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the park in Dallas

Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex in Dallas, Texas, United States, located immediately east of downtown. The area is registered as a Dallas Landmark and National Historic Landmark; many of the buildings were constructed for the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. Fair Park has been designated a Great Place in America by the American Planning Association.

The site was established as an fairground on the outskirts of East Dallas for the Dallas State Fair in 1886. 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." An important figure in Fair Park's development was landscape architect and city planner George Kessler. In 1906, he was responsible for the first formal plan for the park influenced by the City Beautiful Movement. The City Beautiful Movement advocated well planned public spaces, tree lined boulevards, monuments, public art, and fountains which would 'beautify' the city. A milestone in Fair Park's history was 1936, when the Texas Centennial Exposition was held there. 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 park was transformed from an early 20th century fairground into an Art Deco showcase. While many of the exposition's buildings were meant to be temporary, several have survived and have been restored to some extent. Over the years, the park was expanded to its current
Fair Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 as one of the nation's largest surviving assemblages of buildings related to an exposition. 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.

Many of the existing Art Deco buildings have been restored visually to their 1936 appearance and upgraded to modern building standards. In anticipation of DART's light rail service the historic Parry Avenue entrance gates were restored in 2009. 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. Several sculptures were reconstructed and feature a dramatic light and water show. In 2003, the Fair Park Comprehensive Development plan was produced by Hargreaves Associates. This comprehensive plan included recommendations for the physical site, park programs, activities, funding options, and management alternatives. The park received a $72 million city bond allocation in 2006 for repairs and improvements. In September 2014, a blue ribbon task force appointed by Mayor Mike Rawlings submitted a report on the rejuvenation of 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. 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. 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". In March 2015, the State Fair pushed back on any notion of tightening up the footprint of its current operation. Dallas Morning News reporter Robert Wilonsky called the State Fair's response "rather dramatic" The article also quoted Stephen Page of the closed Texas Museum of Automotive History from 2012 as saying, "The City's requirement that tenants vacate the majority of the buildings in Fair Park during the State Fair is the principal reason for Fair Park's ongoing decline." Wilonsky also quoted a 'prominent member of the Mayor's Task Force' as suggesting privately "that the State Fair's presence at Fair Park also needs to be greatly reduced." On November 18, 2015, Dallas City Council considered Mayor Mike Rawlings' proposal to turn over management of Fair Park to a non profit corporation headed up by the "Father of DART" Walt Humann. Under the Mayor's plan, the city would still own the 277 acre site, but a non profit foundation would manage the grounds and assets. In 2016 Mayor Mike Rawlings' proposal to turn the park over to a non profit corporation headed by Humann was defeated by the Dallas City Attorney and a lack of support by Dallas City Council.

The Texas Star, opened in 1985, is the fourth largest Ferris wheel in North America. Among political infighting, lawsuits and community unrest, Starplex Amphitheatre (f/k/a Smirnoff Music Centre, Coca Cola Starplex, and Gexa Energy Pavilion, and n/k/a Dos Equis Pavilion) was built. Former Park Board member Jim Graham said the City's agreement with PACE Entertainment "stinks". The Texas Skyway, opened in 2007, is an art deco styled gondola ride that transports visitors 65 feet (20 m) above the ground for a ride that is one third of a mile. The Top o' Texas Tower, opened in 2013, is a 500 feet (152 m) observation tower ride. The tower's base may eventually house a museum devoted to the State Fair and Texas Centennial Exposition collection. At a cost of more than $12,000,000, the Tower was to be the featured ride of the failed Summer Adventures program. Summer Adventures, while planned as an annual event, was open for one year and shuttered, despite a $30,000,000 investment. Fair Park is home to the Texas State Vietnam Memorial.

The complex's signature event is the annual State Fair of Texas, which has been held there since 1886. It currently lasts 24 days and begins in the last Friday in September and runs to the third Sunday in October.

The State Fair had plans to unveil Summer Place Park in 2012. These plans would eventually turn into Summer Adventures in Fair Park, a beach themed amusement park, that operated from May to August 2013. Despite a $30,000,000 investment in Summer Adventures, the event was shuttered after just one season.

The North Texas Irish Festival takes place the first weekend in March each year. Earth Day Texas takes place annually in April. Fair Park Fourth is the annual Independence Day celebration for the City of Dallas.

The 1936 film The Big Show, starring Gene Autry, was filmed at Fair Park and much of its architecture is heavily featured. In 1961, the musical film State Fair was filmed in Fair Park. In July 1984, Fair Park was transformed into a Formula One circuit for a weekend to host the Dallas Grand Prix and Can Am race. The event was conceived as a way to demonstrate Dallas's status as a "world class city", but the track was unsuccessful. In May 1988, Fair Park also hosted Trans Am Series race with a different layout. On March 8–11, 1990, the Nintendo World Championships were held within the Fair Park's Automobile Building. In the early 2000s, Fair Park and many of its cultural institutions (The Science Place, The Dallas Museum of Natural History, Texas Discovery Gardens, and others) were featured heavily on the TV series North Texas Explorer. The 18th episode of season 2 of Prison Break has scenes that take place in Fair Park and feature "Jumbo" the mammoth statue, The Women's Museum, the Leonhardt Lagoon, and other attractions. In December 2013, the Chanel Paris–Dallas pre fall show was held at Fair Park. In January 2021, Fair Park became a mass COVID 19 vaccination hub operated by Dallas County Health and Human Services. FEMA also opened a hub at the park for vaccinations of 17 underserved zip codes.

Fair Park is easily accessible from I 30, the major east west interstate through Dallas. Fair Park is served by several bus routes by DART. DART's Green Line connects Fair Park to southeast and downtown Dallas with Fair Park Station and MLK Jr. Station. During the State Fair of Texas DART runs "special event" trains from the Red Line and Blue Line to Fair Park Station.

Irma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School is located in Fair Park.

Rob Walker (October, 1984). "1st Dallas Grand Prix: Cool Keke". Road & Track, 178 182. Mike S. Lang (1992). Grand Prix! : Race by race account of Formula 1 World Championship motor racing. Volume 4: 1981 to 1984. Haynes Publishing Group.