Hall of State
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Construction of this building, which served as the focal point of the 1936 Texas Centennial Central Exposition, was approved by the State Legislature to be "Texanic in proportion and centennial in character." Designed by a team of Dallas architects, it is built of native Texas materials with ornamental representations of commerce and history. Completed during the 1930s Depression, it is one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in Texas. RTHL - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built as the centerpiece of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas, the Hall of State was designed to be, in the legislature's words, 'Texanic in proportion and centennial in character.' A team of Dallas architects raised it from native Texas materials during the Depression, adorning it with ornamental scenes of the state's commerce and history. It endures as one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Texas.
Why it matters
The building embodies how 1930s Americans used grand public architecture and world's-fair-style expositions to celebrate regional identity even in the depths of economic hardship.
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Themes & tags
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