Plaster Corinthian capital piece from the Texas School Book Depository
Object number1987.001.0042.0001
Datecirca 1903
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectArchitectural element
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumPlaster, Concrete
Dimensions22 1/2 x 12 x 13 1/2 in.
DescriptionOriginal ornamental Corinthian capital architectural element from the Texas School Book Depository building. This Corinthian capital piece is a representative sample of a group of five that survive today. It is made of plaster, and the measurements for this represesntative piece are 22 1/2" H x 12" W x 13 1/2" D. The piece is hollow and molded into a traditional floral scrollwork design.
This building element was recovered by Dallas County after their purchase of the former Texas School Book Depository building in 1977.
Curatorial CommentaryUpon touring the Depository building in the late 1970s, architect Rodger Burson, whose firm had been hired by Dallas County to renovate the 1901 warehouse into the seat of local government, noticed visible damage on the first floor of the Depository. In his oral history, Burson recalled, "Well, as you came in the building, on the first floor there was a lobby with plaster columns with Corinthian capitals that were badly damaged, chipped." He lamented that due to budget constraints, "we couldn't do the cornice quite like it was, [though] we tried to get as close as we could." The replicated columns and capital elements remain in place on the ground floor of the building just outside of the two-story Dallas County Commissioners Courtroom. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
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.
