Old Red Museum

Dallas, United States

3.8

Open now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 214-745-1100
Website:
oldred.org
Address:
100 S Houston St, Dallas, TX, 75202
West End, Downtown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.2 miUnion Streetcar Station
0.5 miConvention Center Station
1.2 miGreenbriar Streetcar Station
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Dallas) 12:38 PM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The mission of the Old Red Museum is to inspire and educate people with the rich cultural, economic, political and social history of the Dallas County area, showcasing the many cultures that together have formed the Dallas of today.

Every day, the Old Red Museum shares the community’s inspirational stories from multiple perspectives by providing access to some of its most important and iconic artifacts and historic images. Four chronological galleries are located in former courtrooms, which consist of more than 10,000 square feet. The museum exhibits present a comprehensive look at the county’s development and growth from pre-​history to the present day. Six theaters, 41 touch-​screen kiosks, and a hands-​on Children’s Education Center are the interactive core of our permanent exhibit.

We also support a temporary exhibit gallery that provides space for community partners to showcase their stories, highlights artifacts from our stored collection, and hosts traveling exhibits.

History

Established in 2007.

Old Red was designed by M.A. Orlopp in the popular massive Romanesque style – a style that conveyed the stability, confidence, and economic power of the growing county, now 38,000 strong. Dallas was Texas’ largest city with a passionate belief in an optimistic future; the new courthouse which quickly became known as «Old Red» communicated this belief with its majestic enormity. The building boasted a blue granite base, red Pecos sandstone, multiple turrets and cupolas, and a soaring clock tower with illuminated faces. The interior was no less grand with marble, tile, white oak paneling and a magnificent 12-​foot wide iron stairway that dominated the entry hallway. — «An Imposing and Magnificent Fire Proof Structure» (Dallas Morning News, 1892-​07-​02)

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20 reviews of Old Red Museum

