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# Richard Doherty: Chronicling Oak Cliff Through Four Decades of Black-and-White Photography

This month we are considering Richard Doherty due to his large body of work as we explore the Bishop's Art District. Consider this longer video for a take on the body of work from his perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCzr_xd-LcE

When Richard Doherty moved to Oak Cliff in 1983, his brother-in-law was appalled. The Dallas native warned him the neighborhood was dangerous. But Doherty saw something different—a diverse, affordable community with unique character that would become his lifelong photographic subject.
For the past forty-two years, Doherty has documented Oak Cliff through black-and-white photography, creating what he calls a "visual diary" of the southwest Dallas neighborhood 40 years of Oak Cliff’s spirit is captured through Richard Doherty’s lens - Oak Cliff. His recently published book, Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood, showcases over 116 photographs spanning from 1983 to 2022, revealing the neighborhood's evolution while celebrating its enduring spirit.

## A Photographer's Love Letter

A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Doherty taught photography at Louisiana State University before accepting a professorship at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, where he became professor emeritus after 34 years Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood - UNT Press - UNT. But his true education came from the streets of Oak Cliff.
"I started photographing almost immediately because it's a fascinating neighborhood," Doherty recalls 40 years of Oak Cliff’s spirit is captured through Richard Doherty’s lens - Oak Cliff. Armed with cameras and pockets full of film, he would leave his house looking for subjects that appealed to him—people who seemed interesting, evidence of human habitation, and the unique ways residents arranged their personal spaces New book documents four decades in a Dallas neighborhood | Texas Standard.

## The Art of Street Photography

Doherty shoots most of his photographs at eye level or lower with wide-angle lenses, preferring the graphic quality of black-and-white film over color [UNT CoLab hosts book signing with photographer Richard Doherty | Arts & Life | ntdaily.com](https://www.ntdaily.com/arts_and_life/unt-colab-hosts-book-signing-with-photographer-richard-doherty/article_110d2544-3895-11ef-bae3-3b292c68acb6.html). "I don't fiddle around with any kind of techniques, goofy filters and all that stuff," he explains. "I see something, it fascinates me and I photograph it" 40 years of Oak Cliff’s spirit is captured through Richard Doherty’s lens - Oak Cliff.
Using various film cameras including panoramic and large-format options, Doherty combines sweeping images of Jefferson Boulevard—Oak Cliff's main drag—with intimate portraits of people in their workplaces, homes, and yards Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood - UNT Press - UNT. His subjects display what critics call an "unambiguous awareness of the camera," creating honest, stoic portraits that reveal both pride and vulnerability.

## Preserving a Changing Neighborhood

When Doherty first arrived, Bishop Arts had only one hair salon—a stark contrast to the lively district it has become today A Look at the Evolution of Oak Cliff Through a 40-Year Photo Collection - D Magazine. His photographs document this transformation while preserving memories of a neighborhood that has remained ethnically, racially, and economically diverse despite Dallas's rapid development.
The book includes essays by bestselling author Bill Minutaglio, curator John Rohrbach of the Amon Carter Museum, and curator Christopher Blay of the Houston Museum of African American Culture, providing historical and sociological context for the photographs Framing Oak Cliff: A Visual Diary of a Dallas Neighborhood - UNT Press - UNT.
"I've lived in [Oak Cliff] for 42 years, same house," Doherty says. "They will carry me out of this house feet first. I really love it, and I love my community" [UNT CoLab hosts book signing with photographer Richard Doherty | Arts & Life | ntdaily.com](https://www.ntdaily.com/arts_and_life/unt-colab-hosts-book-signing-with-photographer-richard-doherty/article_110d2544-3895-11ef-bae3-3b292c68acb6.html). That love shines through every frame, making Framing Oak Cliff not just a photography book, but a testament to the power of place and the importance of documenting our everyday surroundings.

## Learn More

# A History of the Bishop Arts District

## The Early Years: Streetcar Suburb (1900s-1930s)

The Bishop Arts District has historical roots in the French colony La Réunion that settled in the area in the 1850s [About Bishop Arts District | Schools, Demographics, Things to Do - Homes.com](https://www.homes.com/local-guide/dallas-tx/bishop-arts-district-neighborhood/), long before the neighborhood took its modern form. The district dates back to 1904, when the streetcar line arrived, making it the city's largest intact trolley-era shopping district. Texas Time TravelGoodspace In 1903, Oak Cliff citizens voted by a narrow margin of just 12 votes to be annexed into Dallas, and shortly after, the Dallas Railway and Traction Company laid streetcar tracks across the Trinity River down Bishop Avenue to the area. New Culture Updates Bishop Arts History – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
The area was originally developed as warehouses and shops in the 1920s, and by the 1930s, a trolley stop along Davis became Dallas' busiest trolley stop. Bishop Arts District, Dallas - Wikipedia The streetcar transformed the area from a place where only the wealthy lived to a more middle-class neighborhood, as it became affordable for clerks to live in small bungalows and take the trolley downtown for seven cents to reach their offices. New Culture Updates Bishop Arts History – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
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## Decline and Abandonment (1960s-1980s)

The district began its decline in the mid-1960s through the beginning of the 1980s due to the rise of suburban shopping malls, the loss of major tenants like the Astor Theater and Goodier Cosmetics, neighborhood demographic changes, and the elimination of Oak Cliff's streetcar system. Bishop Arts District, Dallas - Wikipedia When the streetcars stopped running in the late 1950s, development in the area slowed dramatically as sprawling suburbs expanded, and within just four years, all the foot traffic and automobile traffic dried up. New Culture Updates Bishop Arts History – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
In the 1970s, artists seeking affordable studio space rediscovered the light-filled storefronts, followed by locals who opened restaurants and boutiques to serve their neighbors in North Oak Cliff. Neighborhood - Goodspace However, the once-thriving commercial district remained largely a collection of boarded-up, run-down storefronts awaiting a catalyst for change.
Further Reading:

## The Jim Lake Revival (1984-Present)

In the fall of 1984, developer Jim Lake saw opportunity in the run-down storefronts and began buying up property, candidly stating, "Hopefully we'll make money on this in the future, but in the first three to five years I'm gonna feed it," adding, "I just thought it needed saving." Bishop Arts District, Dallas - Wikipedia As a sign of his commitment, Lake provided rent-free space for a year for the city's first police storefront, which was crucial to improving the area's security and sense of community, and he cooperated with the neighborhood to gain national historic district listing. D CEO MagazineWikipedia
Continuing through the 1990s and 2000s, renovations transformed the area into a walkable urban environment, with murals, brick pavers, and other street elements polishing the rough look of the old warehouses. Bishop Arts District, Dallas - Wikipedia In 2015, Exxir Capital invested $42 million to construct a mixed-use development including retail, office, and residential space in the district. Bishop Arts District, Dallas - Wikipedia Today, the district is home to over 60 independently owned businesses and continues to honor its French heritage with an annual Bastille Day celebration, though its success has sparked ongoing conversations about gentrification and community preservation.
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