Great Hall At The Hall of State

Originally the State of Texas Building, the Hall of State commemorates the history of Texas as a state. Considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in Texas, it was built in 1936 for the Texas Centennial Exposition for an astronomical $1.2 million, making it at the time the most expensive structure built in the state. Designed by architect Donald Barthelme, the Hall of State was built from Texas limestone in the Beaux Arts style with memorials to Texas heroes. As such, it is the culmination of the 1,500-foot-long Esplanade of State, which is flanked by six exhibition pavilions and a long reflecting pool. Found straight ahead through the Hall of State’s front doors up a short flight of marble stairs, the Great Hall (or Hall of Six Flags immediately draws visitors into its tremendous space, emphasized by its soaring 46-foot-high ceilings. Inside, visitors are drawn to a 12-foot-diameter gold medallion by Yale artist Joseph E. Renier on the center of the back wall. The Great Hall also features immense murals on the north and south walls. Unlike most murals, these were painted first on canvas in a studio then attached to the walls between tall fluted columns of native Texas fossil-shellstone. The murals by Yale painting professor Eugene Savage offer a panoramic depiction of Texas history, from the early days of Spanish settlement to 1936 when the building was constructed. Each measuring 30 feet by 80 feet, the murals were completed in five months with the help of two Texas artists: James Buchanan “Buck” Winn, Jr., and Reveau Bassett as well as two art students, Bill Smith and Lonnie Lyon.

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