TheSam Houston Hall was a building inHouston, Texas. It was located at 801 Bagby Street in the Fourth Ward, though now considered a part of downtown. It was designed as a temporary structure for the1928 Democratic National Convention. It served as the venue for theHouston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1932 to 1936, after which it was demolished.
The Sam Houston Hall was a wooden structure covering a length of three football fields erected for the 1928 Democratic National Convention. It was designed byKenneth Franzheim andAlfred C. Finn under contract withJesse H. Jones, who insisted on a venue that would accommodate the conventioneers and thousands of spectators. The building was optimized for air flow and equipped with heavy duty "typhoon fans." However, it was also designed as a racially-segregated facility: a substandard area fenced off by chicken wire was designated for African Americans. The hall was completed within four months.[1]
Sam Houston Hall hosted the first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the spring of 1932. A streetcar system made the hall accessible to many Houstonians. It was also located close to the Houston Farmers' Market. The first show, in the middle of theGreat Depression, drew 2,000 people. The show was held annually at the hall through 1936.[2]
The Sam Houston Hall was torn down after the 1936 Livestock Show and Rodeo, then replaced by theSam Houston Coliseum. The site is now occupied by theHobby Center for the Performing Arts.[2]
29°45′42.70″N95°22′11.95″W / 29.7618611°N 95.3699861°W /29.7618611; -95.3699861