Some historic buildings at Fair Park have sustained what the district’s council member describes as “significant damage.” The three confirmed facilities with water damage are the Hall of State, the Tower Building, and the Cotton Bowl, though Council member Adam Bazaldua says “other various assets” also suffered damage. Burst pipes from the days of below-freezing weather are the suspected culprit.
The Hall of State recently finished a $14 million renovation, which included improvements to duct work and other infrastructure that had frayed over the years and allowed in condensation that ate away at the structure. Calvert Collins-Bratton, the president of the city’s Park and Recreation Board, said she was told that a pipe burst in the basement, filling it with about two feet of water. That basement previously flooded during heavy rain; the renovation was in part meant to help prevent that from happening in the future.
The basement is home to an auditorium, offices, and Dallas Historical Society collections. The society’s phone number was not operating on Wednesday afternoon. Julian Bowman, a spokesman for Fair Park’s management company Spectra, confirmed “water damage in various buildings at Fair Park.” He said the company was still assessing the damage and declined to comment further.
So it’s not clear what the damage is at the Tower Building or the Cotton Bowl, nor which other Fair Park facilities suffered damage. Collins-Bratton said Phoenix 1 Restoration, which was the general contractor during the renovation, was already on site at the Hall of State and helping to address the issues.
Like so much of this winter storm, we’ll know more in the coming days.
