{"nrhp_refnum":"86003488","name":"Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings (1936-1937)","other_names":["Fair Park","Site of Texas State Fairs 1886-date"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Bounded by Texas and Pacific RR, Pennsylvania, Second, and Parry Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.78221849200003,"lon":-96.76335379199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-24","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1986-09-24","areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, is a historic district of about 30 structures and landscaped open spaces built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and its 1937 continuation. The site has hosted the State Fair of Texas since 1886.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Fair Park is one of the largest intact groupings of exposition buildings remaining in the United States. It is also significant for its Art Deco and International style architecture, its urban and open space design, and its artwork and sculpture. Both the formal Beaux Arts plan and the informal pastoral landscape survive largely intact.","narrative":"Fair Park in Dallas is a fairground that holds about 30 structures from the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and its 1937 successor, the Greater Texas Pan American Exposition. The site has hosted the State Fair since 1886, and several older fair buildings were remodeled in Art Deco style for the Centennial. The grounds follow two landscape themes: formal Beaux Arts plazas and vistas, and an informal pastoral layout around the Lagoon. Key features include the Esplanade of State with its 700-foot reflecting pool, the Hall of State with its sculpture and murals, the Tower Building, the Band Shell and several museums. The Margo Jones Theater, designed by William Lescaze, was the first International style building in Dallas. Fair Park was listed as one of the largest intact groupings of exposition buildings in the country, valued for its architecture, planning, open space design and public art. Some buildings have been altered, and several newer structures are considered intrusions.","period_of_significance":"1936-37","architect_builder":"George L. Dahl et al. (Exposition site)","architectural_style":"Art Deco, Moderne and International style exposition architecture","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as the State Fair site; condition listed as good and altered, with some buildings burned, demolished or modified and a few new ones added. Several non-conforming intrusions are listed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.605762-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/9709/40970921/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/86003488_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003488/4fe69e3e7c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003488/4fe69e3e7c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Photo: Andreas Praefcke","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dallas_Fair_Park_Esplanade.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Photo: Andreas Praefcke</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dallas_Fair_Park_Esplanade.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970921","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q278452"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/texas-centennial-exposition-buildings-1936-1937-86003488/"}