A limited number of tickets remain for Dallas’s 45th annual National Day of Prayer Luncheon on May 7 at the Meyerson Symphony Center, hosted by Thanks-Giving Square as it celebrates its 50th anniversary as a downtown landmark for reflection and unity. Featuring keynote storyteller Faye Lane alongside civic and interfaith leaders, the event continues a longstanding tradition of bringing the community together in a shared spirit of gratitude while looking ahead to the next 50 years.

As Thanks-Giving Square marks its 50th anniversary, its legacy is less about a physical place and more about cultivating a culture we want for Dallas—one that has quietly shaped the city by offering space for reflection, connection, and shared humanity. Looking ahead, the next chapter calls for growth and renewed engagement, inviting the community to carry this vision forward as a vital force for unity, healing, and civic life in an increasingly fast-paced and divided world.

Kyle Ogden, President and CEO of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, was recently honored with two major awards recognizing his leadership and impact in Dallas. Receiving the Stan Golden Men of Action Award on April 23, 2026, and the Spirit of Civility Award on April 30, 2026, Ogden is being recognized for his commitment to fostering connection, respectful dialogue, and unity. His work reflects a leadership style grounded in trust, empathy, and community-building—core values of the Thanks-Giving Foundation.

From its roots in a rapidly growing yet deeply divided 1960s Dallas, Thanks-Giving Square emerged as a response to a pivotal moment in the city’s history, offering a place grounded in reflection, unity, and hope. For more than fifty years, it has stood as a steady presence at the heart of Dallas, shaping the city’s identity through milestones that reflect both its challenges and its enduring vision.

Drawn from the words of founder Peter Stewart, this first-person essay traces the vision behind Thanks-Giving Square as a shared civic space rooted in unity, reflection, and a deeply human need for gratitude. From its early interfaith inspiration to its creation in the heart of Dallas, the Square emerged as a pioneering effort to shape not just a place, but the spirit of a city.

Originally published in Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas in 2000, this essay by Peter Stewart—the visionary founder of Thanks-Giving Square—offers a firsthand account of the idea and inspiration behind one of Dallas’s most meaningful civic spaces. Stewart reflects on how a simple but profound concept—creating a place dedicated to gratitude—took shape as a physical sanctuary in the heart of the city. Blending history, architecture, and spiritual purpose, he describes the Square as “the first acre” devoted to the universal human experience of thanksgiving—a space designed to draw people out of the rush of daily life and into reflection, unity, and renewal. Click through to each page of the essay.

At the heart of Thanks-Giving Square, the Chapel of Thanks-Giving rises as a quiet yet striking architectural expression of gratitude, inviting visitors into a space shaped by light, reflection, and a sense of shared humanity. Nearly fifty years after its completion, it remains a singular landmark in Dallas—one that offers not spectacle, but stillness, and a place to pause amid the pace of the city.