Fair Park - History

History

The site was established as an 80-acre (320,000 m2) fairground on the outskirts of East Dallas for the Dallas State Fair in 1886. In 1904, after a fire and financial loss by the fair association, voters approved the "Reardon Plan," which strove to keep the site out of the hands of real-estate developers. It became Dallas' second public park and became known as "Fair Park."

An important player in the development of Fair Park was landscape architect and city planner George Kessler. In 1906, he was responsible for the first formal plan for the park which was influenced by the City Beautiful Movement. The City Beautiful Movement advocates well planned public spaces, tree-lined boulevards, monuments, public art, and fountains which would ‘beautify’ the city. All of these aspects and more can be found in Fair Park. Kessler’s work also incorporated buildings within site boundaries.

A milestone year in the history of Fair Park was 1936, when the Texas Centennial Exposition was held on the site. In preparation for the six-month long event, the appearance of the park was dramatically altered by architect George Dahl and consulting architect Paul Cret. The park was transformed from an early 20th century fairground into the Art Deco showcase it is today. While many of the exposition's buildings were meant to be temporary, several have survived and are now restored. Over the years the park was expanded to its current 277 acres (1.12 km2).

Fair Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 and in 1988 administration of the park was transferred to the Dallas Parks Department. Today, the cultural facilities and annual events attract 7+ million visitors each year.