Fair Park in East Dallas is known as the site of the State Fair of Texas. It has become as important an event as Christmas or Thanksgiving for many residents of the state. Located just five minutes from downtown Dallas, the park is a popular recreation place for residents and visitors of the region. Read more about it on dallas-name.
Establishment of Fair Park
Fair Park was created as a venue for the State Fair of Texas. Its construction was completed in 1886. At that time, the area of the park was 80 acres and it was located on the outskirts of East Dallas. The park was owned by the Dallas State Fair & Exposition Association.
The history of the annual fair began on October 26, 1886. Then, about 14,000 Dallas residents and guests attended the event. In December 1887, additional land was purchased, expanding the park to 120 acres.
In 1899, the organization changed its name to the Texas State Fair. From the 1900s, the organizers of the fair started to experience financial problems. The reason was a fire that destroyed the exhibition buildings in 1902. The following year, the administration of Texas banned betting on horse races. As a result, the Texas State Fair lost its main source of revenue. Then, they received an offer to sell the land for residential development for $125,000. This idea was abandoned. Instead, the owners transferred this area to the city as a public recreation park in 1904. The city in turn had to pay off the debt and allow organizers to hold an annual State Fair.
On January 1, 1988, the management of the park was transferred to the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.
Restoration of the Park
In 1936, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Texas Fair was planned. Before this important event, it was decided to completely update the park. For this, the architect George Dahl was invited. The park has turned into a place of relaxation in the Art Deco style. Many temporary exhibitions were created and many of them can still be seen in Fair Park. The jubilee fair was visited by about 6 million spectators from around the world, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Vice President John Nance Garner, musician Duke Ellington, actress Ginger Rogers and the band Sons of the Pioneers.
In the following years, the area of the park was actively expanded to its current size of 277 acres. In July 1984, Fair Park was converted into a Formula 1 circuit for the weekend of the Dallas Grand Prix.
In the fall of 1986, Fair Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.
What to do in Fair Park
Although Fair Park’s main event is the State Fair of Texas. Dallas residents come here all year round because there are plenty of other things to do. On the territory of the park are located:
- Hall of State with exhibitions devoted to the history and culture of Dallas
- Old Mill Inn. It is a building that was created before the anniversary of the fair and today is used as a restaurant where one can have a delicious snack
- Dallas Children’s Aquarium with 375 species of exotic and native aquatic animals
- African American museum with paintings of famous black artists including Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Clementine Hunter and others
- Fair Park Coliseum that has hosted numerous concerts and major entertainment events over the decades
- Music Hall, home to the famous Dallas Opera
- Cotton Bowl Stadium that was founded back in 1930 and has hosted college football every year since then. It is also home to the Dallas Cowboys
- A community garden center that is a 7 acre garden.
