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33. Food and Fiber Building
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Food
and Fiber Building
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
| Originally
built as the Agriculture Building for the
exposition, the structure is now called the Food and Fiber Building.
The interior covers an area of 25,000 square feet. Almost a duplicate
in design of the Embarcadero,
it houses a variety of features pertaining to the farming industry.
Small stands throughout the vicinity allow local and state companies
to sell their food products. A general store in the center of the
building allows visitors to purchase Texas-grown produce and other
grocery items. There are also food sampling tables, an attraction
that emulates a harvester machine, a gazebo for live performances,
and a place to meet Elsie the Cow and her daughter Beauregard. Along
the walls, visitors can view displays about agriculture on such topics
as conservation, wheat, cotton, milk, pork, grain, and irrigation.
All of this is only available during the fair. The rest of the time,
the building remains an unused, empty husk. |
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Food
and Fiber Building
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016 |
| The current building
was under the threat of decay and disrepair when a decision was made
to renovate it. Part of the project involved the restoration of two
murals which had been covered by several layers of paint. The largest
of the two depicts a group of field workers and the other shows a
young woman representing fecundity. Both were thought to be the work
of Carlo Ciampaglia until later evidence showed they were the product
of an Italian artist named Hector Serbaroli. He moved to Mexico
City to decorate the Teatro Nacional, then traveled to America when
a revolution arose. He worked on commissions in California and taught
at the Mount Tamalpais Military Academy. |
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Work
on the building's restoration was completed in 1999. It involved strengthening
the foundation, replacing the roof, and upgrading the utility systems.
Once that was accomplished, workers repaired the plaster, repainted
the walls, and fixed the windows. The murals were returned to their
former glory in 2001. This marked the completion of the first restoration
effort on a Fair Park pavilion.
December
23, 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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