The residents of the South Dallas neighborhood of Bonton are writing a new chapter for the place they call home, and it comes in the form of fresh food and public art. An area of town that is still recovering from years of city neglect and biblical-like flooding from the Trinity River, the collective will of Bonton residents is ensuring that they honor the history of their neighborhood, while setting a new path for the next generation.
Bonton is located five miles southeast of Downtown Dallas, where the Trinity River bed meets the Great Trinity Forest. When the original Dallas Floodway was built in the 1930s, this series of levees and pumps protected downtown from Trinity flooding. Watershed gates helped keep flood waters from reaching surrounding neighborhoods.
But whenever the city closed those gates, it kept the flood waters inside Bonton in order to protect other neighborhoods. It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the city built the Rochester Levee to protect its namesake and surrounding neighborhoods.
“We were always flooded,” said lifelong Bonton resident Daris Lee. “What’s worse is that the homeowners could not get flood insurance.”
Since the levee was created, Lee said his community has not had to deal with flooding — and constantly having to rebuild. The Bonton neighborhood is a great example of when you no longer have to worry about survival, your community can move forward in leaps and bounds.
“There were no grocery stores, no medical clinics, no resources,” Lee said. “We were always poor in resources but rich in community. That is when you start to see programs coming together.”
What seems to be the linchpin in turning the corner was the foundation of Bonton Farms in 2014.
“We’re creating hope,” said Mark Jones, president and CEO of Bonton Farms.
New Homes, Fresh Foods, and Clinic Care Making a Difference
One of the first issues tackled after the levee was built was eradicating the food desert that existed. A food desert is an area where the closest grocery store where fresh food can be purchased is more than a mile away.
Bonton Farms Market sits on a 1.25 parcel where residents can come and purchase fresh vegetables grown on the site as well as learn how to grow their vegetable garden at their home. Bonton Farms also has another 40-acre parcel where they have created an apprentice program to teach people not only how to farm but also to create a positive work history for when they seek other employment opportunities.
“You impact people’s lives when you give them a helping hand,” Jones said. “You have to give people tools to build a life for themselves. We are walking beside them to be a beacon of hope.”
Another major shift in lifting the Bonton neighborhood was the opening of the Bonton Farms Wellness Center this past March. Lee, who works at the Bonton Farms Market and the Wellness Center, said the center has seen more than 600 patients since they opened, and on Fridays, there is a dentist who volunteers their time providing free dental care.
“The life expectancy in our community has gone from 65 to 68 years,” Jones said.
The next big change in Bonton is one you can not miss as you drive around the neighborhood. More than 127 new homes have been built, Jones said, and construction on a 36-unit apartment building is underway.
“We’re building affordable housing in Bonton,” Jones said. “We’re also going to create tourism down in Bonton.’
Jones said the levee is going to be seeded with bluebonnets so people can come and walk or bike along the levee and enjoy the scenery.
“The change in Bonton is the change the world needs,” Jones said.
Bonton Watershed Gates Turned Into Art
With the revitalization of the neighborhood, the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture have turned the once watershed gates into art. To enter the neighborhood, you have to drive through the gates.
“Just the mere aesthetics, the gates looked very industrial,” said District 7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua. “The physical representation of the art shows off the strength of the Bonton neighborhood.”
“Today, these floodgates are being transformed through public art—honoring the community’s resilience and history while contributing to a more vibrant and welcoming environment,” said Dallas Public Art Program Manager Lynn Rushton-Reed.
The transformation of the watershed gates is the seventh public art installation in the Bonton neighborhood.
“Art is a reflection of the neighborhood and its history,” said Martine Elyse Philippe, director of the Office of Arts and Culture. “It’s not just art or art’s sake. It’s also an education.”
Having lived through seeing his neighborhood flooded throughout his lifetime, Lee could not help but think of his great grandparents who were also Bonton residents and raised him.
“My great grandfather used to tell me ‘This is going to be a beautiful place that will have people come here from all over’ and I’d say ‘Nah,’” Lee said. “To see so many people here today from so many different places and demographics… It’s amazing, it’s amazing. I can hear him now saying, ‘I told you. I told you.’”
