Fair Park One of Top 10 Great Public Spaces
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City of Dallas
Park and Recreation Department Attention: Assignment Editors, Metro Reporters, Photojournalists October 4, 2011
www.dallasparks.org
Media Contact: Andrea Hawkins (214) 670-4678 (Office) (817) 994-2498 (Mobile/Event Day) [email protected]
American Planning Association Designates Fair Park One of Top 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011
Art Deco Art and Architecture, Attractions and Events Distinguish Park DALLAS – The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of Fair Park as one of 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners play in creating communities of lasting value. APA singled out Fair Park for its extraordinary collection of 1930s art and architecture; proximity to downtown Dallas; and year-round cultural, entertainment and sports offerings; and stunning views of Downtown Dallas. This park embodies the City Beautiful Movement with its thoughtfully designed spaces, tree-lined boulevards, monuments and fountains. “In less than ten years Fair Park catapulted from being on the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists as one of the ‘Eleven Most Endangered Neighborhoods in America’ to receiving their Honor Award for restoration. Fair Park provides an example to our city and others communities of the excellent results that can be realized when we set as a priority the preservation of our history, art and architectural treasures,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes unique and exemplary streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces – three essential components of all communities. These authentic places have been shaped by forward thinking planning that showcases diverse architectural styles, promotes community involvement and accessibility, and fosters economic opportunity. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live every day. Since APA began Great Places in America in 2007, 50 neighborhoods, 50 streets and 40 public spaces have been designated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “Fair Park is the only intact and unaltered pre-1950s World’s Fair site remaining in the United States,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “Featuring a design that was heavily influenced by the City Beautiful Movement, this well-preserved park is home to some of Dallas’ most renowned cultural and sports facilities and contributes heavily to both the city’s knowledge base and economy.”
The site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition – one of six expositions staged in the U.S. during the 1930s – Fair Park was made ready for the historic event in just 14 months by architect George Dahl. The centerpiece of Dahl’s planning work was the Art Deco-style Hall of State with three-dimensional basrelief carvings. Leading up to the building is an esplanade with a 700-foot-long reflecting pool. Rebuilt in 2009 by the City of Dallas, the pool now has lights and a sound system for synchronized water, music and light displays. Just two miles east of Downtown Dallas, this 277-acre park is the largest historical landmark in Texas, having been listed on the National Register in 1986. Since 1886, it has been the site of the annual State Fair of Texas, the largest state fair in the United States. Today the park is home to eight museums, an IMAX Theater, a planetarium, The Dallas Children’s Aquarium, the Cotton Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, and the Music Hall at Fair Park. The park hosts more than 100 special events and cultural festivals, which attract 7 million visitors annually, and contributes some $300 million each year to the Dallas economy. In 1906, George Kessler, a highly regarded landscape architect and planner, implemented a number of improvements, constructing a new stone, steel and cement Main Entrance Building. His master plan for the property would guide growth for nearly a century. When Dallas was chosen to host the Texas Centennial Celebration, Dahl transformed the 20th century fairground into the Art Deco showcase it is today. He created a unique look by combining classic Art Deco designs of the period with a Southwestern flare that interjected elements of Texas history. Some 26 major buildings were designed and built in just 14 months. While some of the exposition's structures were meant to be temporary, many have survived and are now restored. Restoration has occurred, in large part, due to partnerships established between the City of Dallas and private partners, one of these is the nonprofit Friends of Fair Park, established in 1986 to support park programs, encourage thoughtful planning for Fair Park's future, and preserving the buildings, art, sculpture, and related artifacts of the 1936 Texas Centennial. Since the early 1990s more than $260 million has been spent on renovations and improvements at Fair Park, including development of a comprehensive park plan. The nine other APA 2011 Great Public Spaces are: Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA; Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, CO; Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN; Gray's Lake Park, Des Moines, IA; Rice Park, St. Paul, MN; Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville, TN; Maymont, Richmond, VA; Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA; and Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, WI. For more information about these public spaces, as well as lists of the 2011 APA 10 Great Neighborhoods and 10 Great Streets, and designations between 2007 and 2010, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year's Great Places in America will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2011; for more about the special month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm. The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning -- physical, economic and social -- so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit www.planning.org.
