TITLE: Commemorating the dedication of the Moorland YMCA Building on Flora Street in Dallas as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the dedication of the Moorland YMCA Building on Flora Street in Dallas as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The proud heritage of a Dallas institution is being honored on April 12, 2013, with the dedication of the Moorland YMCA Building on Flora Street as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark; and WHEREAS, In the late 1920s, the Young Men's Christian Association of Dallas began an effort to create a YMCA in the African American neighborhood of North Dallas; despite the economic hardship of the Great Depression, local residents raised $75,000, and another $25,000 was contributed by the Rosenwald Fund, which helped build YMCAs for African American communities across the American South; and WHEREAS, Named for Dr. Reverend Jesse Edward Moorland, a national official of the YMCA, the new facility was designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and opened in 1930; it offered programs in education and recreation for local youth and made its gymnasium available for use by nearby schools; a number of prominent athletes received their earliest training there, among them welterweight boxing champion Curtis Cokes, professional football player Jimmy "Iron Claw" Hill, and Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks; and WHEREAS, This handsome, redbrick building became a hub for the social, cultural, and political life of the African American community in Dallas as one of the few places where African Americans could congregate outside of church; it served as an important meeting venue for civil rights activists and members of the NAACP, and it provided hospitality for African American visitors who had difficulty finding a hotel room in the segregated city; famous overnight guests included boxer Muhammad Ali and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and WHEREAS, Eventually the needs of area YMCA members outgrew the building, and the facility on Flora Street was closed in 1970 and replaced with a location in Oak Cliff; the Moorland YMCA Building continues to serve the community today as the home of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, which purchased the property in 1999; and WHEREAS, For more than 80 years, the Moorland YMCA Building on Flora Street has played a meaningful role in the lives of African Americans in Dallas, and the preservation of this notable structure for future generations is truly deserving of recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of the Moorland YMCA Building as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and commend all those responsible for this noteworthy occasion. Giddings Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1336 was adopted by the House on April 17, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House