dallas fair park beyond the time barrier

#DALLAS FAIR PARK BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER PROFESSIONAL#

Following the presentation of the Task Force Plan, Mayor Mike Rawlings said, 'I felt passion by all the council and park board members that they want Fair Park to be all it can be and they're interested in taking this big challenge on'. Architect/City planner Antonio Di Mambro, with international experience in infrastructure planning and neighborhood revitalization, encouraged the Mayor to use the Task Force report as a building block for constructive dialogue with residents, stakeholders and the neighborhoods around Fair Park. The Mayor's Task Force plan envisions a public-private partnership led by a non profit organization to be charged with over arching powers to control the revitalization of Fair Park, including the State Fair of Texas. In September 2014, a blue ribbon task force appointed by Mayor Mike Rawlings submitted a report on the rejuvenation of Fair Park. The park received a $72 million city bond allocation in 2006 for repairs and improvements. This comprehensive plan included recommendations for the physical site, park programs, activities, funding options, and management alternatives. In 2003, the Fair Park Comprehensive Development plan was produced by Hargreaves Associates. Several sculptures were reconstructed and feature a dramatic light and water show.

#DALLAS FAIR PARK BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER PROFESSIONAL#

The four cameo reliefs on Centennial Building underwent a professional conservation treatment in 2000 and the Esplanade fountain pylons and six monumental sculptures in 2004. In anticipation of DART's light rail service the historic Parry Avenue entrance gates were restored in 2009. Many of the existing Art Deco buildings have been restored visually to their 1936 appearance and upgraded to modern building standards. Today, the cultural facilities and annual events attract an unsubstantiated estimate of 5 million visitors annually, the bulk of which attend during the 24-day State Fair of Texas. Administration of the park was transferred to the Dallas Parks Department in 1988. Over the years, the park was expanded to its current 277 acres (112 ha).įair Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 as one of the nation's largest surviving assemblages of buildings related to an exposition. While many of the exposition's buildings were meant to be temporary, several have survived and have been restored to some extent. The park was transformed from an early 20th-century fairground into an Art Deco showcase. In preparation for the six-month event, the appearance of the park was dramatically altered by architect George Dahl and consulting architect Paul Cret. The City Beautiful Movement advocated well planned public spaces, tree-lined boulevards, monuments, public art, and fountains which would ‘beautify’ the city.Ī milestone in Fair Park's history was 1936, when the Texas Centennial Exposition was held there. In 1906, he was responsible for the first formal plan for the park influenced by the City Beautiful Movement. After a fire and financial loss by the fair association in 1904, voters approved the 'Reardon Plan.' It became Dallas' second public park, known as 'Fair Park.'Īn important figure in Fair Park's development was landscape architect and city planner George Kessler. The site was established as an 80-acre (32 ha) fairground on the outskirts of East Dallas for the Dallas State Fair in 1886. 4.1 Summer Adventures in Fair Park (initially called Summer Place Park).The 277- acre (112 ha) area is registered as a Dallas Landmark and National Historic Landmark many of the buildings were constructed for the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936.įair Park has been designated a Great Place in America by the American Planning Association.

Dallas fair park beyond the time barrier