Hall of State's doors give Dallas visitors a small way into a large Centennial story

Image: Archival photograph of Hall of State during the State Fair of Texas dated September 24, 2021; signs, displays, crowds and access arrangements are historical.

The symbols on Hall of State's doors are a useful place to start looking. Rope, cattle, wheat, cotton, saw blades and oil derricks represent industries the building's designers used to express Texas in 1936, turning an entrance into part of the historical message.

The building was created for the Texas Centennial Exposition at Fair Park and became home to the Dallas Historical Society in 1938. The society's account describes a structure conceived to commemorate state history, with large murals designed by Eugene Savage and statues in the Hall of Heroes by Pompeo Luigi Coppini.

The society currently lists free building and exhibit admission, with normal hours Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 1–5 p.m. Check closure notices and Fair Park access, event and parking arrangements for the intended date. The museum's general admission policy is separate from any larger event taking place around it.

Read the decoration as a historical selection rather than a complete account of Texas. Ask which work, people and events received monumental space and what other stories could sit beside them. A close look at an entrance or one mural can make a large ceremonial building easier to examine with curiosity.

Sources and visit details

• Dallas Historical Society: Hall of State history, door symbols, artists and normal public hours
• Fair Park: Hall of State and the Historical Society's museum role

Photo: ZTPeterson / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; the site wordmark may be added in display.