most major religions will be represented, Islamic, Jewish and Christian serv- ices will be held on the three days fol- lowing Thenksgiving, Stone added. A civic ceremony formally dedicat- ing the facility 1s scheduled for 2 p.m Sunday, Nov. 28, and will be open to the public, he said. Peter Stewart, president of the ‘ThanksGiving Square Foundation, said Dallasites have been giving thanks together as a community since the Civil War. Stewart said the square, when com- pleted, will represent thankfulness on * a global level. ‘A film showing the casting of one of the square’s bells was shown during the preview. The bells, to be hung from 4 S0-foot tower, welgh 4,630, 3,306 and 2,315 pounds. Each has a Psalm in. seribed on its surface. ‘The Hall of Columns will feature ex. pressions of thanksgiving from around the world, Stewart said, These will in. elude documents, music, art, ete, he said, Columns in the hall ore sponsored by business institutions. In addition to the spirating chapel and bell tower, the square will also fea- ture waterfalls, pools and courts. ‘The square is surrounded by Akard, Ervay, Bryan and Pacific in Downtown Dallas. ‘The {dea for the facility was conceiv- ed in 1961, and the land was purchased by the foundation in 1968.DattasNewsstalf photo by Steve Uecker, An overview of Thanks-Giving Square shows the Fountain of Life, the spiral chapel and the bell tower. Thanks-Giving Square opening Monday the arts magnet school will perform as the two fountalns ore activated. Mayor Robert Folsom will open the main gotes to the park as the three French-made bronze bells ring, After many delays and some speculation by observers that it might never take place, Thanks-Giv- ing Square will be dedicated at 10:30 um, Mondoy. ‘The Facre park area, with on interdenominational chopel and 40- truck loading dock, bogaa as an idea ‘among a group of businessmen in 1961. “Later, the Thanks-Giving ‘Square Foundation was formed ond the foundation purchased the land bounded by Akard, Ervoy, Bryan and Pocific and financed the S6mit- lion project. Countless completion dates were set and passed because of construc- liod! strikes, poor weather and the delicate poured concrete process used to build the spiralshaped chapel. But the project now 4s complete, with newly sodded grass growing green between the brown pebble concrete of the sidewalks and foun- tains. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra brass ensemble, choirs from Hocka- day, South Oak Cliff, Thomas Jeffer- son and Lincoln High Schools and ‘The project was cosponsored by the City of Dallas, which owns the ruck terminal and leases the pedes- trianway below the park area.Computer analyzes Thanks-Giving Square shadow problem Peter Stewart had a problem. His beloved Thanks-Giving Square literally was being over- shadowed by new office towers. Visitors were complaining that between October and March, the sun rarely shone on the water- falls and Philip Johnson's Dairy Queen chapel. To determine how serious the problem was, Stewart asked Her- man Blum Engineers of Dallas to do a shadow study of Thanks Giving Square. Using a com- puter, engineers Rex Raiza and David Ramsey developed a method for calculating sun and shadow loads on any polygon plane for any time of day, any day of the year. Such studies pre- viously were done by hand and were both slow and inaccurate. The new method, which in- volves locating buildings, sun and shading elements on a sys- tem of simple coordinates, takes 30 minutes and is 100 percent ac- curate. Stewart says the Blum study showed that during the fall and winter, Thanks-Giving Square was in a shadow 90 percent of the daylight hours, compared to SO percent in 1977, before con- struction of Thanks-Giving Tower. With the completion of other office towers, including the Arco Tower and the Cadillac- Fairview's First City Center project, the amount of direct sunlight would decrease even further. Stewart urged the city to pass asun and shadow ordinance that would preserve the remaining downtown view corridors from high-rise development. The Dal- las Urban Planning department drafted a preliminary ordinance, but the ordinance got such acool reception from downtown devel- opers that it was dropped quietly. Ramsey estimates that Blum Engineers now does shadow studies on two-thirds of its proj- ects, usually to improve the en- ergy efficiency of new buildings. Knowing where and how long the shadows will fall helps archi- tects determine how big the heating and air-conditioning un- its should be. The same informa- tion also can influence the over- all shape of a building, its posi- tion on its site and the color and thickness of its glass. A shadow study sometimes can mean the difference be- tween whether a building gets built or not. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's Chicago office recently got the go-ahead on a high-rise building near Grant Park after demonstrating that it would not plunge the park's public areas into darkness, as opponents had predicted. — David Dillon