Green light fixture from the Texas School Book Depository

Object number1987.001.0027.0002

Date1903 - 1970

ClassificationsArtifacts

ObjectLight

Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection

MediumMetal

Dimensions12 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. (31.8 × 36.2 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionGreen metal hanging light from the Texas School Book Depository. This lamp is a representative sample from a group of fifteen lamps that measure 12 1/2" H x 14 1/4" in diameter. Most of the lamp fixtures from this group, including this one, contain their original wiring, but none of the original bulbs survive. This building element was recovered by Dallas County during renovations of the former Texas School Book Depository building in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Curatorial Commentary

While restoration was minimal on the sixth floor, to maintain the look and feel of the 1963 warehouse space, the lower floors of the former Texas School Book Depository were extensively renovated in phases between 1978 and 1986 to become seat of Dallas County government, housing the Dallas County Commissioners Court, public works, and the civil division of the Dallas County District Attorney's Office. The distinctive round light fixtures on the top two floors of the building were restored to working order and left in place while the fixtures on the lower floors were removed. The green metal fixtures that are now part of the Museum's Collection were likely installed on the first five floors of the Texas School Book Depository at the time of the assassination. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

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.