Crowds will gather in Dallas today to officially commemorate the life and death of President John F. Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his assassination in the city. The ceremony will take place in the shadow of the former Texas School Book Depository, the building from which alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald took aim at the president from a sixth floor window.
Since that day in 1963 the warehouse building has gained worldwide notoriety for its association with the fatal shooting. Today it is a county government building housing a memorial museum chronicling Kennedy’s assassination and legacy. The museum has become a popular Dallas tourist attraction but will close today as a mark of respect.
At the time of the shooting Oswald was an employee in the warehouse which was owned by Texas businessman D.H Byrd. Byrd had links to Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, a fact which has fuelled one of the many conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination which have proliferated in the intervening years.
Although the building will always be inextricably linked to that sunny November day, its history stretches back to the late nineteenth century.
The land on which the building stands was originally owned by farmer, trader and lawyer John Neely Bryan. During the 1880s French born Maxime Guillot ran a waggon shop on the site before it was bought by the Rock Island Plow Company in 1894. Five years later the company built a five storey building on the site but this was destroyed by fire following a lightning strike in 1901.
It was rebuilt in the Romanesque style in 1903 and this is the seven storey building that stands today. Byrd acquired the 80,000 sq ft warehouse in the 1930s and it was subsequently leased to the Texas School Book Depository Company. Seven years after the assassination, the company vacated the premises and Byrd put the property up for auction.
Its history, and prime location in a development zone, ensured it would generate bids and it was sold to promoter and music producer Aubrey Mayhew who planned to establish a Kennedy museum in the building. This failed to materialise and, in 1972, an arsonist caused severe damage to the property which was then returned to the Byrd family following foreclosure.
In 1977 the building was almost demolished but it was saved when Dallas County stepped in with an offer. Afterwards it was declared a Texas Historic Landmark and renamed the Dallas County Administration Building. The 9,000 sq ft museum opened in 1989 following a fundraising effort.
Today’s memorial in Dealey Plaza – which is a ticket only event – will commence with the tolling of church bells throughout the city followed by a minute’s silence. Music will be provided by members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra along with prayers from religious leaders and special readings from Kennedy’s speeches. The hour-long programme will be concluded by a ceremonial flyover.
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