
The Dallas Center for Architecture will present Building Toys and Toy Buildings: Architecture Through A Child’s Eyes. The exhibition includes a wide spectrum of vintage and modern toys, including unusual examples like the Eames House of Cards, AstroBrite and Girder and Panel Sets.
A section of the exhibition examines a variety of blocks—from German stone Anchor Blocks dating from the early 1900s to the colored Playskool wooden blocks that have been a part of so many toy boxes for decades. Additionally, the show looks at the various toy buildings in existence, with a special emphasis on doll houses, including one of the first Barbie Dream Houses and a house built by an architect for his daughter in the 1970s.
Also included are groups of buildings from the Fisher-Price collection and the metal toys of the Marx Company. A highlight of the show is a 6-foot tall K’Nex Ferris Wheel made up of 8,550 individual pieces.
While the exhibit itself is “hands-off,” visitors will have the chance to design and build their own structure with blocks, TinkerToys and LEGOs in the “Construction Zone.”