Texas Centennial Exposition
The Texas Centennial Exposition was a
Background
The Texas Centennial Exposition was held at Fair Park in Dallas, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836. It was also a celebration of Texas and Western culture.[1] Three Texas cities (Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio) competed to host the exposition, with Dallas receiving the nod from the Texas Centennial Commission because it offered the largest cash commitment ($7,791,000), the existing facilities of the State Fair of Texas, and a strong group of leaders.[2]
George Dahl was director general of a group of architects who designed the more than 50 buildings constructed for the exposition at Fair Park, a landscaped expanse then comprising 178 acres.[3]: 236 Some 30 of the structures remain, representing one of the largest intact groupings of world's fair buildings and open spaces remaining in the United States.[1] Chief among these buildings is the Texas Hall of State, which was not completed until after the opening of the exposition.[1]
Event
The Texas Centennial Exposition was held at
The Cavalcade of Texas, a historical pageant covering four centuries of
The celebrated Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth, adapted and directed by Orson Welles with an all-black cast, was featured August 13–23 in the new band shell and 5,000-seat open-air amphitheatre.[7] The production was one of the most talked-about features of the exposition and drew large, enthusiastic audiences. For many it was their first opportunity to see a professional dramatic performance by African American actors.[8]: 96 Integrated seating was a unique experience for theatergoers in Dallas.[8]: 64
President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the exposition in a widely publicized event on June 12.
Gene Autry's film The Big Show was filmed on location and shows many of the buildings and events of the event.
The Centennial Exposition required a massive publicity effort, but the promotion department was stymied by a lack of photographs. Never before had the state been photographed for advertising purposes. The Centennial Exposition hired Polly Smith to travel the state and tell the story of Texas through photos.
After a successful five-month run, the Texas Centennial Exposition was closed. The exhibits changed and reopened the following year as the Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition.
Legacy
The Fair Park Texas Centennial Buildings were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.[1][9]
In October 2010, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., opened an exhibition titled Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s.[10] This exhibition, which was available for view until September 2011, prominently featured the Texas Centennial Exposition.
See also
- Fair Park
- Hall of State
- History of Dallas, Texas (1930-1945)
References
- ^ a b c d Stephen G. Snyder and James H. Charleton (December 24, 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings (1936-37) / Fair Park (Site of Texas State Fairs 1886-date" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
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(help) - ^ "Texas Centennial". The Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
- OCLC 1248920. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- ^ Dallas Historical Society - Dallas History Archived 2006-04-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 April 2006.
- ^ a b Universal Newsreel (1935). "Lone Star State Selects Beauties for 100 Year Pageant". Texas Archive of the Moving Image. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "The First Pan American Olympics?" (PDF). Latin American Studies Association (LASA).
- ^ "All-Negro Cast to Produce Macbeth". The Olney Enterprise. August 14, 1936.
- ^ OCLC 2588921. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- ^ "Fair Park Texas Centennial Buildings". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
- ^ "Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s". Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-09-26.