- Dallas Market Center
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Dallas Market Center, located along Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, Texas (USA), sits on 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land and spans more than 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m2). Dallas Market Center is the international home of the lighting industry, a leader in home décor and the national home of the floral and Christmas industries.
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The campus
Dallas World Trade Center
The four-building campus houses nearly 2,300 permanent showrooms offering more than 35,000 product lines from leading manufacturers. It consists of World Trade Center, Trade Mart, International Floral & Gift Center (IFGC), and Market Hall.
The largest building on the campus is World Trade Center, standing 15 stories tall. Its product categories include gifts, home accessories, lighting, floral, holiday, jewelry, rugs, toys, garden, gourmet foods, furniture, bed, bath and linens. It is also home to FashionCenterDallas, an apparel and accessories marketplace for men’s, women’s, and children’s fashion merchandise. The building features several restaurants including District One Five Lounge, a top floor buyers’ lounge and event space with a panoramic view of downtown Dallas.
Buyers looking for gift, paper products, tabletop, collectibles, housewares, lighting, and decorative accessories can find them in the four floors of the Dallas Trade Mart. In affiliation with the American Lighting Association, DMC calls the Dallas Trade Mart the "International Home of Lighting," including a 500,000-square-foot (46,000 m2) expansion that opened in January 2007.
The two-story IFGC is devoted to permanent floral, floral accessories, and gift merchandise.
Most local consumers are familiar with Market Hall, the 214,000-square-foot (19,900 m2) exhibit hall which hosts around 60 consumer shows and exhibits annually, attracting more than 400,000 patrons.
History
Southwest Homefurnishings Mart c.1957Dallas Market Center was founded in 1957 by real estate developer Trammell Crow. The first building opened was the Dallas Homefurnishings Mart designed by Donald H. Speck. Constructed for $6,500,000, the 434,000-square-foot (40,300 m2) Homefurnishings Mart was the third largest building in Dallas. This structure was reborn in 1999 as the International Floral & Gift Center. It is the national home of permanent floral and seasonal products.
The first market was held in July 1957 and was attended by 1,850 visitors. Today, the largest markets attract more than 50,000 attendees from all 50 states and 84 countries.
Dallas Trade Mart c.1958
Pergola in the Dallas Trade Mart Grand Courtyard c.1958The Dallas Trade Mart, designed by Harold Berry and Donald Speck, with Harwell Hamilton Harris, opened its doors in 1958. The project provided 980,000 square feet (91,000 m2) at a cost of $12,640,000. In 1995, the building was selected by The American Institute of Architects Dallas to receive its 25 Year Award. The Trade Mart was the destination of the President John F. Kennedy motorcade in 1963 where he was scheduled to give a speech to 2,600 people at a sold-out luncheon in the Grand Courtyard. Upon hearing the news of his assassination, the luncheon guests bowed their heads in prayer. In 1964, Elizabeth Erink of England created the bronze sculpture “The Eagle” which sits outside the main Trade Mart entrance today. It features a William Blake quote and a plaque which reads, “Placed in memorial by the friends of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy who awaited his arrival at the Dallas Trade Mart Nov. 22, 1963.”
In 1964, the original Apparel Mart opened for business at a cost of $15 million. Forty years later, the apparel and accessories showrooms moved to their current home in FashionCenterDallas on the top floors of World Trade Center. Today, fashion remains a centerpiece of the Dallas marketplace attracting buyers from across the globe.
World Trade Center is the centerpiece of the campus featuring 15 floors. It opened in 1974 with only seven stories.
A handful of home-furnishings showrooms in a single building grew in 50 years to nearly 2,300 permanent showrooms across four buildings totaling over 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m2).
Markets
Dallas Total Home & Gift Market is held four times each year in January, March, June, and September, while Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market takes place each January, March, June, August, and October. These shows alone are estimated to bring in more than $8 billion in wholesale transactions. They also help add $300 million directly into the local Dallas economy.
The Dallas Fashion Awards is the oldest retailer-chosen awards program in the nation. Since 1976, the Awards have recognized "superior design innovation, quality workmanship and retail performance." Winners in 10 categories are announced "Academy Awards style" at a gala, held each October during the apparel market. Special awards include a Fashion Excellence Award and a Rising Star Award.
The Accessories Resource Team (ART) partners with Dallas Market Center to sponsor the ARTS Awards held each January which recognizes excellence and achievement in retailing, manufacturing, design, and representation.
The Toy Industry Association holds its Fall Toy Preview at Dallas Market Center through 2010. Previously in New York City, this show is the toy industry’s most important preview of products under development for the following year.
KidsWorld, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) marketplace of children’s products on World Trade Center’s 8th floor, features the nation’s largest collection of gifts, home décor, toys, furniture, and related merchandise to complement the permanent children’s apparel and accessories showrooms already in place.
Management
A private company majority owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties Inc., Dallas Market Center is managed by Market Center Management Company (MCMC), a diversified international company owned by Dallas-based Crow Holdings. MCMC owns the Brussels International Trade Mart and is a management partner for both ShanghaiMart, the largest market center in Asia, and Latinamerican Trade Mart, opening in 2011, the first international market center in Latin America. MCMC also manages GlobalTex, the Los Angeles International Textile Fair, opening April 2009. In total, MCMC marketplaces span more than 12,000,000 square feet (1,100,000 m2).
See also
External links
Categories:- Buildings and structures in Dallas, Texas
- Economy of Dallas, Texas
- Buildings and structures associated with the John F. Kennedy assassination
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