John Holman Barr was born in Wilson County, Tennessee on April 26, 1863.  After relocating to Texas, the Barr family became increasingly involved in the up building of Oak Cliff.  John Holman Barr departed this life in early 1943, but he left a legacy that would honor his family for generations yet to come.

John H. Barr

His grandson, and namesake, John Holman Barr, II has followed in the footsteps of the family patriarch by remaining active in the affairs of Oak Cliff.  John is a well known, and respected, Dallas attorney with his offices located on Colorado Boulevard in heart of Oak Cliff.

We need to take a look back into Dallas’s baseball history and its earliest days in order to capture a view of Barr’s role in championship tennis and ice hockey.  Gaston Park, built sometime in the 1880s, was located near Second and Parry Avenue which was in the vicinity of the State Fair grounds.

This ballpark was replaced when a new, more modern Gardner Park opened in 1915 at Jefferson Boulevard and Comal Street in Oak Cliff.  This was known as the original Gardner Park.  This park burned, following the game, on July 19, 1924.  Its demise was short lived though. A new park was soon built.  This second Gardner Park (Gardner Park II), which was located at 1500 East Jefferson Boulevard, would draw even larger crowds.  Its name was later changed to Burnett Field.

A new phase in the sports world would emerge on the Dallas scene with the completion of the Gardner Ice Palace in 1927.  The Ice Palace complex was next door to Gardner Park II.  It would seat 3,500 fans for hockey matches or 5,000 spectators when the Palace was used for boxing or wrestling matches.

The elder John H. Barr and Dallas Mayor Thad Adoue formed and operated the first tennis club in Dallas.  The organization, known as the “Dallas Lawn and Tennis Club,” was located at 203 East Colorado.  His son, Doc Barr, was the only junior Texas tennis champion produced by the Dallas Independent School District.  Doc also played on Dallas’ first hockey team.

Students from Sunset, Oak Cliff High and North Dallas high School played hockey at the Gardner Ice Palace.  All three schools had hockey teams.  An old newspaper reported on January 12, 1929 that two Oak Cliff high schools faced off in what was described as “one of the most exciting ice hockey battles ever seen here at Gardner Park Ice Palace.”  The news reported that Sunset High School was leading with a 2-1 score, but an Oak Cliff High School player by the name of Mark Anglen scored a point during the last minute of the game.  The game was tied and during the overtime session Doc Barr scored the winning goal,

courtesy Barr family history and photo in addition to The Oak Cliff Advocate