Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of the former Texas School Book Depository and Dealey Plaza.
On this page
Warehouse, depository and museum
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1901
A new warehouse
The seven-storey building is completed on the foundation of an 1898 warehouse that burned after a lightning strike.
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1940
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza is completed as a Works Progress Administration project, named after the publisher George Bannerman Dealey.
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1963
The depository
The building is leased to the Texas School Book Depository Company.
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22 November 1963
The assassination
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated as his motorcade passes through Dealey Plaza.
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1970
The lease ends
The depository’s lease ends, and Dallas County later acquires the building.
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1981
Restoration
Dallas County completes the restoration, returning the exterior to its 1901 appearance.
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20 February 1989
The museum opens
The Sixth Floor exhibit opens on Presidents’ Day.
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1993
National Historic Landmark
The Dealey Plaza Historic District is designated a National Historic Landmark.
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1999
The Zapruder film
The Zapruder family gives the museum the copyright to Abraham Zapruder’s film of the motorcade.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
