Most have not noticed that the car agency that sat at the corner of Shiloh and Garland Road at McCree was replaced by a big flower planter with the City of Garland Logo on the side. Nor, if they did notice, most did not know that Garland has been planning to make it the Gateway to the City at LBJ 635 although there are no service roads on that stretch of 635 at the moment.
But, that is about to change with the project to widen LBJ from Interstate 20 to where the High 5 had ended, a billion dollar plus re-due for LBJ's third section, as the I-35 stretch to the west side of the High 5 has just completed. It's been a big debate over toll lanes and the final plan promises no toll lanes on that stretch of 635. That puts Garlands Gateway Project front and center.
In the mean while by the by, in May,2008, Walmart Stores closed the forerunner to the Super Center that had been built as an experimental store and called Hypermart USA. That store today is considered to be the store that fostered the rise of the Super Centers for the retail giant. It was a 26-acre plot of land with a store that covered inside, five and one third acres of sales floor space. Sitting vacant for 12 years, the building began to fall into disrepair like all buildings that die on the vine...they wilt away and are reclaimed by nature if someone doesn't step in and change their demise. Already, weeds and grass were filling cracks in the parking lot by nearly two feet in some places.
The City of Garland purchased the building from Walmart for a little less than $7 million last year and Walmart had to demolish the structure. That officially began this week with a Garland City Council member slinging the first strike with a 12-pound sledge hammer followed by a track back hole typically used to level structures one would not think that they could The process is scheduled to take about 5 weeks to complete.
Garland will develop the property in relationship to their planned Gateway Project. It was a "do it now or miss the opportunity" kind of thing. Ironically, that city council member that got in the first strike with his sledge, had run for the city council post specifically because of the elephant eye sore that covered the 26 acre track of land.
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| There are two arches across the front and two even larger at each end of the building. |
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| The destroyer following the escort. |
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| The job begins here as the red tin roof tumbles in 20 foot sections |
