LOCATION
The Women's Museum
3800 Parry Avenue
Dallas, TX 75226
214.915.0860
Driving Directions
HOURS
Tuesday - Sunday
Noon to 5 p.m.
(Closed Mondays)
ADMISSION
Adults: $5.00
Senior Citizens and
Students 13-18: $4.00
Students 5-12: $3.00
Children under 5: Free
Purchase Tickets
Groups & Tours Info
Museum Rental Information
DALLAS VISITORS INFORMATION CENTER
For information on hotel accommodations, restaurants and other Dallas attractions, visit
the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau
THE HISTORY OF The Women's Museum™
The Women's Museum™: An Institute for the Future is housed in the former Hall of Administration (Peter Wolf) building at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas.
Built in 1910 by C.D. Hill, the building served as Dallas' first Coliseum, used for livestock auctions by day and opera and symphony performances by night.
View the History of The Women's Museum™ Photo Gallery.
In 1936, the building was renovated for use as the administrative building for the Texas Centennial Exposition. So the building would complement the Art Deco facilities being constructed for the Centennial fair, architect George Dahl, who oversaw the 1936 renovations, applied a new Art Deco façade on the south face of the building.
A chief feature of Mr. Dahl's new Art Deco façade is the mural by Carlo Ciampaglia which serves as a backdrop to Raul Josset's sculpture, "The Spirit of the Centennial." The 15 ft. tall statue depicts a young woman rising from a cactus, a fitting symbol for not only the Texas Centennial, but for the museum as well.
After 1936, the building held a wide variety of tenants. The Farm Security Administration, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Peter Wolf Set Designs all used the building for office and warehouse space. In 1980, the State Fair of Texas moved its offices into the building. By the early 1990s the building had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it was considered unusable and unsafe. A number of organizations and individuals tried unsuccessfully to develop plans and funding to rescue the structure from its "controlled state of collapse."
When founder Cathy Bonner came to Dallas in 1996 looking for a site for a new, national museum, Friends of Fair Park introduced her to the building. When she first caught sight of the young woman rising from the cactus at the entrance she knew she had found the perfect home for The Women's Museum™.
An extensive renovation and restoration transformed this 20th Century treasure into a 21st Century technological marvel. The museum opened on September 29, 2000.