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Grand Prairie, TX
Humanities Texas hosted a one day workshop here over the topic of 20th century Texas. Not only was it informative, we also had the pleasure of getting to meet on the 4th floor of the Old Red Museum. Although I was aware of the building and its location, I had not actually visited prior to my professional development workshop. The facilities are very nice, although parking can be a bit difficult to secure as the courthouse is directly across the street.
We were invited to go peruse the museum’s collection following our workshop but I was ready to go and wanted to beat the downtown traffic so I left immediately following the conclusion of the program. Since the museum is so reasonable and features quite a bit of Dallas history, I will have return during the summer and check it out.
Place rating: 5
McKinney, TX
This was a great way to spend a couple of hours on a chilly December day. We could have stayed longer if we watched the various short films. For two people the price was less than twenty bucks and that included underground parking. Very interesting and quite a bargain.
Place rating: 2
Dallas, TX
I paid $ 8 to tour the museum but it was probably only worth 4 at most. There was nothing particularly fascinating and some items were missing with cards or other whatnots as placeholders. The most interesting thing about this building is the exterior.
Place rating: 3
Oklahoma City, OK
I really am not a fan of giving this place 3 stars. However, I can’t justify 4 stars as it just didn’t wow me enough.
Many of y’all know that I’m a history nerd, so of course I thought I should hit up as many museums on my Dallas trip as possible. I love the exterior look of the ORM and it really stands out from many of the new-​ish buildings around it. The interior of the ORM has been beautifully restored, but that’s about all of the good things I have to say.
Don’t get me wrong, the artifacts at the ORM are really neat and detail a long period of time in Dallas’ history. However, nothing is interactive, save for a few phones scattered around the museum that tell the listener about a particular item they are looking at. Also, there isn’t anything to touch or stand really close to that isn’t behind glass, which I found extremely disappointing.
Another thing I wasn’t a fan of was the excessive amount of reading there was to do. I know, that sounds extremely ignorant of me to say, however… there is only so much a person can read about an Indian war club before they start to zone out.* While I appreciate the ORM’s attention to historical detail, maybe some bullet points in the future.
Overall, my experience at the ORM wasn’t terrible… I was just expecting more. However, if you’re wanting to learn about the history of Dallas, this place is worth a visit, especially with the cheap admission price of $ 6.
*I noticed many people that were only looking at the exhibits and skipping the text portions of them altogether.
Place rating: 4
Temple City, CA
Big Red Castle. This building is awesome! Did not actually pay to go in but I loved the design of the building.
I did sneak inside for a quick break from the heat. There was a very cool pegasus sign inside.
One of the best looking sites I saw in Dallas.
Place rating: 5
Plano, TX
Great location filled with vast information on the history of Dallas. I highly recommend it!
Place rating: 3
Silver Spring, MD
We visited in November on a particularly cold day. We were waiting for the 6th Floor Museum to open and we were being harassed by some panhandlers on the corner so we figured we would duck inside for some relief.
Being that it was a Sunday morning, the price of admission was reduced to $ 5 (every Sunday until noon, otherwise $ 8 for adults). The exhibit on the first floor was turning over, so there wasn’t much to look at there and we headed upstairs.
Not being from Dallas, Texas or anywhere near by, my knowledge of the region was pretty limited to just the stuff I had read about JFK and what I had gleamed from popular culture like JR and the Dallas Cowboys. It gets into a lot of the history and we spent a lot of time reading the exhibit.
We probably spent about 90 minutes in the museum reading and watching all the videos. Not sure there is something someone from way out of town would be really interested in especially at full price, but is a good way to spend a little time getting to know more about Dallas and the surrounding area.
Place rating: 3
Lincoln, NE
Good bang for your buck. Admittedly, I was sort of wandering around the area looking around and getting some eats early on a Sunday morning and realized THIS place is open! Thanks monocle! I like the layout. Downstairs is a very welcoming foyer and newly freshly renovated interior. Upstairs is a labyrinth of history of Dallas. Even a dedicated display for J.R. (cue the musak). It was an interesting stop on my downtown Dallas trip.
Place rating: 4
Plano, TX
Nice Slice of Dallas History and they do not hold back on the Good, the Bad and Ugly of Dallas’ very interesting history.
Place rating: 3
New York, NY
In an old granite Texas courthouse, The Red Museum is a just ok history of Dallas — an information center loaded with artifacts, videos and information placards, though it still made me wonder why it isn’t free.
I did learn, or perhaps was reminded of, the bohemian European immigrant utopian group of west Dallas, La Reunion, and enjoyed some of the early pictures and maps of Dallas.
I skimmed over most of the displays, which would take at least an hour and a half to see everything, including the downstairs «rotating highlights» gallery downstairs which on my visit was over 1960s Dallas.
Couple a visit with Dealey Plaza and 6th floor museum.
Place rating: 5
Spearman, TX
Amazing! And that’s saying something for a few 20 year olds who just decided to stop by. My thoughts before coming was it was going to be just a small bit of information and wouldn’t be worth the money but there is so much to see for only $ 8 ($ 6 for us-​student discounts). There are 4 rooms which are very large broken down by time frames. The videos they provide are really interesting. They are countless items that are from every decade and it’s way more than I expected for the price we paid. There is even a 60’s room downstairs which I was very interested in being a big «Mad Men» fan :), overall a great experience
Place rating: 4
Oklahoma City, OK
I give it 4 stars as a balance to what you get for what you pay. It is a relatively fast walk-​through but full of information. Take your time and watch the four short videos if you can. It was better to watch them, then walk through the adjoined area.
Unfortunately, our visit was cut a little short by a large group of wild kids on a field trip. Normally that would not be a big deal, but the museum space is too small for the large number of people.
I was disappointed that our admission did not allow us to see the renovated courtroom as that was one of the highlights I had hoped to see.
Place rating: 4
Murrieta, CA
There were a ton of people out for the football game. We came to see where The assassination happened. Wanting to do more we went into the museum & were educated on Dallas history. Well spent time & money.
Place rating: 4
Dallas, TX
