Hall of Negro Life
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the federal work programs enacted during the Great Depression was the construction of a Texas Centennial Exposition to celebrate 100 years of independence from Mexico. The city of Dallas was awarded the honor of hosting the statewide exposition site. The task of remaking the fifty-year-old Fair Park into a modern exposition fell to Dallas architect George Dahl (1894-1987). Of the approximately 50 structures designed by Dahl and his staff, one was built to showcase the accomplishments of the African American community: the Hall of Negro Life. Before Dahl was involved, federal funding for the hall was secured by the tireless work of Antonio Maceo Smith (1903-1977) and Maynard H. Jackson (1894-1953), two leaders of the Dallas African American community. Jesse O. Thomas (1885-1972), once Southern Field Director for the National Urban League and a protege of Booker T. Washington, was selected as the general manager of the building. Smith served as assistant general manager. The building contained nearly 14,000 square feet of exhibit space and 9,000 square feet of wall space. The hall featured exhibits under six classifications: education, fine arts, health, agriculture, mechanical arts and business. Nearly 400 exhibits from 32 states were shown, with Texas' 76 exhibits representing the most from any state. The federal government supplied an additional 78 exhibits. Total attendance to the Hall of Negro Life over the course of the fair was 400,000. At the end of the Texas Centennial celebration, the Exposition Corporation of Dallas took over the fairgrounds with the intention of continuing the next year as the Pan American Exposition. The Hall of Negro Life was one of only two exhibit buildings demolished. For the short time it stood, the Hall of Negro Life celebrated the numerous accomplishments and deeds of the African American community in America. (2021)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
For the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas, architect George Dahl remade Fair Park into a modern fairground, and among its roughly 50 buildings one was devoted to Black achievement: the Hall of Negro Life. Funded through the tireless lobbying of leaders like Antonio Maceo Smith and managed by Jesse O. Thomas of the National Urban League, its 14,000 square feet held nearly 400 exhibits on education, arts, health, agriculture, and business, drawing 400,000 visitors. When the fair ended, it was one of only two buildings torn down.
Why it matters
The Hall of Negro Life was a rare federally funded showcase of African American accomplishment in the segregated South—and its swift demolition speaks as loudly as its brief, celebrated existence.
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Related people
- · George Dahl
- · Antonio Maceo Smith
- · Maynard H. Jackson
- · Jesse O. Thomas
Related events
- · Texas Centennial Exposition (1936)
Themes & tags
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