Elizabeth Paterson Kiest Memorial Park (Kiest Park) was created by Edwin J. Kiest in honor of his wife. Mr. Kiest donated the land for the 247 acre park in three separate bequests of 176.6, 67 and 4.5 acres between September 1930 and June 4, 1934. Mr. Kiest was publisher of the Dallas Times Herald, and his gift was the largest gift of land ever received by the City of Dallas. The Park was official dedicated on November 13, 1932.
The first Master Plan for the park was developed by Wynne B. Woodruff, a local landscape architect, in July 1934. This master plan proposed a shelter house, entry portals, latrines, bridges and trails, landscaping, and a distinctive water rill with accompanying gardens. The plan was developed in the Rustic Style of Architecture, similar to the style of many National Park facilities. The Kiest Park Fieldhouse was built in 1932, and WPA Pavilion/Shelter House designed by M.C. Kleuser and George E. Christensen was finished in 1934. In addition, Woodruff developed the gardens and water rill for the park. An extensive natural trail system was established south of Kiest Blvd. This trail system has largely been abandoned, although there are plans to restore the trails as a soft surface system.
A redevelopment plan was created for the park in 1979 that called for the establishment of additional athletic facilities and a loop trail. The loop trail was built in 1986, while money set aside for a swimming pool at the park was redirected to expanding the existing Recreation Center. In 1997 Carter Burgess created a new master plan for Kiest Park that focused on creating Kiest Park as a venue space, and in 2010 Jacobs revised the 1997 master plan. Portions of the 2010 master plan have been implemented, including the reconstruction of the loop trail in 2011. Other parts of the 2010 master plan await implementation, including the restoration of the 1934 WPA Pavilion designed by M.C. Kleuser and George E. Christensen.
The park has a recreation center, a 2.81 mile loop trail with connections to the Elmwood, Kiestwood, and Five Mile Creek Trails, seven soccer/football fields, eight softball fields, two playgrounds, one tennis center with 16 courts and 16 additional tennis courts close to Perrytown Avenue, a sand volleyball court, picnic areas, two outdoor basketball courts, a garden area, a memorial garden, and a significant wooded section of 80 acres to the south of Kiest Blvd that is named “Kiest Park Conservation Area.”
In recent years, the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks has been instrumental in restoring key historic features of Kiest Park. A significant achievement was the restoration of the Memorial Garden and the rebuilding of the Kiest Park Pergola (the latter which won a Preservation Texas Award in 2014). Kiest Park has served as a focal point for South Oak Cliff since the park was established in 1932.
Residential development did not reach the park until the early 1950s, but visitors were attracted to the park’s amenities, including the well developed network of footpaths, bridle paths and picnic grounds. The recreation center, which was built in 1976 and expanded in the late 1990s, attracts users with programming throughout the week. The Softball complex, which opened in May 2003, is a regional destination, and has twice hosted national softball championships.