Trinity River Audubon Center

{{Infobox building

| name = Trinity River Audubon Center

| native_name=

| alternate_names = Trinity River Audubon, Trinity River Interpretive Center, TRAC

| image = Trinity Audubon Center.jpg

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| location = Great Trinity Forest park,
Dallas, Texas

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| start_date = 2002

| completion_date = 2008

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| architect = Antoine Predock
BRW Architects

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| website = http://trinityriver.audubon.org/

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| building_type = Nature Center

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| current_tenants =National Audubon Society

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The Trinity River Audubon Center is a nature center in the Great Trinity Forest, a large urban open space park in Southeast Dallas, Texas.

History

The center was completed in 2008 on the site of a former illegal landfill called Deepwood.{{Cite web|title=Trinity River Audubon Center|url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/trinity-river-audubon-center|access-date=2020-11-19|website=Building Design + Construction|date=11 August 2010 |language=en}} Federal Judge Barefoot Sanders resolved a lawsuit by issuing an order resulting in the creation of a nature center on the site.{{Cite web|last=Bush|first=Rudolph|date=2008-09-24|title=Judge Barefoot Sanders' legacy at Dallas City Hall|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2008/09/24/judge-barefoot-sanders-legacy-at-dallas-city-hall/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Dallas News|language=en}} Prior to becoming an illegal dump, the site was a farm and then a gravel mine.{{Cite web|last=Levanthal|first=Dave|date=2008-10-14|title=Trinity Audubon Center turns wasteland into southern sector jewel|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2008/10/14/trinity-audubon-center-turns-wasteland-into-southern-sector-jewel/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-18|website=Dallas News|language=en}}

The center was designed by Antoine Predock and [http://www.brwarch.com/ BRW Architects].{{Cite web|date=2015-10-09|title=Trinity River Audubon Centre, Dallas Texas by Antoine Predock and BRW Architects|url=https://www.archute.com/trinity-river-audubon-centre-dallas-texas-by-antoine-predock-and-brw-architects/|access-date=2020-11-19|website=Archute|language=en-GB}} It is the first LEED-certified building constructed by the Parks and Recreation Department of Dallas and includes a green roof (planted), rainwater collection system, energy efficient systems, and recycled materials.Trinity River Audubon Center [http://www.trinityriveraudubon.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Visit_Welcome/ Welcome to the Trinity River Audubon Center]. Retrieved 3-23-10.

File:Trinity River Audubon Center Walkway.jpg

Nature

The National Audubon Society has a natural history museum and nature center in the building and its surroundings.

The Great Trinity Forest urban park is located within the Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregion. Habitats within it include bottomland hardwood forests, riparian zones, wetlands, open water ponds, grasslands, and the Trinity River itself.

The center is part of the City of Dallas-Trinity River Corridor Project and consists of 120 acres. The center features five miles of nature viewing trails, a butterfly garden, outdoor picnic areas, an indoor event center, and several rentable conference rooms. The center also hosts community events, such as the annual farm-to-table outdoor dinner, Songbird Supper.{{Cite web|last=Nichols|first=Nancy|date=2014-10-27|title=Chef Sharon Hage Serves Songbird Supper at Trinity River Audubon Center|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/food-drink/2014/10/chef-sharon-hage-serves-songbird-supper-at-trinity-river-audubon-center/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-21|website=D Magazine|language=en}}

Trinity River Project

File:Trinity River Audubon Center.jpg

The center is part of the Trinity River Project, a public works project to redevelop the Trinity River in Dallas. The Trinity River Project includes other recreational amenities. There are other trails and parks along the Trinity River channel, including the Continental Avenue Bridge and the AT&T Trail. Connecting the Trinity River Audubon Center to a trailhead at Elam Road, the AT&T Trail is approximately 4.25 miles long.{{Cite web|date=2013-05-01|title=Because the price was right, Dallas is getting more trail for the buck near Trinity Forest Golf Course|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2013/05/01/because-the-price-was-right-dallas-is-getting-more-trail-for-the-buck-near-trinity-forest-golf-course/|access-date=2020-11-21|website=Dallas News|language=en}}