Arizona State Fairgrounds facts for kids

The Arizona State Fairgrounds is a big place in Phoenix, Arizona. It's located in the Encanto Village area. This large property is used every year for popular events like the Arizona State Fair and the Maricopa County Fair. Many other exciting events also happen here throughout the year.

For many years, the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a large arena at the fairgrounds, was home to the Phoenix Suns basketball team. They played their games there from 1968 until 1992. After that, the team moved to a new arena, which is now called Footprint Center.

The fairgrounds also used to have a special dirt oval track. This track hosted big car races, including AAA National Championship and USAC National Championship races, from 1915 to 1963. It also held NASCAR Grand National races in the 1950s and 1960. In 1964, a new race track called Phoenix Raceway took its place.

History of the Fairgrounds

The Arizona State Fairgrounds started in 1905. A group of volunteers, called the Arizona Territorial Fair Association, bought the land. They began to develop it for fairs and events. At that time, Arizona was not yet a state. It was still a "territory" of the United States.

In 1909, the Territorial Fair Commission bought the grounds. When Arizona officially became a state in 1912, this group became the State Fair Commission. They continued to manage and improve the fairgrounds.

Cool Places at the Fairgrounds

The fairgrounds has many different buildings and areas. Here are some of the main ones:

• The Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum: This is a large indoor arena. It has 14,870 seats and is used for many different kinds of events. It was built in a Modernist style.
• The Party Gras (originally the Gem and Mineral Building): This historic building was built in 1918. It's the oldest building at the fairgrounds. It was first used to show off cool mineral specimens from Arizona's mining industry. It has a high, arched ceiling and a large skylight.
• Grandstand: This big seating area was built between 1936 and 1937. It has 5,000 covered seats. It replaced an older wooden grandstand that had burned down. The outside of the grandstand has 23 special art panels. These panels were created by artists David Carrick Swing and Florence Blakeslee. The Grandstand Arena is an outdoor area used for many events. These include horse shows, dirt track events, mud bog spectaculars, races, rodeos, tractor pulls, and demolition derbies.
• WPA Administration Building (or Civic Building): This historic concrete building was built in 1938. It was created by the Works Projects Administration (WPA). The WPA was a government program during the Great Depression. This building served as their main office for projects in Arizona.
• The Hacienda de Mexico: This is a 12,546 square foot covered area. It's like a small indoor market.
• The Home Arts Center: This building is 13,584 square feet. It's often used for exhibits related to home crafts and skills.
• The Agriculture Center: This area has two buildings. They are designed for large shows and exhibits, especially those involving livestock (farm animals).
• Wesley Bolin Building: This building offers almost 20,000 square feet of space for exhibits.
• Arizona Plaza: This is a 17,184 square foot complex. It is built in the traditional adobe style.
• Exhibit Building: This large building is 50,000 square feet. It's used for big shows and commercial exhibits.

Saving a Historic Building

The WPA Administration Building was finished in 1939. It was built in a style called PWA Moderne. Over time, the building started to fall apart. In 2014, it was planned to be torn down. However, people who care about historic preservationists stepped in. They went to court to stop the demolition.

They were given time to raise money to save the building. They needed $120,000 by April 14, 2016. They succeeded! On April 8, 2016, the Phoenix City Council gave them a $120,000 grant. Another group, the Phoenix IDA, gave them an $80,000 grant. Thanks to these efforts, this important historic building was saved.

Images for kids

• 

  This historic building was first known as the Gem and Mineral Building.

• 

  The side wall of the Gem and Mineral Building

• 

  Close up view of the Gem and Mineral Building

• 

  Inside the Gem and Mineral Building

• 

  The historic Arizona State Fair Grandstand

• 

  Different view of the historic Arizona State Fair Grandstand

• 

  The Arizona State Fair WPA Civic Building

• 

  The front entrance of the Arizona State Fair WPA Civic Building

• 

  The Arizona State Fair Home Economics Building was built in 1940

• 

  Close up view of the Arizona State Fair Home Economics.