Hidden Murals

December 15, 2024

The murals created more than 85 years ago in the Tower Building rotunda are now only visible as remnants, but the fragments will soon be joined by the complete works that lie beneath layers of paint.

Thanks to funding with a $750,000 National Park Service (NPS) and its Save America’s Treasures grant, the restoration of the hidden treasure is scheduled to begin in early 2025.

Remnants from the 1936 murals in the Tower Building’s rotunda

The 1936 work was created for what was then the Federal Building built for the Texas Centennial Exposition, a Texas-sized project designed to showcase the state’s rising star.

Additionally, matching funds will be provided by the 2017 Bond Fund Fair Park Improvements Fund. The work will begin on the rotunda murals although there is more restoration work to be done in other interior parts of the building. The rotunda work, however, is the top priority and funds will be applied there first.

Thanks to document preservation from the archives of the Dallas Historical Society (DHS) Centennial Collection, we have descriptions and images of what lies beneath the estimated five layers of paint. Why and when the murals were hidden apparently is a mystery.  

According to Fair Park Deco: Art and Architecture of the Texas Centennial Exposition published by TCU Press, it is not clear when the murals were painted over, “but they were still visible when the exhibit hall was used as the State Fair Education Building before World War II.”  

Although the Exposition and its artwork were built to promote Texas (and Dallas) as a place of importance, the then Federal Building also provided a stage for works depicting the nation.

Most notable are the four murals depicting four regions (North, South, East and West) of the United States. Images of these murals can be found in the Fair Park Deco book.

The upcoming interior mural restoration comes on the heels of the exterior’s sculptural frieze restoration (detail pictured here). Just like the exterior restoration of the building, the interior work will advance at its own pace.

(The frieze restoration was completed in the summer of 2024. To see more photos of the process and the result, please visit Instagram @restorefairparkdallas, or click Instagram icon at bottom of page.)

The Parks and Recreation Board authorized the grant acceptance December 12, and it next goes to the City Council for a pro forma approval in early January. Next is securing a preservation architect and preservationists who are qualified to do the mural restoration.

The painstaking work to expertly assess, uncover and restore the murals will be a heavy load. When the mural work will be complete is unknown at this early stage of the process. Afterall, they’ve been hidden under coats of paint for many years. The job should be thoughtful, slow and methodical – unlike the job of slapping paint over these artworks that are a part of our city’s history.