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Fair
Park currently has eleven entry gates and several parking lots around
the perimeter of the grounds. Parking is free throughout the year
with the exception of the state fair. During this time, the daily
fee is fifteen dollars. Although parking can be found elsewhere for
a cheaper price, the areas next to the fairgrounds provide extra security.
Although eleven entries currently exist, there were only four during
the Texas Centennial.
Out of the four, officials chose the entrance on Parry Avenue to serve
as the main one. The ticket booths stood in the front at the current
location of the train station. Nearby, the streetcars dropped visitors
by the dozens to enjoy the spectacle of the exposition.
The main entrance was designed by a local architectural firm called
Lang and Witchell, which also worked on the Dallas County Records
Building, Magnolia Hotel, Dallas Cotton Exchange Building, and the
courthouses
of Cooke, Harris, and
Johnson
County. Patterned after the art deco style of the other buildings,
the structures of the main entrance also share a similarity in how
they were made. Dahl decided to use concrete blocks to make the various
attractions at the fair, a brand-new building material at the time.
However, he did not choose it primarily for this reason. The method
was also considerably cheaper than the others available. This choice,
perhaps unrecognized by Dahl at the time, helped contribute to the
preservation of his work.
The block houses on the left and right, sporting the dates 1836 and
1936 respectively, had designs with a Southwestern motif added to
them. Originally, they housed administration offices. They were later
used as the place to buy tickets. However, when the state fair decided
to use small trailers within the grounds for this purpose, the block
houses became storage units. |
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Fair
Park Main Entrance
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
Fair
Park Main Entrance
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
| Situated in the
middle of the block house is tall pylon standing 85 feet high. It
has a star attached at the top to symbolize the Lone Star State. The
flagpoles behind the pylon were added in 1963. |
Fair
Park Main Entrance - 85 feet pylon
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
The
frieze on Fair Park Main Entrance
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
Near the bottom
of the pylon is a piece of art that can easily be overlooked by those
eager to enter the park. The bas-relief, a series of sculptures attached
to the base to create a raised effect, covers all four sides of the
monolith to form a horizontal decorative band called a frieze. Showing
a scene of a wagon train and buffalo hunt, it was made by James Buchanan
Winn, Jr.
Winn spent his youth in Celine, Texas before attending Washington
University. After graduation, he studied art and architecture in the
capital of France. He arrived in Dallas
in 1923, painting mural for several places including the Dallas Medical
Arts Building and Highland Park Village Theater. Winn left his Dallas
home for a ranch in Wimberly,
Texas and continued his artistic career, specializing in murals
and bas-reliefs. His commissions included artwork for universities,
colleges, banks, airports, and hotels. In addition to his assignments,
he invented machines for the use of fiberglass and concrete. While
residing in Wimberly,
he helped organize the town's public schools and chamber of commerce. |
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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