Texas Centennial Exposition
Encyclopedia
The Texas Centennial Exposition was a World's Fair
held at Fair Park
in Dallas
, Texas
(USA
) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas
's independence from Mexico
in 1836. More than 50 buildings, for which "George Dahl
was director general of a group of architects who designed the buildings ", were constructed for the Exposition, which ran from June 6, 1936 to November 29, 1936. The exposition attracted 6,353,827 million visitors, and cost around $
25 million. The exposition was credited for buffering Dallas from the Great Depression
, creating over 10,000 jobs and giving a $50 million boost to the local economy.
The Cavalcade of Texas, a historical pageant covering four centuries of Texas
history, was one of the most popular attractions at the Exposition. The Hall of Negro
Life was another popular attraction and is believed to be the first recognition of African-American culture at a World's Fair
. The Texas Centennial Olympics held in the Cotton Bowl hosted the first integrated public athletic competition in the history of the South. Universal produced a newsreel of the Centennial beauty pageant, which shows models attempting to fit into life-sized cutouts of the Texas Centennial Committee's concept of the "perfect figure."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
visited the exposition in a widely publicized event on June 12. Gene Autry
's film The Big Show
was filmed on location and shows many of the buildings and events of the event.
The Centennial Exposition required a massive publicity effort, but the promotion department was stymied by a lack of photographs. Never before had the state been photographed for advertising purposes. The Centennial Exposition hired Polly Smith
to travel the state and tell the story of Texas through photos.
After a successful 5 month run, the Texas Centennial Exposition was closed. The exhibits changed and reopened the following year as the Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition
.
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
held at Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
's independence from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1836. More than 50 buildings, for which "George Dahl
George Dahl
George Leighton Dahl was a prominent American architect based in Dallas, Texas during the 20th century. His most notable contributions include the Art Deco structures of Fair Park while he oversaw planning and construction of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.-Background:George Dahl was born in...
was director general of a group of architects who designed the buildings ", were constructed for the Exposition, which ran from June 6, 1936 to November 29, 1936. The exposition attracted 6,353,827 million visitors, and cost around $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
25 million. The exposition was credited for buffering Dallas from the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, creating over 10,000 jobs and giving a $50 million boost to the local economy.
The Cavalcade of Texas, a historical pageant covering four centuries of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
history, was one of the most popular attractions at the Exposition. The Hall of Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
Life was another popular attraction and is believed to be the first recognition of African-American culture at a World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
. The Texas Centennial Olympics held in the Cotton Bowl hosted the first integrated public athletic competition in the history of the South. Universal produced a newsreel of the Centennial beauty pageant, which shows models attempting to fit into life-sized cutouts of the Texas Centennial Committee's concept of the "perfect figure."
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
visited the exposition in a widely publicized event on June 12. Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
's film The Big Show
The Big Show (1936 film)
The Big Show is the title of a 1936 western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring Gene Autry.-Production:The movie was filmed at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, which served as the location of the 1936 Texas Centennial...
was filmed on location and shows many of the buildings and events of the event.
The Centennial Exposition required a massive publicity effort, but the promotion department was stymied by a lack of photographs. Never before had the state been photographed for advertising purposes. The Centennial Exposition hired Polly Smith
Polly Smith
Frances Sutah Smith was an important Texas photographer whose work showcased Texas life to the world during the 1930s-1940s. Though not as critically acclaimed as contemporaries Margaret Bourke-White or Dorothea Lange, her work broke new ground in Texas.-Biography:After growing up in various...
to travel the state and tell the story of Texas through photos.
After a successful 5 month run, the Texas Centennial Exposition was closed. The exhibits changed and reopened the following year as the Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition
Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition
The Greater Texas & Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas . The exhibition promoted the city of Dallas as the cultural and economic capital of an emerging Pan-American civilization stretching from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. It followed the successful Texas...
.
See also
- Fair ParkFair ParkDallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
- Hall of StateHall of StateThe Hall of State is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state.-History:...
- History of Dallas, TexasHistory of Dallas, TexasThis article traces the history of Dallas, Texas .- Territorial Period :Caddo Native Americans inhabited the Dallas area before it was claimed, along with the rest of Texas, as a part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain in the 16th century...
- History of Dallas, Texas (1930-1945)History of Dallas, Texas (1930-1945)The history of Dallas, Texas from 1930 to 1945 documents the city's emergence from the Great Depression, its economic boom after several local oil discoveries, its hosting of the Texas Centennial Exposition, and its existence during wartime....