Tin ceiling tile from the Texas School Book Depository

When Dallas County purchased the Texas School Book Depository building in 1977, there were pressed-tin drop ceilings on both the first and seventh floors. Architect Rodger Burson recalled that the ceiling tiles on the ground floor were "in bad shape," yet he and his then-partner, James Hendricks, wanted to keep the ceiling tiles as a central part of their redesign of the first floor lobby outside of the two-story Dallas County Commissioners Court. Recognizing that the first floor was in need of modern lighting for better visibility, they came upon the idea of using original tiles with a circular design in the center to hide recessed lighting for the lobby. Rodger Burson recalled that identical tiles from the seventh floor, which were in "pretty good shape" compared to the first floor, were brought down, restored, and repurposed. His former partner, James Hendricks, recalled that while "we used as many of the salvageable sections that we could," some of the tiles had to be reproduced. While the first floor ceiling was replicated with new and original tiles, the entirety of the seventh floor drop ceiling was dismantled during renovations, and a large number of ceiling tiles were saved. Today a few fragments of pressed tin can still be found on the south wall of the seventh floor, identifying the height of the original drop ceiling. -- 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.