This is an interactive museum in need of some updating. It was interesting learning about Dallas history (especially for a new resident) but it is not a place you would spend an entire day or even afternoon. The museum is within walking distance of the Sixth Floor Museum so it’s easy to add this museum to your itinerary.
Place rating: 4
Frisco, TX
Being new to Dallas and having family in from out of town I figured this was a great place to take them to learn about the city — and it was a Monday and no other museums in the city seem to be open on Mondays…
The place is easy to access, parking is cheap in the garage, and the staff is friendly.
There are a few places the museum that can get a bit tight to navigate if others are walking in the area but that is certainly bearable. I wanted to learn about the history of Dallas and this place certainly helped me with that.
If nothing else its a great way to kill time and entertain out of town guests.
Place rating: 5
Dallas, TX
I walk by here regularly and just never felt enticed to go inside, but on a rare day off, I thought I’d dart in for a few minutes. Left several HOURS later. Other reviewers complain that you don’t get a feel of the building, and that is largely true. I used to appear in court in this building, and you get no feeling of how this building functioned as a courthouse. Some of the beauty is restored, but this is a museum space, not a museum about the space. Given that (according to a court deputy) they used to hang people in this building, that they didn’t preserve the history of the building is disappointing.
But moving on to the exhibits:
There are four main areas breaking up Dallas’ history from early days to present. Each has an introductory film that is top flight. The exhibits have many audio/​visual stations where you listen to an interview with some pictures/​maps on the screen. Especially for the early history, these were great and appropriate length stories. You really get a feel for live in the early days of Dallas County.
I ending up zipping through the most recent stuff, but as a 50 year resident of Dallas, I knew that history.
So, for a great Dallas experience — take DART to the West End Station and you MUST: 1) See the Sixth Floor Museum; 2) walk the Grassy Knoll; 3) See this Museum; and 4) Get Breakfast or Lunch at the Record Grill — yeah, its a Dive but the burgers are fresh and hot and breakfast is wonderful and cheap.
Place rating: 4
Kihei, HI
After walking around the West End on a hot 95 degree day I ducked in the Old Red Museum with the only expectation that I could soak in some much needed A/​C. I paid the admission fee (I think it was $ 7) so that I could see the museum’s exhibits on the second floor. There were lots of exhibits explaining the history of Dallas and surrounding area. I found the KKK and slavery exhibits quite eye opening. I thought it was funny that the exhibit with segregation signs had the «whites only sign» but the colored signs was missing with a note that it was out on loan and unavailable. They have a couple of movie exhibits and some with touch screen videos. Pictures were allowed and so I took some and will post them on Unilocal.All in all it was a great diversion on a hot day that was quite educational.
Place rating: 3
Pittsburgh, PA
So I thought if I’m gonna be in Dallas for a couple of weeks, might as well soak up some culture. I saw that the Old Red Museum is pretty close to the train station, so I made it my first stop.
The building itself is a gorgeous gothic structure, dating from 1892. It was once the courthouse for Dallas County. I think I was more impressed with the building itself than the museum. It looks like a lot of restoration work went into it. The clock tower had been removed many years ago, but was restored in 2007. The lunettes had similarly been removed in a 1960s modernization of the building and they too have since been restored or replaced. The grand staircase also suffered the same fate. It was removed for additional office space. It’s restoration combines originals and replicas.
I took the tour of the building, which showcased areas not normally open to the public. This includes the one courtroom which has been restored. I wasn’t as enthralled with the rest of the exhibits. There is a good temporary exhibit going on right now through November 1, 2010. «Old Red: Through the Eyes of the Community» which showcases local artists interpretations of the building.
Place rating: 3
Dallas, TX
Museum or Wedding? Which review do I do first…
Okay, went here for a wedding this weekend. It was beautiful! Attention to detail was super. The wedding was on the 4th floor and the room was lovely and well set up. The cocktail hour was on the 2nd floor and the set up lent itself well to the number of folks who attended. The reception was on the 4th floor after cocktail hour. Once again it was fairly perfect.
One complaint – the acoustics were terrible. I couldn’t hear anyone unless they were right up in my face. I’m assuming it has to do with the building being old. And this is one of those things you wouldn’t even know about when looking for a wedding venue unless you take about 200 of your closest friends with you when you are checking places out.
Oh yeah… and the bathrooms were on the third floor. I climbed a lot of stairs.
Museum – super duper. Went right before Christmas and had our photos taken for free with Mr AND Mrs. Claus. They had a room full of decorated Christmas trees. The exhibits were very cool. There were a lot of videos to watch and several interactive exhibits. I learned quite a bit about Dallas history. Only downside is that there’s just not a lot there. It’s totally worth the money. I will go when I have more time so I can read every plaque and what not.
Place rating: 3
Dallas, TX
While surfing the net on Friday, I read somewhere that on the second Saturday’s of each month the Old Red Museum offers tours of the building, and they talk about the architecture of the courthouse, and other buildings in Dallas. So after having lunch at Cindy’s NY Deli, my friend and I walked over to the museum. Admission price is usually $ 8 for adults, but it was only $ 5 this past Saturday.
The museum part takes up the entire second floor of the courthouse, and it’s all about Dallas. The rooms are broken down by time frame, so you start at the earliest parts of Dallas history and end at present day, or 2007, I think it was.
I’m a little ADD when it comes to reading, and there’s a lot to read about from the different prominent people of Dallas, the different times, the different places. It was a little hard for me to read everything, so we skimmed a lot of it, but still spent over an hour going through the rooms.
There was a special exhibit on the first floor dedicated to Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. We skimmed that room fast, so I can’t really comment on anything there.
We never saw the tours for the building, but when were back downstairs; we saw that the last tour was at 2pm. It was 2:30. Bummer.
I definitely want to go back and do the tour. I read that they take you through the restored courtroom and to the bank vault.
Overall for the price, it’s totally worth checking out the museum. You might learn some things about Dallas that you might not have known before. I certainly did.