Do you remember when the Dallas Grand Hotel sat decaying on the edge of downtown Dallas? This video discusses the rise, fall, and rebirth of the storied hotel.
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Opened in 1956 as The Statler Hilton, the hotel was designed by famed architect William Tabler and was built at a cost of $16 million. Opening day was a four-day celebration as it was the first major hotel development in Dallas for almost 30 years. The grand opening included celebrities such as dancer Ann Miller, Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and actress Dorothy Malone.
The hotel had 1,001 guest rooms, over 20 stories, and a ballroom that could hold 2,200 people. Over the years through renovations, the room count was reduced to 710. This is understandable because over 1,000 rooms to maintain is a logistical nightmare.
Anyway, the hotel was cutting edge for its time. It was the first hotel to have “elevator music” and even had 21” Westinghouse TVs in the rooms - this was not commonplace at the time. It also had a heliport on the roof to transport VIPs via helicopter back and forth to the airport. In its prime, celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis stayed there, which elevated the glamorous status of the hotel.
The Statler also has a key role in rock and roll history. On July 1, 1976, Ike & Tina Turner had a gig at the Statler. On the way from the airport, they had an infamous fight where Tina fought back against Ike. When they arrived at the Statler, Ike told the hotel staff that the limo had been in an accident, which was to attempt to explain why they were covered in blood and wounded.
They went up to their room and when Ike fell asleep, Tina took the opportunity to finally escape her abusive husband. She ran down the back steps of the hotel through the kitchen and then down St. Paul Street, across I-30, and to the Ramada Plaza Hotel.
Luckily, when she arrived at the Ramada, with only 36 cents in her pocket, the night clerk gave her a room and placed security outside her door. That hotel is now the Hotel Lorenzo.
As competition increased over the years, the popularity of the hotel declined until the hotel was sold by Hilton in 1988 to Hong Kong Investors who renamed it Dallas Grand Hotel.
This lack of affiliation with Hilton and name change led to fewer guests and deterioration of the hotel. It limped along in the shadow of its former glory before it closed in 2001. The massive decomposing structure stood as an eyesore and reminder of the past.
It was almost successfully destroyed in 2003 but was ultimately spared. The building was included by Preservation Dallas in 2007 and 2008 as its Most Endangered lists as the organization campaigned to have the hotel preserved. In 2008, it was included on the list of “America’s Most Endangered Places” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation due to its importance in American mid-century design.
Despite the successful efforts to preserve the building, it continued to sit abandoned and decaying.
In 2011, the hotel was sold to developer Leobardo Trevino who had plans to restore the hotel to its former glory and make it look the way it did in 1956 and this time to include residential units as well.
The project lost steam due to its overwhelming enormity. By April 2013 Trevino was looking to sell the building. The architectural elements which made it cutting edge in 1956 plus the years of water damage and decay, not to mention all of the asbestos, made it difficult to safely renovate.
Later in 2013, Centurion American Development Group signed a deal to purchase the building. They still planned to include the residential development but they also had ambitious plans to include a movie theater, grocery store, restaurants, retail, and a live music venue.
In 2015, it was announced that the Statler and the adjacent former public library would be developed as the Statler Hotel & Residences at a cost of $230 million, with the help of $50 million from the city of Dallas. Under the new development deal, once again, the hotel would be managed by Hilton as it was when it originally opened.
The new hotel would have 159 hotel guest rooms on the first 5 floors and 219 apartments on the upper 11 floors.
The hotel reopened on October 17, 2017, and marked a return to its former glory. The hotel keeps restored classic cars outside and includes many other nods to its storied history through design elements. The current design feels distinctly new, but also as though you are going back in time.
It has several restaurants inside including Pan Asian Gastropub Fine China, farm-to-table restaurant Over Easy, and rooftop bar and lounge Waterproof. It seems as though a new chapter has begun for this storied hotel.