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Original Texas School Book Depository sign
Original Texas School Book Depository sign

Original Texas School Book Depository sign

Object number1987.001.0001
Date1963
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectSign
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal, Ceramic
Dimensions30 x 208 x 1 1/2 in. (76.2 x 528.3 x 3.8 cm)
Collections
DescriptionEnameled metal sign from above the main entrance to the Texas School Book Depository building at the northwest corner of Elm and Houston Streets in Dallas, Texas. The sign was hung in 1963 when the Texas School Book Depository company first moved into the building and remained over the entrance at least until the firm vacated the building in 1970. The sign is made of porcelain-coated metal. It is a pinkish-brown color with three-dimensional cream-colored letters that are each bolted separately onto the face of the sign. The sign disassembles into four pieces that attach with bolt and bolt holes on the sides of each piece. The full sign reads "TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY".
Curatorial Commentary
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza received an American Heritage Preservation Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2011 to support conservation work on the Texas School Book Depository sign.  The sign was cleaned and stabilized by a professional conservator and was on display on the museum's seventh floor from 2012 to 2014. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections (2008-2020)
The historic image attached to this record is from the Museum's Dallas Times Herald Collection (1989.100.0025.0002). - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections (2008-2020)
This object was part of the Fragments special installation on the Museum's 7th floor, on view from November 3, 2021 through July 3, 2022.