Park and Recreation Department Attention: Assignment Editors, Metro Reporters, Photojournalists October 4, 2011
www.dallasparks.org
Media Contact: Andrea Hawkins (214) 670-4678 (Office) (817) 994-2498 (Mobile/Event Day) [email protected]
American Planning Association Designates Fair Park One of Top 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011
Art Deco Art and Architecture, Attractions and Events Distinguish Park DALLAS – The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of Fair Park as one of 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners play in creating communities of lasting value. APA singled out Fair Park for its extraordinary collection of 1930s art and architecture; proximity to downtown Dallas; and year-round cultural, entertainment and sports offerings; and stunning views of Downtown Dallas. This park embodies the City Beautiful Movement with its thoughtfully designed spaces, tree-lined boulevards, monuments and fountains. “In less than ten years Fair Park catapulted from being on the National Trust for Historic Preservation lists as one of the ‘Eleven Most Endangered Neighborhoods in America’ to receiving their Honor Award for restoration. Fair Park provides an example to our city and others communities of the excellent results that can be realized when we set as a priority the preservation of our history, art and architectural treasures,” said Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes unique and exemplary streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces – three essential components of all communities. These authentic places have been shaped by forward thinking planning that showcases diverse architectural styles, promotes community involvement and accessibility, and fosters economic opportunity. APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live every day. Since APA began Great Places in America in 2007, 50 neighborhoods, 50 streets and 40 public spaces have been designated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. “Fair Park is the only intact and unaltered pre-1950s World’s Fair site remaining in the United States,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “Featuring a design that was heavily influenced by the City Beautiful Movement, this well-preserved park is home to some of Dallas’ most renowned cultural and sports facilities and contributes heavily to both the city’s knowledge base and economy.”
The site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition – one of six expositions staged in the U.S. during the 1930s – Fair Park was made ready for the historic event in just 14 months by architect George Dahl. The centerpiece of Dahl’s planning work was the Art Deco-style Hall of State with three-dimensional basrelief carvings. Leading up to the building is an esplanade with a 700-foot-long reflecting pool. Rebuilt in 2009 by the City of Dallas, the pool now has lights and a sound system for synchronized water, music and light displays. Just two miles east of Downtown Dallas, this 277-acre park is the largest historical landmark in Texas, having been listed on the National Register in 1986. Since 1886, it has been the site of the annual State Fair of Texas, the largest state fair in the United States. Today the park is home to eight museums, an IMAX Theater, a planetarium, The Dallas Children’s Aquarium, the Cotton Bowl, an outdoor amphitheater, and the Music Hall at Fair Park. The park hosts more than 100 special events and cultural festivals, which attract 7 million visitors annually, and contributes some $300 million each year to the Dallas economy. In 1906, George Kessler, a highly regarded landscape architect and planner, implemented a number of improvements, constructing a new stone, steel and cement Main Entrance Building. His master plan for the property would guide growth for nearly a century. When Dallas was chosen to host the Texas Centennial Celebration, Dahl transformed the 20th century fairground into the Art Deco showcase it is today. He created a unique look by combining classic Art Deco designs of the period with a Southwestern flare that interjected elements of Texas history. Some 26 major buildings were designed and built in just 14 months. While some of the exposition's structures were meant to be temporary, many have survived and are now restored. Restoration has occurred, in large part, due to partnerships established between the City of Dallas and private partners, one of these is the nonprofit Friends of Fair Park, established in 1986 to support park programs, encourage thoughtful planning for Fair Park's future, and preserving the buildings, art, sculpture, and related artifacts of the 1936 Texas Centennial. Since the early 1990s more than $260 million has been spent on renovations and improvements at Fair Park, including development of a comprehensive park plan. The nine other APA 2011 Great Public Spaces are: Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA; Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, CO; Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN; Gray's Lake Park, Des Moines, IA; Rice Park, St. Paul, MN; Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville, TN; Maymont, Richmond, VA; Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA; and Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, WI. For more information about these public spaces, as well as lists of the 2011 APA 10 Great Neighborhoods and 10 Great Streets, and designations between 2007 and 2010, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year's Great Places in America will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2011; for more about the special month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm. The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning -- physical, economic and social -- so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit www.planning.org.
