TYLER, Texas — An East Texas landmark is being torn down to thrust Tyler infrastructure and attractions into the future.
On Wednesday, crews began to demolish the historic Harvey Convention Center (better known as Harvey Hall) located on W. Front St.
Since its construction in the early 1970s, the 27,677 sq. ft.-event center has played host to a number of iconic events such as:
- Texas Rose Festival
- East Texas State Fair
- Mistletoe & Magic
- East Texas Symphony Ball
- East Texas Wedding Expo
- East Texas Crisis Center Car Show
- Mayor's Prayer Breakfast
- State of the City Address
- COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
Demolition of Harvey Hall in Tyler begins
According to CBS19's newspaper partners, the Tyler Morning Telegraph, despite the demolition, the East Texas State Fair will open its dors for the 105th time for all fair-goers to come and have fun this September.
The plan for this year’s fair is for it to operate very similarly to the way it did in 2019, John Sykes, president of the East Texas State Fair, said. There are some changes such as where the ticket booth will be and security, but it’s nothing to prevent the festivities from going on.
The fair will take place from Sept. 24 - Oct. 3 and include attractions such as shows, food, rides, animals, live music and more.
City of Tyler Deputy City Manager Stephanie Franklin says in November, after demolition is complete, construction of the new convention center will begin.
According to Fitzpatrick Architects, the firm hired to design the new convention center, the future complex will include a three-acre park with an event lawn and a conference center with more than 60,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space.
“The very last phase will be the Mayfair building rehabilitation and also the three-and-a-half-acre park which is on the front of the facility,” said Franklin. “The ideal date for opening is October 2022. With building materials and all of the challenges that you probably been hearing about, that could delay the project. But we’re optimistic, we hope that we can make a big splash with the Rose Festival in October 2022.”
Franklin says parking will be a problem throughout the construction over the next year and people are asked to remember to give themselves a little bit of extra time when they’re attending an event in the area.