building the future
mma’s Impact on Arlington’s 150th Anniversary
1800s
1876 — A Railroad Town Is Born
Andrew Hayter was commissioned to survey the railroad route through eastern Tarrant County and lay out a half-mile-square settlement between Dallas and Fort Worth. He brought both surveying expertise and a personal stake — timber from his own land helped build the roadbed. On July 19, 1876, T&P Engine No. 20 rolled into a stretch of unplowed buffalo prairie marked only by dirt streets and survey stakes, and Arlington was born.
mma was involved in fundraising and civil design for the Levitt Pavilion and Founders Park where you can visit the historical marker of Andrew Hayter.
1884 – Incorporation
Arlington officially incorporates, laying the foundation for a century and a half of civic growth.
Written documentation from Tarrant County Judges certifying the Order of Incorporation for Arlington.
1895 – Arlington College (UTA) Opens
L.M. Hammond and W.M. Trimble establish Arlington College — now the University of Texas at Arlington — with roughly 75 students studying everything from Latin to elocution. Today, UTA is the third-largest producer of college graduates in Texas, offering more than 180 degree programs.
The University of Texas at Arlington has been instrumental in the professional development of mma throughout the years. Many of our current employees and leadership graduated from UTA.
1896 — Founders Laid to Rest
Merchant and farmer William W. McNatt sells a portion of his land at Mary and Mitchell Streets for burial plots, becoming the resting place for many of Arlington’s earliest pioneers.
mma completed a six-month project, in 2024, surveying Arlington Cemetery, a burial ground with long-missing documentation. The goal: to identify available burial plots, document existing gravesites, and provide the city with its first accurate, navigable record of the cemetery’s layout. Through ground-penetrating surveys and field documentation, mma helped identify roughly 2,100 empty plots—about 1,500 of which are now available for purchase. mma provided a topographical perspective and took photos of nearly 1,600 headstones. This work was essential in preparing the city to offer new burial plots for the first time since taking control of the cemetery in 1995.
1900s
1904 — The Depot
The Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot is built, cementing Arlington’s place on the rail line connecting Dallas and Fort Worth.
mma was a part of the design team for the recently completed Doggie Depot at Mesquite Street and the railroad.
1911 — A Home for Aged Masons
The Masonic Home for Aged Masons opens — known today as the Texas Masonic Retirement Center — and still stands in operation.
1914 — The Fielder House
Prominent banker James Park Fielder builds his home at 1616 W. Abram; it now houses the Fielder Museum and the Arlington Historical Society.
mma was part of the civil design and zoning approvals for Howell Farms, located at 4016 W. Division Street. The property was the original home of Colonel Paul Waples, who aided in the launch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Waples House and Fielder House are great representations of our past and how these homesteads accessed the Interurban Railway.
1921 — The Highway Arrives
The Dallas-to-Arlington highway is widened to carry interstate traffic through the city center — the road that would later become I-30.
1922 — Arlington’s First High School
Arlington High School opens at Cooper and Abram, the district’s first official high school building. The structure is now part of the UTA campus.
mma’s second owner, Cliff Mycoskie, graduated from Arlington High School and was the football team’s kicker from 1969–1971. He was #40.
1924 — Meadowbrook Park
With backing from the Rotary Club of Arlington, Meadowbrook Park opens as the city’s first park — planting the roots of Arlington’s Parks, Recreation & Culture Department.
1929 — Arlington Downs
Oil and cattle magnate William T. Waggoner opens Arlington Downs, a 1¼-mile racetrack with a 6,000-seat grandstand, built at a cost of nearly $3 million on his “Three D” stock farm.
1952 — General Motors Breaks Ground
GM breaks ground on its Arlington plant on May 27, with Mayor Tom Vandergriff on hand for the ceremony.
mma later worked on the gas wells located on the property.
1950 — Arlington Music Hall
What opens as a walk-in movie theater on Center Street becomes Arlington Music Hall, a venue that still hosts events today and has seen the likes of Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Clint Black and George Jones perform there.
mma was the civil engineer and landscape architect for the Vandergriff Town Center directly across the street and completed in the late 2000s.
1971 — Major League Baseball Comes to Texas
American League owners vote 10-2 to relocate the Washington Senators to Arlington, ending 71 years of major league baseball in the nation’s capital.
Herman Veselka, then Arlington’s City Manager, was involved in expanding Turnpike Stadium into what became Arlington Stadium which was key to attracting the team.
mma has since worked on numerous Rangers projects, including the Ballpark in Arlington, Globe Life Field, Texas Live!, Live by Loews, Loews Hotel, and One Rangers Way.
1961 — Six Flags Over Texas
Developer Angus Wynne Jr. opens Six Flags Over Texas on 212 acres, the first park in the world to feature a log flume, a mine train, and eventually a 360-degree looping coaster. It also pioneered the all-inclusive admission model that’s now industry standard.
