page_title: The Statler Hotel & Residences
section_title: Years of neglect
hierarchical_section_title: The Statler Hotel & Residences / Years of neglect
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of Dallas Statler Hilton Hotel exterior
context_page_description: The Statler Hotel & Residences is a hotel of mid-twentieth century design located at 1914 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, Texas. It is located on the edge of the Farmers Market District and adjacent to Main Street Garden Park. The hotel opened in 1956 as The Statler Hilton Dallas and was praised as the first modern American hotel and was designed by William B. Tabler. Later renamed the Dallas Grand Hotel, it closed in 2001, then was restored and reopened in 2017.
context_section_description: Over the years interior renovations have erased many of the original design elements, although staircases are still in their original configuration. The exterior has essentially remained unchanged over the years.
  The building's rehabilitation has been hampered by a number of structural problems, notably water damage and vandalism on some of the floors. However, many of the floors and hotel rooms have remained untouched since 2001. Ironically, the flat-slab structural system that was so innovative in the 1950s now limits ceiling height to 9 feet and adds challenges to any renovation. The building also contains a large amount of asbestos.
  The lack of adequate parking was once considered a challenge to redevelopment, although there are several nearby large parking garages. Main Street Garden Park might have included underground parking had there been a private developer interested before construction began in 2008.
  Recent residential conversions and redevelopment initiatives by the City of Dallas have helped rejuvenate many of the nearby vacant structures. Main Street Garden Park, located in front of the Statler Hilton, replaces many parking structures and is a gathering place for residents, office workers and students of the nearby Universities Center at Dallas.
  Preservation Dallas included the structure in both its 2007 and 2008 Most Endangered lists and has campaigned for preservation of the landmark hotel.
  In 2008 the National Trust for Historic Preservation included the Statler Hilton on its 2008 list of "America's Most Endangered Places," citing its importance in American mid-century design.
  In June 2009 AIA Dallas announced a competition for a temporary installation to provide pleasing views to Main Street Garden Park patrons while the building remains empty. In late 2009 the building's lower levels were covered in opaque plastic and lit from behind, giving the building a lantern-like appearance.
  On March 1, 2011, it was reported that the Statler Hilton building and the adjoining library had been sold to a developer, Leobardo Trevino, who intended to restore it. "Right now," he said, "the plans are to clean it up and restore the exterior and make it nice. We'll gut it and take it down to the concrete...But our plans are to restore it to the original and make it look like it did in 1956. We love the property."  Trevino's group is also restoring 1600 Pacific Tower in downtown Dallas. In March 2012, it was revealed that a previously forgotten, 40-foot-long mural from 1956 had been discovered during renovation of the building.
  Towards the end of April 2013, Dallas news outlets were circulating reports that Trevino's Ricchi Dallas Investments was exploring deals to sell the hotel to prospective buyers; while Trevino did not specifically identify any individual prospects, Dallas-based developer Jack Matthews announced that his company, Matthews Southwest, was executing due diligence concerning a possible purchase, further stating that if Matthews Southwest were to go through with a purchase, that plans for residential redevelopment would be retained. The Matthews Southwest deal fell through in July 2013 after Matthews announced that they "couldn't make the financials work."
caption: Dallas Statler Hilton with Main Street Garden Park construction in 2009
exif: {}