From the
National Park Service
Northeast Region

Dennis Reidenbach
Northeast Regional Director

09/30/2007

Honorable Mention

Fair Park Texas Centennial Buildings
Dallas, Texas
Photographer: Lorlee Bartos

Fair Park is one of the largest intact groupings of exposition buildings remaining in the United States. Built 1936-37 for the Texas Centennial Exposition, the grounds were planned on both the Beaux Arts and pastoral themes. The grounds are used for the Texas State Fair and were restored for the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986.

Texas celebrated its 1936-1937 centennial in a big way. Dallas won out over Houston and San Antonio as host for the exposition by offering a 200-acre site (the State Fairgrounds, along with the Cotton Bowl) and issuing municipal bonds to fund construction. Influenced by the recently completed "Century of Progress" in Chicago, architect George Dahl, with Paul Cret as consultant, provided a collection of exemplary International Style buildings, many embellished with Art Deco motifs and bas relief sculptures, as captured in this stunning photograph by Lorlee Bartos. The grounds continue to be used for the Texas State Fair and were restored for the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.fairpark.org

If you have questions or comments about the 2007 NHL photo contest, please contact:
Lisa_Kolakowsky @nps.gov