Big D’s historic courthouse recognizes queer cathedral and choir

Listen — you can almost hear the wrecking ball smashing into Reunion Arena …

COURT OF APPEAL: Built in 1892, the Old Red Courthouse is one of Texas’ largest Romanesque buildings. Thank God, it was restored instead of being razed for a larger more modern facility. - Bryan Amann/Dallas Voice

Downtown Dallas has oodles of wonderful shiny skyscrapers, but architectural salvage has never been one of Big D’s main priorities. It took 20 years, but almost all the restoration of the Old Red Courthouse near Dealey Plaza is complete, and if you haven’t visited, do yourself a favor and make the trip to the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. It’s a great air-conditioned treat, and over the Fourth of July weekend, admission is only $4.

On the first floor, there’s a new exhibit, “The Civil War Through the Eyes of North Texans,” which examines the war’s effect on soldiers who left Dallas behind to go fight in the Confederate Army. Feel free to quickly breeze past this ho-hum exhibit, which contains many correspondences and some personal effects. It does contain a profile of James Webb Throckmorton, a former surgeon who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1856-61 and was one of only seven men who voted against secession — and who the old Throckmorton Mining Co. was named after.

There’s better stuff on the second floor, so head over to the fabulously ornate grand stairway and hike up one flight.

It tells the history of how Dallas transformed itself from a scrubby vast landscape inhabited by the Caddo Indians, and how founder John Neely Bryan’s big dream came true when, in 1846, he founded the plot of land and built a ferry that crossed the Trinity River.

Dallas is a conservative city, but Old Red includes some gay mentions. And there are plenty of “I didn’t know that” moments that will satisfy gay history buffs.

Julien Reverchon — after whom Dallas’ gayest park is named — was a Frenchman who visited Dallas County in 1856 with his dad. He studied plant life and collected botanical specimens.

The Cole Family — for whom the park (see General Edwin Walker photo) and the street are named — established the Cedar Springs in the 1840s, back when the county’s 2,743 inhabitants were farmers.

Sapphic sports gets a shout out with a highlight on the Dallas Diamonds (1979-81), the team that went from “worst to first” in the Women’s Profession Basketball League, largely through the star power of Nancy Lieberman (Martina Navratilova’s “trainer.”)

For movie buffs, the North Texas roots of actresses Jayne Mansfield and Kathy Bates are highlighted.

Gen. Edwin A. Walker, right, was an assassination target, but his ‘toe tapping’ arrests aren’t mentioned.

Dallas is the buckle of the Bible belt, and Old Red’s Religion section includes the Cathedral of Hope, which was founded in 1970 and is the largest gay church in the U.S.

In the music section, the Turtle Creek Chorale’s name sits beside Le Ann Rimes and Erykah Badu. I wondered if they should think about including a George Michael footnote … Maybe if he records a country single.

The assassination of J.F.K. gets a decent amount of attention, but the Sixth Floor Museum is in spitting distance, so Old Red doesn’t go overboard. It does include a mention about Gen. Edwin A. Walker, the right-wing member of the John Birch Society whom Oswald tried to shoot six month’s before the Kennedy assassination. But I really wish they would have connected the fact that in the mid ’70s, Walker was busted — Larry Craig style — for “toe tapping” at both Cole and Reverchon Parks!

From history and artifacts about the Texas State Fair to mini-profiles about illustrious and almost-forgotten luminaries, Old Red is a surprisingly terrific cultural excursion. Check her out!

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TRICH COINS AT OAK LAWN LIBRARY

In October of 2007, Dallas Voice received press releases about a young artist named Eric Trich, who was having an exhibition at Richland Community College. Trich’s work is interesting, pretty fun looking and can most definitely be described as masculine. The person who sent the release got angry when we asked if Trich was gay. That resulted in a phone call insisting that Dallas Voice never include his name in our columns.

Earlier this week, Dallas Voice received press releases for two new shows. One release mentioned that Trich had a “girlfriend.” Gay or not, Trich’s work is nifty — like “iPope r u listening?” an iPod campaign spoof of the pope jamming on the headphones. Starting July 4, Trich will have “American Lucky Coins,” a dozen illustrated paintings of coins at the Oak Lawn Library.


Oak Lawn Branch Dallas Public Library, 4100 Cedar Springs Road. July 4-Sept. 4. 214-670-1359.




These articles appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 4, 2008.