An Art Deco Treasure: The Esplanade at Fair Park

Fair Park is an urban destination for Art Deco architecture in the US. The largest collection of Art Deco exhibition buildings line the Esplanade.

 

I’m going to let you in on a secret. Visitors to Dallas that love architecture, beautiful outdoor spaces, and want to learn a bit of Dallas history, should go to Fair Park.

Fair Park is an urban treasure and notable destination for Art Deco architecture in the US. Though Miami may boast the largest collection of art deco architecture in the world, Fair Park has the largest collection of art deco exhibition buildings, art, and sculpture in the U.S.

It is one of the finest examples of excellent city planning and beautification of a public space to be found anywhere in the world.

The Esplanade at Fair Park 

 

   

  Fair Park is of significant historical value because it was the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial events and the State Fair of Texas has been held there every year for over 100 years.

Art Deco Treasure

At 277 acres the park is massive. For the purpose of this photo essay, I’m only going to write about the sculpture and historic buildings that make up the Esplanade.

To me the Esplanade is the real gem of the park. Built especially for the Centennial, the Esplanade features a 700-foot reflection pool and three fountains. During the State Fair of Texas and other special events, there are water shows set to a variety of music and lit by more than 170 lights.

Everything is bigger in Texas!

The reflection pool is flanked on each side by art deco buildings –each building has three huge porticos, adding to the feeling of expansiveness that is so much a part of the ambiance of Texas. The architect behind the design of the Esplanade, George Dahl, described the style of these buildings as “Texanic.” Even back in those days, “everything was bigger in Texas.”

Fabulous larger than life sculptures depict the six flags of the nations, past and present, that flew their flag over Texas: Mexico, The Confederacy, Spain, France, The Republic of Texas and the United States. These sculptures can be found in the porticos in front of the buildings on either side of the Esplanade.

 

Spain ruled Texas for 105 years from 1716-1821. After the Spanish left Mexico ruled for 115 years. The battle at the Alamo in San Antonio was the beginning of the end of Mexican rule in the state. 

The French never had a strong hold on Texas, though they wanted to.

Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836. One year later it was recognized as a republic by the United States.

On December 29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state of the Union. The transfer of the government was official on February 19, 1946.

The Texas Centennial

For the Texas Centennial, a team of international, national, and regional artists –including several winners of the prestigious Prix de Rome, assembled in 1936 to augment the Art Deco architecture.

The Hall Of State

A walk along the Esplanade should begin at the west entrance to the park on Parry Ave. and culminate at the Hall of State, an elaborate and regal Art Deco building that showcases the economic, agricultural, and social development of Texas.

Fair Park is a fantastic place for a walk. More than any other place in Dallas I believe it reflects the natural geography of the area in an aesthetically pleasing way. It’s now on my top five list of places I recommend to visitors to Dallas.

Here’s a link for a map and tour of the Esplanade.

Have you been to Fair Park? If you like this article you will enjoy my article on art deco architecture in Miami’s South Beach area.