Much like the city of Dallas, the story of Southwestern Medical Foundation is about ambitious growth and progress. Established by Edward H. Cary, M.D., in 1939 with support from noted philanthropist Karl Hoblitzelle and a number of Dallas’ major civic leaders, the Foundation’s partnership with community made possible the establishment of one of the world’s leading destinations for medical treatment and academic medical training. At the corner of Maple Avenue and Oaklawn Avenue in Dallas, Texas, is an immense amount of medical history. Now home to the Old Parkland business campus, this location is the site of the original Parkland Hospital and the humble beginnings of UT Southwestern Medical Center.

When Baylor College of Medicine moved from Dallas to Houston in 1943, Southwestern Medical Foundation Trustees became even more determined that their city would continue to have a medical school and formed Southwestern Medical College. Classes and laboratories were located in temporary army barracks behind the old Parkland Hospital, which served as the Medical College’s facility for clinical teaching. There were 17 full-time faculty members and 200 students on campus that first year in academic space totaling 50,000 square feet, and an annual operating budget of less than $300,000.


In 1946, Hoblitzelle donated 62 acres of land adjacent to the proposed site of the new Parkland Hospital to provide a campus for the forthcoming school. “The Medical School, at the outset of the 1950s, had almost no financial resources whatsoever, and the facilities were poor. It was an opportunity as well as a problem. Fortunately, we had resources of a kind which should be remembered: we had students; we had housestaff; and we had student fellows. They would be, ultimately, the faculty of the future,” said the late Donald W. Seldin, M.D., the “intellectual father” of UT Southwestern. In the mid-1950s, the school and
medical center moved off the old Parkland campus.
In the years that followed, many of the same families who have worked tirelessly to make Dallas a world-class city when it comes to the arts, attracting big business, and winning World Series and Super Bowls, have also made it a priority to ensure that our local medical community, which includes UT Southwestern, Children’s Health Dallas, and Parkland Memorial Hospital, remains one of the leading hubs for medical research, academic medicine, and clinical care in the world.
Local business leaders and philanthropists recognize the importance of investing in leading-edge health advancements to better care for our local population and the world at large. Today, the UT Southwestern campus includes more than 1 million square feet of state-of-the-art research space and 20 endowed centers. Faculty and residents provide care to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, 360,000 emergency room cases, and nearly 5 million outpatient cases annually. Additionally, the institution’s faculty has received six Nobel Prizes and includes 25 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 24 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators.

Originally established as a teaching hospital in 1913, Old Parkland has experienced a varied history through the years, including periods as a psychiatric hospital and rehabilitation facility. However, by the early 2000s, the property had fallen into disrepair. Enter Harlan Crow of Crow Holdings, who announced in 2006 that he would buy Old Parkland from Dallas County and renovate it for use as the new company headquarters. Today, Old Parkland is home to beautifully restored, classically designed buildings, lush landscaping, fine art and rare artifacts, and two Texas Historical Markers noting the significance of Parkland Hospital and Southwestern Medical Foundation’s founding of Southwestern Medical College. In 2010, the Foundation relocated its offices to the Old Parkland campus, and in 2015, moved into Parkland Hall, which is built on top of the exact location of Southwestern Medical College’s original footprint. All
these years later, the campus continues to be a place that celebrates history, represents American ideals, and showcases what’s possible when a community comes together.