MLK, Jr. Station

North of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, near Trunk Avenue and South Boulevard and adjacent to the J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center
(1412 S. Trunk Ave., Dallas 75210 - Mapsco 46P)

MLK, Jr. Station is located south of Fair Park and convenient to the MLK fairground entrance (Gate 6 on R.B. Cullum Blvd.) and the Cotton Bowl Stadium. Connected to the J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center, the MLK, Jr. Station tells the story of the African American community surrounding it. Featuring images from noted photographer R.C. Hickman, the station offers a visual representation of the events and people of South Dallas. Conceived by artist Emmanuel Gillespie, the station includes a "Walk of Respect" that uses symbols to represent words such as unity, respect and wisdom. MLK, Jr. Station is served by DART Rail Green Line trains.

Service:

DART Rail Green Line, Bus Routes 13, 23, 104, 216, GoLink South Dallas (M-F) serve the adjacent J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center.

M-F (Monday through Friday)

Bus Bay Assignments:

Bay 1 — 23
Bay 2 — 104
Bay 3 — For Future Use
Bay 4 — 13
Bay 5 — Paratransit
Bay 6 — 216
Bay 7 — Rail Disruption Shuttle Stop

Station Art:

MLK, Jr. Station - Continuing the Story
MLK, Jr. Station continues thematically where the adjacent J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center leaves off: telling the story of the community that surrounds it, framed in the context of the larger African-American experience.

Conceived by artist Emmanuel Gillespie, the station extends the "Walk of Respect" from the adjacent transit center, creating a common motif to join the two facilities. The Walk of Respect uses symbols from African kuba cloths - a form

African drums and symbols at MLK, Jr. Station

of textile art, similar to tapestries - that represent concepts such as unity and respect. "Additionally, the handrail extends from the transit center and will have patterns symbolizing wisdom and understanding," Gillespie says. The patterns featured in the column cladding are also based on kuba cloths, and are associated with the art of storytelling.

The windscreens feature images from noted local photographer R.C. Hickman, who documented Dallas' civil rights era. The photos tell the story of the city's African-American community during that turbulent time.

In a separate piece of commissioned art, sculptor Steve Teeters augments the theme of African storytelling with the construction of two 17-foot African "talking drums."

"Drums are among the most important art forms to come from Africa," Teeters says. "They were used to tell stories, and for long-distance communication, as well. It's an appropriate image for a station named after a man who made great changes in the world simply by communicating ideas. And, just as talking drums were passed from one generation to the next, the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr. are alive in the present and future generations."

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