Annual Meeting 2007: Fair Park Tour

Tour of Fair Park, Friday, October 26, 2007

What a treat! Brad Hamilton was the most amazing tour guide. His passion for the Texas State Fair and Fair Park was obvious. Fair Park was the site of the first World’s Fair in the Southwest, which took place in 1936. Fair Park has marvelous art deco structures, murals, and sculptures. Bob Thorton and George Dahl lobbied to get the World’s Fair in Dallas in 1936 for the Texas Centennial. Each building has a rich history. For example the first public radio station in Texas was in the annex building on the Fair Park grounds. Brad told us so many interesting tidbits.

• Fair Park was used during the war and the murals were covered as to not distract the soliders.
• The 1836 Fair was the first World’s Fair with air conditioning.
• Most of the sculptures on the grounds were done by California artists.
• Big Tex is the world’s biggest cowboy.
• At 212 feet, the Ferris Wheel in Fair Park is the tallest in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Ten different architecture firms submitted designs for the Hall of State. The final design was a composite of all ten. The Hall of State is shaped in a T for Texas. When it was built it was the most expensive building at the time, costing $1.2 million.
• In the midst of the Great Depression, ten million visitors came to the Centennial in 1936.