The Sunday, October 17, 1965 issue of Dallas Times Herald Magazine takes us back in time to NorthPark Center when it first opened. The 11-page photo essay explores the small details that made NorthPark and its retailers so great. The article was written by Bob Fenley with photographs by Bob Jackson. Even though this article was published just two months after NorthPark opened, it touts that “NorthPark has become a part of what one is supposed to do while in Dallas.”

The article serves as a fascinating round-up of all the marvelous things you could find at NorthPark in 1965, including a Contour Chair made entirely of mink, a curious “sitar” instrument from the Bombay Shop, and a miniature bust of Albert Einstein at Titche’s.

Fenley notes the most expensive item for sale at NorthPark, which was a 7-carat Marquis-cut diamond ring from Linz Jewelists for $67,500. Today, that same ring would cost more than $400,000!

Of course, any article about NorthPark wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the famous planters near Neiman Marcus, referring to them as the “pyramids” that made for a fantastic slide for children, just as it does today.

Another similarity between the NorthPark of 1965 and the NorthPark of today is the appeal to everyone. “One thing about NorthPark, it has things for the five-and-dime mind and things for the person who worries about little except tickling his gourmet whims,” wrote Fenley. We may no longer have a Five and Dime, but our “Gap to Gucci” retail mix ensures we have something for everyone.