The fairgrounds was created in 1905, when a volunteer organization, the Arizona Territorial Fair Association, purchased the property and first developed it.[1] At that time, Arizona was not yet a state and had territory status. In 1909, the grounds were purchased by the Territorial Fair Commission, which became the State Fair Commission after statehood in 1912.
Facilitiesedit
The fairgrounds site includes the following buildings:[2]
The Party Gras, originally the Gem and Mineral Building — a historic 4,176 sq.ft. building built in 1918 to showcase mineral specimens from Arizona's extensive mining industry. The building's interior has a vaulted beamed ceiling, and large skylight above a wrap-around balcony. It is the oldest building at the fairgrounds.[4]
Grandstand — a 1936-1937 WPA grandstand project with 5,000 covered seats, that replaced an older wooden structure that had burned down. The exterior of the grandstand has 23 bas-relief panels by David Carrick Swing and Florence Blakeslee, that were funded by the Federal Art Project.[5] The Grandstand Arena is a historical outdoor area, is used for open-air evens such as horse shows, dirt track events, mud bog spectaculars, races, rodeos, tractor pulls, and demolition derbies.[6]
WPA Administration Building, or the Civic Building — a historic 12,200 sq.ft. PWA Moderne style concrete building, built in 1938 by the Works Projects Administration−WPA, serving as their headquarters for WPA projects in Arizona during the latter Great Depression years.[7]
The Hacienda de Mexico — a 12,546 sq.ft. covered mall (located between the Wesley Bolin Building and the Home Arts Center).[8]
The Home Arts Center — a 13,584 sq.ft. building.[9]
The Agriculture Center — two building totaling 61,000 sq. ft. designed to accommodate large shows and exhibits, including livestock
Wesley Bolin Building — an almost 20,000 sq.ft. exhibit space
Arizona Plaza — a 17,184 sq.ft. adobe style complex.
Exhibit Building — a 50,000 sq.ft. building used for large shows and commercial exhibits.
WPA Administration Buildingedit
The WPA Administration Building was completed in 1939 in the PWA Moderne style.[10][11][12] More recently it had been allowed to deteriorate, and was set for demolition in July 2014, before historic preservationists sought to stop the demolition and were granted a temporary restraining order by the Maricopa CountySuperior Court.[10] They were given until April 14, 2016, to raise $120,000 towards preservation of the building. They succeeded, on 8 April 2016 the project was awarded a historic preservation grant of $120,000 by the PhoenixCity Council and a $80,000 grant by the Phoenix IDA, a provider of private activity bonds for projects that give a public benefit.[13]
Galleryedit
This historic building was first known as the Gem and Mineral Building.
The side wall of the Gem and Mineral Building
Close up view of the Gem and Mineral Building
Inside the Gem and Mineral Building
The historic Arizona State Fair Grandstand
Different view of the historic Arizona State Fair Grandstand
The Arizona State Fair WPA Civic Building
The front entrance of the Arizona State Fair WPA Civic Building
The Arizona State Fair Home Economics Building was built in 1940
Close up view of the Arizona State Fair Home Economics.
Referencesedit
^"Arizona State Fairgrounds". Retrieved April 10, 2016.
^"Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Arizona Exposition & State Fair Facilities". Retrieved April 10, 2016.
^Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
^Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Party Gras building
^Living New Deal Blog: Arizona State Fairgrounds Stadium and Art
^Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Grandstand Arena
^"Race to restore 1930s-era Phoenix sites from ruin". Retrieved April 10, 2016.
^Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Hacienda De Mexico building
^Arizona Exposition & State Fair.com: Home Arts Center building
^ abPhoenix New Times: "Demolition of WPA Civic Building at Arizona State Fairgrounds on Temporary Hold", 18 July 2014.
^Youtube.com: "1938 WPA Administration Building in 1949 & 1969"
^KJZZ.org: "Did You Know: Arizona State Fairgrounds 110 Years Old", by Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez, 21 August 2015; with images of the WPA Grandstand and Administration Building.
^"$200,000 to go toward preserving State Fairgrounds building". Retrieved April 10, 2016.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arizona State Fairgrounds.