What You Can Do
Give $11 to help support the 11 Most Endangered Places.
11 Most Endangered
Fair Park's Texas Centennial Buildings
Year Listed: 1994, 1995
Location: , Texas
Current Status: Saved
Threat: Deterioration, Neglect
Latest News
Dallas Area Rapid Transit will begin light rail service to Fair Park in September of 2009. The light rail stations have been carefully designed to resemble the trolley stations that were at the front of the Park during the 1936 Texas Centennial.
Significance
In 1936, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas independence, an impressive grouping of exhibit buildings was constructed around a 700-foot-long reflecting pool and lagoon on the Texas State Fairgrounds. At a time when the world's fairs and expositions captivated the country, the Centennial was a celebration of the Lone Star State, Western culture and a wildly popular architectural style -- Art Deco. Intricate and beautiful murals, frescoes and sculptures were created to adorn the exposition building. Today, the Texas Fair draws more than 3 million people each October, but the still beautiful facades of the buildings conceal serious problems. Collapsing roofs, buckling walls and murals that are flaking or have been painted over are evidence of rapidly accelerating deterioration. Slowly, building by building, the City of Dallas and Friends of Fair Park are working to restore this National Historic Landmark District.
Updates
Fair Park received $84 million in the 2006 Dallas Bond election. This money was used for restoration of the Esplanade Fountain and to recreate historic sculptures (Countertenor and Alto), conserve the murals on the Embarcadero Building, restore the Pan American Complex and the Parry Avenue entrance, renovation of the Hall of State and repairing the mechanical systems at the Museum of Nature and Science.
Read More:
Share your memories of this endangered place
