The Texas Centennial Exposition was not only a celebration of Texas independence, but also of Texas and Western culture. The 1936-37 Exposition was also a festival of architecture, which embraced the then-new International style of architecture. Traditionally, worlds fairs are the testing grounds for new ideas in building design; Dallas and its Exposition architects chose to reflect the style of the Exposition Des Arts Decoratifs in Paris in 1925. They were also influenced by the recently completed "Century of Progress" in Chicago (1933-34), where the International style of architecture was prominently displayed.
The significance of Fair Park also extends beyond the architectural theme of the remaining buildings. Fair Park is one of the largest intact grouping of Exposition buildings remaining in the United States. Most World's Fairs or Exposition grounds in the United States have been demolished, except for one or two exceptional buildings. However, many of the original 1936 buildings and open spaces remain today from the Texas Centennial Exposition, even though several were constructed as "temporary" structures.
Fair Park is also significant in terms of urban design, open space design, and artwork and sculpture. The Exposition architecture expressed monumentality in design, but this was reinforced by the open spaces and landscaping that the buildings were sited around. The grounds were planned on two landscape design themes: a Beaux Arts theme that involved grand plazas and vistas that intersected or were terminated by major buildings, and a pastoral theme that used winding paths, random landscaping, and building siting to create a very informal atmosphere. The majority of these open spaces, both formal and informal, exist today in one of America's most well-planned parks. Four major open space areas (and their buildings) still remain: Esplanade of State (Grand Plaza—Esplanade of State—Texas Court of Honor); Agrarian Parkway and The Chute; Federal Concourse (Federal Concourse—Constitution Place—Stadium Plaza); and the Lagoon and Centennial Drive. These spaces combine to create a series of monumental spaces, formal vistas, landscaping, and pastoral images unparalleled in a planned park in Texas and the Southwest.
The sculptures, murals, and other artwork remaining from the Exposition are also significant. Often intended to be "temporary" artwork, they reinforced the monumentality of the buildings and the open space design in Fair Park. Many of the artists studied in Paris; their work remains in exterior spaces as sculpture and murals, and inside many of the buildings in the Park.
The Maintenance Building (aka the Hall of Administration but originally called the Fair Park "Coliseum" and seen in the photograph above) was constructed in 1910 by architect James Flanders as the State Fair Coliseum at a cost of $108,000. It was to be used for horse shows and breeders' exhibits but it became an 8,000-seat auditorium. In this capacity it was host over the years to innumerable plays, pageants, speeches, band concerts, and vaudeville revues. And, in 1915, the Coliseum hosted the Jess Willard Championship Boxing Match. Later, this Spanish Romanesque style building was renamed and remodeled in Art Deco style for the Texas Centennial Exposition. The building's brick exterior was covered with stucco during the 1935-1936 remodeling of the park, and radically restyled so as to match the "Texanic" Art Deco style of the new structures designed by George Dahl for the Exposition. Its most outstanding features is a large mural and a statue set into a niche. The statue, some twenty feet tall, is of a beautiful nude young woman standing upon a saguaro cactus. Finally, in October 2000, the old Coliseum became the Women's Museum after F.&S. Partners renovated both the exterior and the cavernous interior at a cost of about $25 million. Wendy Evans Joseph of New York was the project's design architect. The Women’s Museum is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum that feature the stories and accomplishments of women in American history. Works at the museum include the Electronic Quilt, a 30-foot-high wall of “image patches” that feature photos, quotes, colors, and more; the Diversity of Women, a screen that uses morphing technology to blend the faces of different, diverse, women; and the Wall of Words, a collection of inspirational quotes. Today, the museum has several permanent exhibitions as well as special & traveling exhibits and is available for guided tours or can be rented out for special events.
The Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings (or more commonly referred to as Fair Park or Site of Texas State Fairs) was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 24, 1986 for its long standing history described above and includes The Women's Museum above. Most all of the information above was found on the original documents submitted for listing consideration and can be viewed here:
npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/c6f55c0d-ef32-44ca-950...
Three bracketed photos were taken with a handheld Nikon D7200 and combined with Photomatix Pro to create this HDR image. Additional adjustments were made in Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
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