The Historic Heart of Fair Park - Hall of Religion/Gas Building

Hall of Religion/Lone Star Gas Building

Old Hall of Religion-Gas Building

In 1936 this structure, located on First Avenue behind the Automobile Building, was called the Hall of Religion. For several years after the Texas Centennial Exposition, it served as the Lone Star Gas exhibit building during the State Fair and for a while, was a Fair Park visitors' center. During the Centennial Exposition the building included a small exhibit of gas company products but mainly, as the Exposition guidebook pointed out, it was "made available to the several religious denominations of the state who wish to maintain exhibit space and a meeting place on the grounds."

For a while in the 1980s, it housed the African-American Museum while a permanent home for its exhibits was being built. During renovation of the Hall of State from 1987-1989, it housed the offices of the Dallas Historical Society. For the past several years it has been used by the Dallas Park Dept. and Recreation Dept. Although it was due to re-open to the public in 2009 as the Texas Music Center, a facility dedicated to commemorating Texas Music and Musicans, this does not appear to have occurred.