How famed architect I.M. Pei transformed downtown Dallas
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Fountain Place towers above most of Dallas at 720 feet. Photo: James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images
I.M. Pei and Partners defined Dallas' skyline and arts district.
The big picture: In 1964, after the Kennedy assassination, incoming mayor J. Erik Jonsson toured some of the world's greatest cities seeking inspiration for Dallas.
- That journey led the mayor to suggest building a new City Hall designed by Pei.
State of design: Pei's firm went on to design One Dallas Center and Energy Plaza — office towers that have been transformed into residential units.
- Pei's firm also designed Fountain Place, which is the fifth tallest skyscraper in the city. Its triangular top and sloped sides are recognizable from miles away.
The intrigue: Pei designed only one concert hall in his career. The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center opened in 1989 in Dallas.
- It was his final design in the city.
- The structure blends the strong concrete elements of City Hall with the glassy expanse of his skyscrapers.
Flashback: Pei was known to become absorbed in a design, isolating himself for several weeks to focus. Because of his busy schedule, he drew the exterior concert of the symphony hall while on a winter vacation in the Caribbean in the early 1980s, per a 1982 D Magazine article.
What he said: Pei believed buildings had faces, and for City Hall, his intent was to have the angular structure face the business district.
- "There is a dialogue between government and business, and that is what Dallas is all about, eh? There we are facing each other, hopefully in a very friendly relationship, but different," the architect told D Magazine.