The Hall of State was built in 1936, as part of the Texas Centennial Exposition.

The Hall of State cost $1.25 Million to construct, in 1936. That is equal to $28 Million today.

The Hall of State is owned by the City of Dallas. The Dallas Historical Society manages it.

The symbols represent the prominent industries and resources of Texas in 1936. They include petroleum, timber, ranching and agriculture.

The statues are of men who shaped the history of Texas. They include Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar, Thomas Rusk, William Travis, Stephen F. Austin, James Fannin, and Admiral Nimitz.

The building is mostly made of materials sourced in Texas. The Gumwood paneling is from East Texas. The Cordova Cream limestone and the Cordova Shell limestone was locally sourced from the Armadillo Quarry in Texas. The marble used in the building’s floors came from Italy.

Eugene Savage of New York painted the murals to represent Texas history from early exploration to 1936. The murals are 30′ high by 80′ wide.

The Great Hall’s interior height is as tall as a four-story building.  It measures forty-six feet high, ninety-four feet long, and sixty-eight feet wide.  The columns are reeded Cordova cream shell stone, a quarried Texas Limestone.

The far wall is dominated by an impressive gold medallion measuring twelve feet in diameter.  Joseph E. Renier, a Yale artist and faculty member, created the design for this immense bas-relief and finished it in three shades of burnished gold leaf.  The center portion of the medallion is a five-pointed star, the perpetual emblem of Texas.  Bathed in a flood of rays from the star are six symbolic female figures, which unfold the history of Texas under the sovereignty of six nations. The entrance to the hall has these nations flags on display.

Two of the ceiling’s four designs are stylized animals typical of the Southwest — a roadrunner with a rattlesnake in its bill and a nine-banded armadillo.  The other two are abstractions, one representing the land and the other the sea, in which the artist used color alone to help viewers interpret their meaning. Both sides of the floor are decorated with mosaics showcasing examples of native Texas Fauna.

Eugene Savage’s grand Byzantine-style murals span the north and south walls, recapturing the thrilling tale of Texas history from the 1500’s through 1936. The mural to the left of the medallion is called “Early Texas: History of Texas” while the mural to the right focuses on “The State of Texas — Texas Today.”

The bronze front doors open into a semi-circular hall holding six bronze statues.  These six statesmen and soldiers, creators of the Texas Republic, typify the true Texas spirit. Texas historians preparing for the 1936 Texas Centennial chose the heroes:  Austin, Houston, Lamar, Fannin, Rusk, and Travis.  Sculptor Pompeo Coppini captured each in a characteristic stance or at a decisive moment in his life.

The floors are pink Tennessee marble bordered with St. Aubern’s Red and inlaid with squares of Red Levanto, both from Vermont. The wainscot is Rossetta marble from Italy.

The East Texas room is decorated with dark wood paneling made from the East Texas sweet gum tree. The two murals in this room are by Olin Travis, a native Dallas artist, and depict “East Texas of Today, Before and After the Discovery of Oil”. In addition to these colorful murals, Polly Smith’s photographs, which depict East Texas lifestyles, line the paneled walls.

In the West Texas room, large hand-hewn wooden beams span the ceiling and the adobe walls are decorated with relief sculptures of famous cattle brands used in Texas. At the far end of the room sits a carved statue of a cowboy by Dorothy Austin of Dallas in front of a wall covered with matched hair-covered cowhides laced together with rawhide strips. Two murals by Tom Lea in this room depict a cowboy and a pioneer family. The tiled panels and floor by Ethel Wilson Harris and Lucile Carmona depict archetypal West Texas people. The West Texas Room is also the home of the G.B. Dealey Research Library.

G.B. Dealey Library

With a collection spanning the history of Dallas and the entire state of Texas; our mission is to collect, preserve, and exhibit the heritage of Dallas and Texas to educate and inspire present and future generations. The G.B. Dealey Library actively collects materials documenting the history of Dallas, Dallas County, and Texas. It maintains a large collection of photographs, documents, artifacts, books, and periodicals, providing access to historical research information through our archives. 

CLICK HERE to visit the Dallas Historical Society Online Collection

The North Texas room is adorned with Lynn Ford’s carved wood figures representing cotton and wheat. Arthur Starr Niendorff, a native Texan who grew up in Dallas, executed the fresco mural above the north doors depicting “Old Man Texas”. The photographs that line the walls of this room are pressed on glass and are the work of photographer Polly Smith.

Old Man Texas Mural

Arthur Starr Niendorff, a native Texan who grew up in Dallas, executed the mural above the north doors. Niendorff had worked very closely with Diego Rivera, the great Mexican muralist who was also an accomplished fresco painter. A fresco is painted directly upon specially prepared fresh, wet plaster, which was previously applied to dry walls. It is a very difficult technique and Niendorff’s work represents a unique contribution to the permanent artwork at the Hall of State. Old Man Texas, a cartoon character originally created around the turn of the century by John Knott, dominates the center of the mural. This cartoon represents the collective characteristics of the Texans. He looks down upon the cities and modern wonders of Texas. Old Man Texas embraces the skyscraper cities of Dallas and Ft. Worth, and a family with clasped hands. In the center of the mural, behind Old Man Texas, is a giant bale of cotton. In front of the bale is a North Texas farm with its red silo, farmhouse, windmill and water tower. The farm is the foundation of our civilization. The bundles of wheat and ears of corn are second and third to cotton in agricultural importance. Lightning, which shoots out from the clouds on either side and strikes two poles, suggests the harnessing of the elements and their future use. At the right of the fresco is a great vault door, open with golden dollars pouring out, representing the large monetary and banking interests of North Texas. The books to the right and in the front of the vault represent the importance of educational facilities of North Texas. On the left is a giant turbine symbolizing the great industrial and manufacturing interest of North Texas. Above the vault door is one of the then new low winged passenger planes. On the left is a streamlined train.

The South Texas room is elegant with its black Pyrenees marble wainscoting, white gold wall panels, polished aluminum lighting fixtures, and terrazzo floors. Above the wainscoting are eight figures spaced on shields between the windows.  The shape of each design is in Spanish Baroque style, and each represents an important aspect of life in South Texas. Lynn Ford’s wood carvings symbolize the concepts of history and romance. Additionally, James Owen Mahoney, Jr.’s allegorical painting in this room presents South Texas as an enchanting goddess in the form of a beautiful young girl.

This 392-seat auditorium retains its Art Deco styling and furnishings from its opening in 1936 as a performance space. Currently it serves as a lecture space for the Dallas Historical Society’s public programming.