Fair Park- Dallas, Texas

Fair Park is nothing short of amazing. Seriously. The home of the Texas State Fair is an absolute dream. Not the fair itself, which I have never attended, but rather the park’s original Art Deco buildings. In fact, the park is home to one of the largest collections of Art Deco art and architecture in the world. I was completely unaware of its overall awesomeness, making the experience that much more exciting.

The site itself dates back to 1886, when it was selected for the Dallas State Fair; following a fire and financial difficulties, it was designated Dallas’ second public park. In 1906, influenced by the City Beautiful Movement, landscape architect George Kessler modified the park to include tree lined boulevards, fountains, and monuments. In 1936, it was modified once again to host the Texas Centennial Exposition, which resulted in the present park.

Designed by architect George Dahl, with assistance from Paul Cret, the space was transformed from a humble fairground to a magnificent Art Deco showcase. The crowing glory of it all is the 1936 Hall of State, designed by Donald Barthelme, with ornamental metalwork by John F. Livers. Built of Texas limestone, the building’s semicircular entrance features an 11 foot gold plated bronze statue, Tejas Warrior, framed by 76 foot pilasters, and accented by cerulean blue tiles, representative of the Texas state flower, the bluebonnet.

Inside, The Great Hall boasts a 46 foot tall hand stenciled ceiling, ten large chandeliers, Vermont marble floors, and a massive gold medallion, which symbolizes the six nations that claimed sovereignty over Texas throughout its history, the Six Flags of Texas. Huge murals adorn the north and south walls, depicting Texas history in chronological order. The building cost a jaw dropping $1.2 million to construct, in the midst of the Great Depression.

Adjacent to the Hall of State, along the Esplanade, is the Centennial Building, originally known as the Travel and Transportation Building. Constructed as an exhibition building in 1905, then enlarged in 1936, the Art Deco facade features three large porticoes with larger than life pressed concrete statues. The West end of the building features two large murals by Italian artist Carlo Ciampaglia, Motion and Traction. Covered over by paint in 1942, the murals were later uncovered and restored.

Another notable building is the 1910 Old Coliseum, designed by James Flanders, where Woodrow Wilson campaigned to secure the 1912 Democratic nomination, which was updated in 1936 to match the Art Deco style of the new surrounding structures. At that time, a niche was added, along with a statue titled The Spirit of the Centennial, featuring a twenty foot woman standing upon a saguaro cactus. In front of the statue stands a small reflecting pool with a half circle of flying fish, designed by Raoul Josset and sculpted by Jose Martin.

Raoul Josset and Jose Martin are also responsible for the stylized bald eagle that sits atop the Tower Building, which housed United States government agency exhibits during the Centennial Exposition. As such, the building also features large plaques depicting the Great Seal of the United States. In 1954, the tower was rechristened The Electric Building, and festooned with lights and a new clock. A 1999 restoration returned the building to its original appearance.

In the years since the Centennial Exhibition, many of the buildings have been repurposed as museums, some of which have since moved to more modern buildings. Although mobbed during the Texas State Fair, the park is quiet most of the year, with almost an abandoned air. For architectural photographers, it doesn’t get much better than this.