Herman Veselka was the Assistant to City Engineer when Six Flags opened. He was promoted to City Engineer in 1962.
1978 – mma Era begins (Veselka Engineering)
Herman Veselka, along with his brother Bill, officially opens Veselka Engineering Consultants, Inc.
1979 — Mavericks Stadium
The 12,500-seat multipurpose stadium opens on the UTA campus, now home to the university’s track and field teams.
mma was integral in supporting UTA in later years providing civil engineering, surveying and planning services for the addition of several new private residential student housing developments starting in the 2000s.
1983 — Wet ‘n Wild
Wet ‘n Wild opens near the former Arlington Stadium, later becoming Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. Herman Veselka was the civil engineer for Wet ‘n Wild. The same year, Lincoln Square opens as one of the largest suburban shopping centers in North Texas.
mma completed landscape work at Wet ‘n Wild and, more recently, on the Splash Pad expansion at Hurricane Harbor.
1983 — Lincoln Square
Veselka Engineering worked on Lincoln Square South (Phase 2) and for the city on public improvements to support both North (Phase 1) and South (Phase 2).
Lincoln Square is now being reimagined as Anthem, a mixed-use redevelopment where mma is partnering with Trademark Property.
1990 — River Legacy Park
Phase 1 of River Legacy Park opens with 376 wooded acres along the Trinity River. The park has since grown to 1,300 acres.
mma has worked on multiple River Legacy projects and supports the park’s annual clay shoot. Cliff Mycoskie served on the founding board and helped raise funds for the park’s Nature Center.
mma was the civil engineer and landscape architect for the west parking lot completed in 2019.
1994 — The Ballpark Opens
The Ballpark in Arlington — later Ameriquest Field, Rangers Ballpark, and Globe Life Park — opens with its playing field set 22 feet below street level to escape the summer winds.
mma has worked on all three Rangers ballparks, transferring mature trees from the original stadium to the Ballpark in Arlington (Choctaw Stadium) and to Globe Life Field & Texas Live!.
1999 – Veselka + Mycoskie + Associates (vma)
The engineering and surveying services of VEC and the landscape architecture and planning services of SPSD were merged together in 1999 to form Veselka Mycoskie Associates (VMA).
2000s
2003 – mycoskie + mcinnis + associates (mma)
Herman Veselka officially retired and our firm was renamed Mycoskie McInnis Associates (mma) as Cliff Mycoskie took over the reins.
2004 — Arlington Votes for AT&T Stadium
Voters approve a sales tax increase to fund the city’s $325 million contribution toward a new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. The project ultimately tops $1.2 billion. Arlington makes its final debt payment in August 2025 — ten years ahead of schedule.
mma assisted with the conceptual landscape design for Cowboys’ stadium which included the inspiration for the addition of the perimeter grass turf parking areas.
2007 — The Arlington Highlands
The Arlington Highlands opens on what was once a dove-hunting field.
mma provided zoning consultation for Arlington Highlands. This development faced many challenges and much opposition, but mma helped guide the process to successful completion. mma also provided landscape architecture services for the initial build out and has worked on many other developments around Arlington Highlands.
2008 — Levitt Pavilion
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts opens its doors to more than 1,800 attendees on opening night.
mma has been a Levitt partner since the initial build, contributing pro bono work on the original project and hospitality building addition. Cliff Mycoskie co-led fundraising efforts with Kristin Vandergriff.
2017 – mma
In 2017, the team took steps to enhance the mma experience including relocating to a new office (519 E. Border St.), rebranding, and pursuing initiatives to improve employee development and grow our client base.
2018 — Texas Live!
The $250 million entertainment, dining, and hospitality destination opens between AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
mma worked with The Cordish Companies to bring this innovative endeavor to life.
2019 — Live! By Loews
A joint venture between Loews Hotels and the Texas Rangers, this 14-story luxury hotel opens in the heart of the Entertainment District.
mma worked on this project which opened shortly after Live! To bring a full-circle experience to the Entertainment District.
2020 — Globe Life Field
The Rangers’ new stadium opens with a retractable roof and 1.8 million square feet of space — first hosting a delayed AISD graduation, then a crowdless MLB season opener, and the World Series.
mma provided civil engineering, surveying and planning in partnership with HKS and Texas Rangers Baseball Club to bring this pinnacle piece to the Arlington Entertainment District.
2024 — Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center
The $550 million, 888-room Loews Arlington Hotel opens, anchoring the 150,000-square-foot Arlington Convention Center between Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium.
mma worked with Loews Hotels to bring this hotel expansion and new Arlington Convention Center to life.
2026 – Arlington’s 150th Anniversary Sculpture
The project will bring a signature iconic sculpture to Founders Plaza — designed as a centerpiece for Arlington’s sesquicentennial celebration and a reflection of the city’s past, present, and future.
mma’s role in the sculpture project includes the development and oversight of construction documents that will guide installation of the sculpture and surrounding areas of Founders Plaza.
