Livestock barns at the fair were generally constructed of wood frame until the mid-1920s, and fires were a constant hazard. Five wooden structures burned on June 3, 1925 while the buildings were occupied by the 1st Battalion, 1st Kansas Field Artillery of the Kansas National Guard. The cause of the fire was never determined. Governor Paulen, numerous members of the legislature and the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce were consulted. In similar instances, the state had reimbursed the “progressive and loyal men” who advanced money to rebuild such needed facilities of a state institution. George Gano, a wealthy Hutchinson grain dealer was appealed to and he personally provided a loan to the Fair Board for the construction of a new fire-proof cattle barn. The state architect furnished plans and once again, the state reformatory provided the necessary labor.
A new fireproof building was completed before the opening of the September fair. The Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of State Fair Managers for 1927 and 1928 describes the building. “Cattle Department Building, 120 x2 72 feet. (20 feet high.) This building is built of brick, cement and iron roof and not a stick of wood in it. Capacity 480 head.” The large brick building was approximately one block long and is now called the Beef Tie Barn.
In 2006 the beef barn was converted to a rabbit and poultry building. A new beef facility, Prairie Pavilion, was constructed south of the existing structure.