See some of Dallas’ most impressive hotels before they checked out, from the Baker to the Jefferson
Editor’s Note: Take a look back at the Dallas Morning News Archives.
Dallas is known for its skyline, which has changed over the decades, as buildings were demolished and rebuilt in the blink of an eye. At the Mayor’s inauguration in 1953, RL Thornton was quoted as saying the Dallas motto should be “Keep the Dirt Fly!” Hotels and establishments that the first visitors to the city called their temporary home and where the residents celebrated parties, events and a night on the town were not immune to the continuous construction either.
Hotels like the Forest Inn, Southland Hotel, Hotel Jefferson, and Baker Hotel are just a handful of the buildings that have been demolished to make way for the expanding city.
Oak Cliff Hotel / Hotel Cliff / Forest Inn
Headline published in The Dallas Morning News on July 11, 1890.(The Dallas Morning News)
History: The Oak Cliff Hotel – originally known as the Park Hotel – opened in 1890 on the corner of Jefferson Street and Crawford Street in Oak Cliff. However, the three-story building, “built on a plan that combines beauty and comfort,” did not last as long as the Oak Cliff Hotel. The hotel, built by Thomas Marsalis as part of his “Resort Spa Promotion” by Oak Cliff, was closed in 1891 for “winter renovations” and never reopened. It was converted into a girls’ school in 1892. The building was auctioned in 1903 and converted into the Hotel Cliff. It remained under this name for several years until it was reopened as a forest inn in 1921 and stayed until 1945.
What happened: In 1945 the property was sold and the hotel demolished.
What’s Here Now: The Oak Cliff Municipal Center
Southland Hotel
Headline published in The Dallas Morning News on October 12, 1907.(The Dallas Morning News)
This image of the Southland Hotel was scanned from “DALLAS: CONVENTION CITY, 1908” published in 1908 by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks for its grand lodge meeting and annual reunion in Dallas that year.(The Dallas Morning News)
History: The Southland Hotel opened in 1907 at 1200 Main St. in downtown Dallas. In addition to guest rooms, a restaurant and office rooms, the eight-story building had three storefronts on the ground floor: a drugstore, a “dry goods store” and a saloon.
The hotel was also part of the infamous Southland Syndicate, owned by the infamous Benny Binion. According to Doug J. Swanson, former news writer and author of Blood Aces: The Wild Ride of Benny Binion, “To get to the Southland cube room, a player crossed the lobby and climbed the stairs to the mezzanine. In room 226 he pressed a button next to a door that said Private. One of Binion’s men pushed a speakeasy-esque vent, eyed the potential newcomer, and decided whether to let him in. On a normal night the place filled with maybe 50 men in suits who drank, laughed and rolled the dice. “
In 1967 the hotel was renovated in the “Spanish style”. According to a news article earlier this year, the hotel “used handcrafted wall hangings, a combination of burlap painting and collage made in Guadalajara, Mexico, and prints of Spanish paintings,” along with “Mexican wrought iron and painted ceramic lamps.” ”
What Happened: The hotel was demolished in 1971 to make way for the 25-story Main Tower. In 2005 developers bought the building to convert it into apartment buildings.
What’s there now: The Metropolitan Condominiums on 1200 Main.
Jefferson Hotel / Hotel Dallas
This picture of the Jefferson Hotel on Ferris Plaza was taken on November 11, 1953.(The Dallas Morning News)
History: The Jefferson Hotel was built in 1917 opposite Union Station on Wood Street, north of Ferris Plaza, by Oak Cliff businessman Charles A. Mangold.
In the first decades the hotel was renovated and expanded. By the early 1930s, the size had doubled. The journalist Robert R. Penn wrote in 1921 about the “good construction” of the hotel: “The entire building is made of reinforced concrete, the first floor with terracotta ornaments and the upper floors with dark brown tapestry tiles. The architecture is simple but very pleasing and imposing, with only the iron column portico at the south entrance and the terracotta designs and cornices for ornamental effects. ”At the time, the lobby of the Jefferson Hotel was the largest lobby in Dallas.
In late April 1953, the hotel was leased to Alsonett Hotels and the name changed to Hotel Dallas later that year. The new management also added air conditioning, a motorized entrance and a “new lobby with high-speed automatic elevators”.
What Happened: The hotel was convicted in the early 1970s for failing to meet fire brigade safety standards. It then went bankrupt and was purchased by the City of Dallas for $ 385,000 in 1974 to give access to Reunion’s new development.
What’s here now: A Courtyard Marriott and Cindi’s NY Deli & Restaurant.
Baker Hotel
The Baker Hotel can be seen in this photo from around 1937.(The Dallas Morning News)
History: The Baker Hotel opened in 1925 opposite the Adolphus. The building had 18 floors, most of which were dedicated to guest rooms, and 10 retail stores around the lobby, as well as a coffee shop. When it opened, the 11th floor was “strictly reserved as a women’s floor, with a permanent caretaker”.
The hotel hosted many balls, galas, and other events that were attended by celebrity Dallas supporters and even movie stars and former presidents. The WFAA broadcasting studio was adjacent to the hotel’s roof garden.
The Baker was known for its Peacock Terrace and the Crystal Ballroom, named after its six crystal chandeliers. The Idlewild Debutante Ball took place annually in the Crystal Ballroom until 1959.
Headline published in The Dallas Morning News on August 31, 1979.(The Dallas Morning News)
What Happened: Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. bought the block that the Baker Hotel stood on and felt the hotel couldn’t be customized. The hotel closed in 1979 and furnishings, including chandeliers and doorknobs, were auctioned off. As the hotel closed, manager Lonnie Witte told HR reporter Ann Atterberry that the Dallas Society “grew out of our ballroom” when new hotels opened in 1959. The hotel was demolished in 1980 to make way for Southwestern Bell’s headquarters.
What’s here now: Whitacre Tower and One AT&T Plaza
Other past hotels
- Powell Hotel & Court
- St. George Hotel / Hotel Whitmore
- Maurice Hotel
- Bluebonnet Hotel
- Ambassador Hotel
- Troxy Hotel
- Birdwell Hotel
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