Old Red Museum - Dallas

This building was near the Sixth Floor Museum. Two floors are now open and it was originally the courthouse. There were preparations going on for a big wedding that evening.

Old Red Museum


"If there were one aspect of schooling from kindergarten through college to which I would give added emphasis today it would be American history."
- Lynne Cheney, in remarks to the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks

* Dallas County History
* Benefits from a Museum of Dallas History
* Synergy in Partnerships and Associates

Dallas County History

From the establishment of settlers' sites in the 1840s, through fifteen decades of growth and expansion into the modern era, one theme remains constant: Dallas County has been a magnet for people of vision who find this area a source of unlimited opportunity. The history of Dallas is the collective story of people of determination and faith who built a metropolis, one of the world's greatest, here on the North Texas prairie.

People like Dallas founders Margaret Beeman and John Neely Bryan, who saw the virtue of a limestone outcrop allowing crossing of the Trinity River, and recognized its implications for westward migration.

People like Sarah Horton Cockrell, contemporary of Bryan, widowed at 38 and the principal businessperson in Dallas, who saw the importance of an iron bridge across that river -- and proceeded to build it.

People like George Bannerman Dealey, who saw the promise of an ever-growing business community but also recognized the need for greater social responsibility -- and helped instill it.

People like Huddie Ledbetter, who found in Deep Ellum an opportunity to expand his musical stylizations with Josh White and Blind Lemon Jefferson, helping to form the music we now call the blues.

People like Cecil Green, Patrick Haggerty, Erik Jonsson and Eugene McDermott, young industrialists who were determined to recreate the world through technology. Establishing Texas Instruments in Dallas, they hired a young engineer named Jack Kilby. who did exactly that, inventing the first integrated circuit.

The history of Dallas County is inspiring. The time has come to tell that story, to establish a center for civic pride and revive a treasured landmark by creating the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture.

Dallas skyline of 1912Dallas skyline of 1912
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Benefits from Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture

Educational: Central to the reason for creating the Old Red Museum are its educational benefits. At the heart of the Museum is the Crystal Charity Ball Learning Center, where children, their curiosity sharpened by a castle-like building with turrets and gryphons, will be open to the adventure of exploring other times and places. Hands-on, interactive exhibits will show how children lived and played in the past. Students will learn how great leaders were, at one time, young people just like them. They will be encouraged to consider that in the next century, their own stories may well be told in the Museum. Programs to educate and inspire students from kindergarten through high school have already been drafted; plans to offer professional teacher training to enhance classroom history presentations are being developed. Tours for schools will be organized around special themes appropriate to their curriculum, developed in coordination with school districts countywide.

Cultural: The cultural benefits of establishing Old Red Museum are immeasurable. The landmark building is surrounded by centers of activity and tourism. The Museum will offer a new entertainment and leisure attraction, and a site for special events. The recreation of the historic clock tower will re-write the skyline of Dallas, furthering the architectural dialogue between the past and the present, the hallmark of a great city. The Museum will signal pride in our heritage as Dallas joins other cities recognizing the importance of the past. New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Amsterdam and Edinburgh feature museums of history. Our stories are no less compelling.

Economic: Downtown Dallas is experiencing a renaissance of activity, creating more interest than ever in nearby residency. Dallas Morning News editorial columnist Henry Tatum recently opined "The revitalization of downtown has to do more than make it convenient for the public. It has to give the area sizzle . Can Dallas create an event or destination point that will give downtown sizzle? I think it can. I think it must."

Old Red Museum will help downtown "sizzle," with innovative special programs and state-of-the-art exhibits. These benefits will extend well beyond the immediate area, to include employers throughout the county seeking to offer greater benefits for attracting or relocating personnel to Dallas.
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Synergy in Partnerships and Associates

Old Red Museum has been created and will operate in partnership with public and private interests.

Strong financial support from Dallas County, combined with State of Texas funding, provides for the restoration of Old Red. Dallas County also plans to renovate the surrounding plazas and expand the underground parking available for visitors. Public funding accounts for $35.6-million of the project. The $14.5-million private campaign to establish Old Red Museum of Dallas History represents less than one-third of the million total project cost.

The Museum will operate in cooperation with historical societies throughout Dallas County. The Museum provides a venue for exhibiting rich collections of historical artifacts, and supports their acquisition and preservation without itself becoming a site for storage or preparation. An agreement with the Dallas Historical Society enables its extensive collection to be presented in the Museum, in return for supporting the collection and its curator. In this way, the exhibit areas in Old Red can be maximized, and the topics of exhibits revitalized on a regular basis.
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