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FAIR PARK

National Historical Landmark

by Clint Skinner

19. African American Museum


Standing behind the Magnolia Lounge and the former Hall of Religion, the African American Museum pays tribute to black history, artwork, and culture. However, the building was not the first place to house such displays. The original museum began in 1974 as part of a special collection at Bishop College. Five years later, it gained independence from the black college. Thanks to private donations and a local bond election, construction on a new building began. The former Hall of Religion served as a storage facility for the collections during this time. The project, which had a price tag of seven million dollars, successfully came to a conclusion in 1993.

TX Dallas Fair Park  African American Museum
African American Museum
Photo courtesy Clint Skinner, February 2016

The ivory stone structure is shaped like the letter X and covers an area of 38,000 square feet. Its top is covered with a sixty-foot-high dome. Each of the four galleries contain various historic relics and pieces of artwork. For educational purposes, it has classrooms, a theater, an art studio, and a library. The free museum contains one of the largest folk art collections in the nation and boasts the distinction of being the only African American museum in the Southwest.

November 12, 2016
© Clint Skinner



FAIR PARK - Attractions:

1. Fair Park Station
2. Main Entrance
3. Founders Statue
4. Women's Museum
5. DAR House
6. The Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial
7. Sydney Smith Memorial Fountain
8. Music Hall
9. Fair Park Esplanade
10. Centennial Building
11. Automobile Building
12. Hall of State
13. Tower Building
14. Big Tex Circle
15. Grand Place
16. Old Mill Inn
17. Magnolia Lounge
18. Hall of Religion
19. African American Museum
20. Leonhardt Lagoon
21. Dallas Museum of Natural History
22. Science Place I
23. Children's Aquarium
24. Fair Park Bandshell
25. Texas Discovery Gardens
26. WRR Headquarters
27. Science Place II
28. The Texas Star
29. Cotton Bowl Stadium
30. The Texas Skyway
31. The Embarcadero
32. The Creative Arts Building
33. Food and Fiber Building
34. Pan American Arena
35. The Woofus
36. The Swine Building
37. Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center
38. Livestock Pavilion and Arena
39. The Horse Barn
40. Fair Park Coliseum
41. Top of Texas Tower




References:
1.Bigtex.com
2.Dallashistory.org
3.Dallas Morning News Archives
4.Fairpark.org
5.Slate, John H. Historic Dallas Parks. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
6.Tshaonline.org
7.Watermelon-kid.com
8.Wikipedia.org
8.Winters, Willis Cecil. Fair Park. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.



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