The Texas Centennial Exposition was first proposed by Theodore Price in 1923 as an opportunity to celebrate Texas’ 100 years of Independence from Mexico. While Dallas was a young city, it was chosen to host the Centennial instead of San Antonio and Houston, two of the largest Texas cities at the time. Ultimately, Dallas contributed more money to the project, with the help of R.L. Thornton and other Dallas business leaders (Dallas News, 2011). George Dahl also joined the project and built the art-deco style buildings that make up Fair Park today (Sullivan, 2017, par. 2).
While Fair Park had been operating for many years, it started to grow and expand in the 1920s in the lead up to the Exposition, gaining it recognition from various Presidents and other important figures. As a part of the Centennial Exposition, the Hall of Negro Life was built to commemorate black lives and history (Simek, 2019, par. 9).
The Hall of Negro Life was created at Fair Park during the Texas Centennial to celebrate Juneteenth after pressure from the NAACP and other Black organizations seeking inclusion in the Centennial. The Hall’s admission was free and featured six exhibits: “Business and Industry, Art, Mechanic Arts, Agriculture, Health, and Education”. Many different companies and organizations across the U.S. contributed to the Hall, sharing art and history. One of the most notable figures that contributed to the Hall was Aaron Douglas, an American painter who was influential during the Harlem Renaissance. By the end of the Exposition, Fair Park estimated that over 400,000 people had visited and 60% of those visitors were White (Sullivan, 2017, par. 3-4).
After the Exposition closed, the Hall of Negro Life was razed and Black people were not allowed into Fair Park again until 1961 (Simek, 2019, par. 11-12).
The Centennial’s impact caused an influx of migration into Dallas, along with the establishment of Fair Park as a destination. In addition, the Exposition’s success led to the creation of the Dallas Citizen’s Club, which was a group of businessmen that would later contribute to financial decisions that increased the wealth gap in Dallas. As Fair Park continues to expand, there have been issues with the seizure of South Dallas residents’ homes to build bigger parking lots and new buildings (Simek, 2019, 16-17).
If you would like to skip ahead on the timeline to topics related to Fair Park, click on the topics below:
The State Fair passed a plan to acquire Fair Park residents’ homes to expand the State Fair and block out sights of poverty:
The African American Museum’s opens at Fair Park in the same site where the Hall of Negro Life stood during the Texas Centennial:
Sources:
Simek, P. (2019, September 26). The Long, Troubled, and Often Bizarre History of the State Fair of Texas. D Magazine. http://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2019/09/the-long-troubled-and-often-bizarre-history-of-the-state-fair-of-texas/
Sullivan, W. (2017, June 25). Hall of Negro Life, Texas Centennial Exposition, 1936 •. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hall-negro-life-texas-centennial-exposition-1936/
The 1936 Hall of Negro Life. (n.d.). City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://dallasculture.org/1936hallofnegrolife/
TSHA | Texas Centennial. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2021, from https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-centennial
75 years later, Texas Centennial Exposition has enduring impact on Dallas. (2011, June 12). Dallas News. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2011/06/12/75-years-later-texas-centennial-exposition-has-enduring-impact-on-dallas/