Dallas - Fair Park

[detroitmetro101]

wow, a national landmark.

[Owlhorn]

Originally Posted by geomorph

Owlhorn, it has been awhile since any activity in this thread, but I was just thinking about the contrast of Fair Park with Fort Worth's Cultural District; although they are two different facilities, they seem similar in terms of being a few miles away from their downtowns. I haven't been to Fort Worth for several years but it seemed like the Cultural District was respected by its locals while Fair Park sounds like it is stigmatized by its surroundings. Does the Cultural District actually have a similar struggle?

I think it purely comes down to location. If Fair Park were in East or North Dallas, it would be a jewel. Ask a Dallas suburbanite about Fair Park or even the State Fair. Crime concern is number one, while you never hear that about the Arts District.

[John R]

Fort Worth's Cultural District is not struggling. Actually, it has a relationship to Fair Park. Back in 1936, both Fort Worth and Dallas were trying to get the Texas Centennial. Dallas won the award, but Amon Carter of Fort Worth lobbied to get part of the action. The livestock portion of the Centennial was awarded to Fort Worth and a smaller collection of Art Deco buildings were built on raw land. The Will Rogers Auditorium, Coliseum, and Pioneer Tower and Livestock Exhibits Buildings were built for this celebration. The original Casa Manana and other buildings were also built for the Centennial, but have been torn down or replaced. The Cultural District has expanded over the years with an Art Deco Public School Football Stadium (Farrington Field - 1939) and renowned museums. All of the museums have been designed by Modern Architectural Greats like Philip Johnson, Ricardo Legorreta, Tadao Ando, Louis Kahn, and Renzo Piano. These museums are constantly growing and expanding.