Please note that advance registration is required for this online program. Scroll down or click here to register.
Join Preservation Houston at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 30, for a special online program exploring the restoration of the magnificent Hall of State at Dallas’ Fair Park, presented in partnership with Preservation Dallas, Dallas Historical Society, Dallas Architecture Forum and AD EX.
The main entrance of the Hall of State in Dallas / photo courtesy of Gensler
The Hall of State was built as the showpiece of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and remains one of the outstanding examples of Art Deco design in the United States. Its blend of modern architecture, murals, sculpture and decoration led architecture critic David Dillon to call the structure “one of the finest, and last, artisan-architect collaborations in the country.” A $14.4 million restoration overseen by Gensler and completed in late 2020 returned the Hall of State to its 1930s glory, repairing and uncovering damaged and long-hidden elements of the building.
In this program, three key figures in the restoration — preservation architect Marcel Quimby, Dallas Historical Society Chair Veletta Lill and Dale Sellers, president and CEO of Phoenix 1 — will discuss the painstaking work that went into the project, including disassembling and cleaning elaborate metal doors, restoring detailed plasterwork and refinishing the iconic “Tejas Warrior” sculpture at the building’s main entrance. The speakers will be accompanied by a video showing the restoration work in progress and the spectacular finished product. An update on damage the Hall of State sustained in February’s winter storm and a Q&A with the panelists will follow the presentation.
Banner photo: Hall of State exterior / courtesy of Gensler
Event format
This program will be presented via Zoom. Registrants will receive additional information, including a link to join the program, no later than the morning of March 30.
Registration and pricing
Access to this program is free for members of Preservation Houston and Pier & Beam. Registration is $10 for non-members. Register online now:
Can’t join us live? No problem
We will make a recording of the full program available to all registrants, so you can watch at a time that’s most convenient for you.
Preservation Houston is offering this program as a Key Contact of the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies, a cooperative worldwide alliance of organizations with an interest in Deco and modernist architecture and design.