The site was established in 1886 as an 80-acre fairground for the Dallas State Fair. Following a fire and financial losses in 1904, voters approved the "Reardon Plan," and the site became Dallas' second public park, known as "Fair Park." In 1906, landscape architect and city planner George Kessler developed the first formal plan for the park, influenced by the City Beautiful Movement's advocacy for well-planned public spaces, monuments, and public art.
The park's appearance was dramatically altered for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition by architect George Dahl and consulting architect Paul Cret. They transformed the early 20th-century fairground into an Art Deco showcase. While many structures were intended to be temporary, several have survived and been restored. The park eventually expanded to its current 277-acre size and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
In July 1984, Fair Park was transformed into a Formula One circuit for a weekend to host the Dallas Grand Prix and a Can-Am race. The event was conceived as a way to demonstrate Dallas's status as a "world-class city," but the track was unsuccessful. In May 1988, the park hosted a Trans-Am Series race using a different track layout.
The track was not permanently modified for racing, and the 1984 Formula One race remained a one-time event. While the park has undergone significant restoration and upgrades, these efforts have focused on its role as a cultural and recreational complex. The historic Parry Avenue entrance gates were restored in 2009 in anticipation of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail expansion. Other conservation efforts include work on the Centennial Building's cameo reliefs in 2000 and the Esplanade fountain pylons and sculptures in 2004.
Fair Park is primarily known as the home of the State Fair of Texas, which has been held there since 1886. The complex contains the Cotton Bowl stadium, which served as the first home of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1971 and continues to host the annual OU–TX game and the State Fair Classic.
The park also serves as a cultural district, housing the Hall of State, the African American Museum, the Texas Discovery Gardens, and the Music Hall at Fair Park. Other events hosted at the site include the North Texas Irish Festival, Earth Day Texas, and the Fair Park Fourth Independence Day celebration. In 1990, the Automobile Building hosted the Nintendo World Championships, and in 2013, the complex was the site of the Chanel Paris–Dallas pre-fall fashion show.
Today, Fair Park is managed by the non-profit Fair Park First under a contract approved by the Dallas City Council in 2018. The park's cultural facilities and annual events attract an unsubstantiated estimate of 5 million visitors annually, with the majority attending during the 24-day State Fair of Texas. While its history as a motor racing circuit was brief, the park remains a central landmark in Dallas, continuing to function as a mass-gathering space, including serving as a mass COVID-19 vaccination hub in 2021.
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