Our Story
The story of Thanks-Giving Square is one of reclamation and celebration.
In 1964, four businessmen convened to bring a new vision of Dallas to life. The city was still reeling from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Despite the reputation the city had garnered, everyone knew that Dallas had much more to offer and much to be thankful for.
Joe O. Neuhoff, Julius Schepps, John M. Stemmons, and Peter P. Stewart founded the Thanks-Giving Foundation, a new kind of organization that would highlight and celebrate the worldly aspirations, economic accomplishments, and enduring hearts of the citizens of Dallas.
The Thanks-Giving Foundation was chartered to create a public space in the heart of the city dedicated in gratitude to God and to the “most ancient and enduring of American traditions” – giving thanks.
The four men envisioned an urban oasis that would signify and celebrate all that makes the city and its citizens great. Peter Stewart said it would be a “shrine to the future,” and half a century later, it has lived up to that vision.
Citizens and donors rallied to bring Thanks-Giving Square to life. The founders worked with the city to acquire land in 1968, and construction began in 1973. The project was designated one of the region’s American Revolution Bicentennial Projects, and the Chapel of Thanksgiving and Bell Tower were dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, the 200-year anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The remainder of the Square opened to the public in 1977, on the anniversary of General George Washington’s proclamation establishing the first national Day of Thanksgiving on request of the Continental Congress.
The Square is a living tribute to the practice of gratitude. Gratitude has been recognized as a universal human value that can be found in cultures and religious traditions around the world. Thanks-Giving Square has become a place of refuge for every visitor – regardless of background, tradition, culture, or religion – to practice gratitude and join with neighbors in celebrating the city’s rich history of progress, prosperity, and exceptional people.