DFW Tours! Dallas Art and Fort Worth Art

Fair Park Hall of State

Fair Park – Dallas, Texas

There is so much to do at Fair Park, which is Dart Accessible, though parking is plentiful, that I have created its own website!  See:  Fair Park

Bring your roller blades, pack your bicycles (though you can rent them in the neighborhood) but be ready to cover the 60 acres of fascinating territory which contains the largest group of Art Deco Exposition buildings in the world.  Not quite ready, but anticipated soon, is a iTunes narrative of the many destinations.

The Hall of State is located at one end of the Esplanade with a view of downtown Dallas. It is designed in Cret’s Modernism style. Paul Cret was the design consultant for the project blending classicism and Art Deco with a Texas motif. Paul Cret also served as the consulting architect to the University of Texas from 1930 to 1945, though his master plan was not completely embraced.

The Hall of State is crafted from Texas limestone at a cost of $1.2 million. It was the most expensive building per square foot built in Texas at the time.

The 11-foot-tall statue of a Tejas Indian poised above the main entrance was created by artist Allie Tennant and is covered with gold leaf.

The bronze doors feature designs that represent Texas industries and activities – a cowboy’s lariat, cotton bolls and wheat sheaves, among others. 59 Texans are honored in the frieze around the top of the building.

See:  Fair Park for more.

Texas Museum of Automotive History

Dallas Children’s Aquarium

The Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park is a favorite, especially on a hot summer day.

• $8.00 – adult
• $6.00 – child (3-11) and senior (65+)
• Ages 2 and under – free!
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Lagoon at Fair Park

The lagoon has paths through it made of gunite and steel with a bridge visitors can traverse. Federal WPA (Work Progress Administration) funds constructed The Leonhardt Lagoon in 1936 at the site of the Texas Centennial Exposition. In 1986, artist Pat Johanson fashioned two serpentine sculptures for the lagoon.

A printed walking guide, keyed to the markers, helps visitors learn more about the flora, fauna and wildlife living around the area of each of the markers.

See:  Fair Park for more.

The miles of biking, skating and walking paths are filled with gardens and fountains.

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IMax Theater and Science Place

See:  Fair Park for more.

The Magnolia Lounge at Fair Park

The Magnolia Lounge was built in 1936 by the Magnolia (later to be Mobil) Oil Company.

Visitors to the Centennial Exposition used the lounge as a resting place where they could watch films and enjoy continuous entertainment. Its architecture was the first example of European Modernism in Texas.

 African American Museum

See:  Fair Park for more.

The Texas Women’s Museum is currently closed but the beautiful facade remains. The Texas-themed mural is by Italian artist Carlo Ciampaglia. The sculpture – the “Spirit of the Centennial” – is by Raoul Josset.

See:  Fair Park for more.

David Newton replicas of Lawrence Tenney Stevens’s 1936 sculptures, “The Tenor” and “The Contralto.”

The principal axis of the Texas Centennial Exposition was developed along the existing layout of the State Fair grounds. Monumental facades and projecting porticos are located on each side of a 700-foot-long reflecting pool. The porticos lead to the Hall of State.

Country Fried Steak!

Near the Tower Building – which you can see from the entire park you will find a delicious buffet for hamburgers and Country Fried Steaks.  Prices are reasonable and you cannot beat the convenience.

- DFW Tours! What to See in Dallas and Fort Worth --

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