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19.
African American Museum
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| Standing
behind the Magnolia
Lounge and the former Hall
of Religion, the African American Museum pays tribute to black
history, artwork, and culture. However, the building was not the first
place to house such displays. The original museum began in 1974 as
part of a special collection at Bishop College. Five years later,
it gained independence from the black college. Thanks to private donations
and a local bond election, construction on a new building began. The
former Hall
of Religion served as a storage facility for the collections during
this time. The project, which had a price tag of seven million dollars,
successfully came to a conclusion in 1993. |
African
American Museum
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
The ivory stone
structure is shaped like the letter X and covers an area of 38,000
square feet. Its top is covered with a sixty-foot-high dome. Each
of the four galleries contain various historic relics and pieces of
artwork. For educational purposes, it has classrooms, a theater, an
art studio, and a library. The free museum contains one of the largest
folk art collections in the nation and boasts the distinction of being
the only African American museum in the Southwest.
November 12, 2016
© Clint
Skinner |
References:
1.Bigtex.com
2.Dallashistory.org
3.Dallas Morning News Archives
4.Fairpark.org
5.Slate, John H. Historic Dallas Parks. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
6.Tshaonline.org
7.Watermelon-kid.com
8.Wikipedia.org
8.Winters, Willis Cecil. Fair Park. Arcadia Publishing, 2010. |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
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