Fair Park is one of the most important historic sites in Dallas, primarily due to prominent architect George Dahl who oversaw the planning and construction of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition here.
As much as it’s known for stunning Art Deco statues and buildings, and the State Fair of Texas, it has always been a park and a place for families and friends to gather and enjoy.
It’s less than three miles from my house in Hollywood Heights and it’s always been a respite and a resource for my family. My son went to the Science Place when he was a toddler, played with the turtles in the lagoon, rode the Crazy Mouse at the State Fair in his grade school days, and later rollerbladed past the most incredible collection of Art Deco murals in America.
He also learned to drive in the vast expanse of parking lots and on the roads between the livestock buildings. We love the place for myriad reasons, and we are so incredibly grateful that Dallas has chosen to appreciate it as a historic gem and work towards creating a plan that will ensure it remains a part of the fabric of all of our lives, forever.
“Fair Park First has worked hard to update the Comprehensive Development Plan for Fair Park, which will help direct the future development in Fair Park for years to come,” David Preziosi, Executive Director of Preservation Dallas, said. “The plan calls for more green space at Fair Park and outlines the potential to recreate some of the original buildings from the 1936 Texas Centennial. It also identifies the location of the new community park based on a considerable amount of input from the public during the update process. This update is an incredibly important part of the future of Fair Park and helping to make it a vibrant part of Dallas’ future.”
In partnership with AIA Dallas, Preservation Dallas is holding a free webinar to discuss the 2020 updates to the Fair Park Master Plan.
Architect Norman Alston, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Fair Park First and chair of the facilities and historic preservation efforts, will be one of the featured speakers.
“What we are doing is trying to take that Master Plan and see how those historic conditions leverage into the future, Alston said. “How do we move the park into the future and maintain historic integrity. How do we keep that going? We look at it as “WWGDD”– What would George Dahl Do?
Fair Park First, along with their partners, Spectra, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, In the City for Good, and Perkins & Will, will share their insights, plans, and ideas to address these challenges and take Fair Park into the future. After the presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions for those attending the webinar.
I hope you will make plans to attend. I know I will!
REGISTER:
When: 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7
Where: Register for the Zoom webinar here.
