11 Most Endangered

The Statler Hilton Hotel

Year Listed: 2008
Location: Dallas , Texas
Current Status: Endangered
Threat: Development

The Statler Hilton Hotel

Neglected interior of the Statler Hilton Hotel. Photo by Jason Grant.

The Statler Hilton

Modernist exterior of the hotel. Photo from Katherien Seale, Preservation Dallas.

The Statler Hilton

Fire pit at the Statler. Photo by Jason Grant.

Significance

When the Statler Hilton opened in downtown Dallas it was hailed as the most modern hotel in the country. Its sheer size, bold form and innovative architectural features soon made it an icon of mid-20th-century design. Today, the building, once considered the crown jewel of the Hilton hotels, sits vacant. Located on an increasingly attractive piece of real estate, the Statler Hilton faces an uncertain future as encroaching development pressure heightens the threat of demolition.

Completed in 1956 at a cost of $16 million, the Statler Hilton was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and the largest convention facility in the South. The hotel, with 1,000 guest rooms and a ballroom fit for 2,200 people, boasted unheard of luxuries such as elevator music, a roof-top swimming pool and custom 21" Westinghouse TVs in every room. Designed by New York architect William Tabler, it was the first glass-and-metal hotel in the nation. The Y-shaped building employed a flat-slab structural system, the first full application of its kind, which reduced the number of columns and footers needed. Tabler was also one of the first in the country to use a thin-skinned curtain wall design consisting of 1 3/8" panels made of glass and porcelain coated metal. Its innovative features made it a significant contributor to the Modern movement in Dallas, and for the state of Texas.

Spared from demolition in 2003, the Statler Hilton is located across the street from the future site of the city park Main Street Gardens, and adjacent to several large-scale developments. As part of a major revitalization effort for downtown Dallas, construction on the park began a few months ago when an entire city block was cleared, including the parking garage for the hotel.

The property is no longer owned by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. Many other hotel operators have explored the possibility of renovating the hotel, but with no adjacent parking, low ceiling heights and environmental costs, the building remains a challenge. Recognizing that the lack of parking could deter potential buyers, the city's Parks and Recreation Department designed the western half of the new park to accommodate underground parking. The city has publicly stated they would delay construction of the park until funds for an underground lot could be made available. However, a contract with the developers of an adjacent property, precludes any such delay.

The Statler Hilton is emblematic of a number of mid-century modern buildings in large urban areas that are now languishing. Unlike a colonial governor's home or storied battlefield, structures of relatively recent vintage have not engendered similar levels of appreciation. In an effort to protect the Statler Hilton, preservation activists are working to secure its inclusion in the designation of a potential historic district. In addition, Preservation Dallas has drafted a nomination to identify the Statler Hilton as a local landmark. Providing financial incentives such as Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credits to potential buyers is also being explored.

Updates

The park is now finished, without an underground parking lot. This recent development, no parking, makes it even more of a challenge to save the Statler. Preservation Dallas, a local partner, remains in conversation with the city of Dallas to come up with a solution for the Statler.