I.M. Pei-designed Dallas City Hall could be razed
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Dallas City Hall is a brutalist, modern design by I.M. Pei. Photo: Ben Torres/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Louvre Pyramid. The East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Dallas City Hall. All were designed by the same renowned architect, but the future of one of these landmarks is now unclear.
Why it matters: Dallas City Hall is more than the seat of the city's government. It's a symbol, designed to transform the perception of Dallas from the City of Hate to a respected modern metropolis.
- But after decades of neglect, the I.M. Pei-designed City Hall could be flattened and the land sold to the highest bidder.
Driving the news: The Dallas City Council voted last week to authorize the city manager to explore options for the future of the building, from updating the structure to tearing it down and selling the land to developers.
- City staff have estimated the building needs at least $150 million in repairs and could need as much as $350 million. A detailed assessment to determine precise costs hasn't been completed.
Flashback: Dallas hired Pei to design the building after Jacqueline Kennedy chose the architect to design the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.
- The selection was symbolic of the city's attempt to move beyond the notoriety of the assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963.
The big picture: City Hall sits on about 15 acres of prime downtown real estate near the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which is set to undergo a $3 billion transformation.
State of play: The building's repairs and updates could be funded through selling other city-owned properties or allocating funds from the city's annual budget and in future bond programs.
- Or it could be sold.
- City offices could move into existing high-rise real estate in downtown, much like Fort Worth did this year when the City Hall moved into the former Pier 1 headquarters.
Zoom out: A Dallas City Council committee and Dallas employees are assessing the city's 50,000 acres of real estate to see if it's feasible to maintain it all.
- City staff estimated in 2003 that City Hall would need $54.1 million in repairs, including replacing the roof.
- The building's HVAC systems are outdated. One end of City Hall may be freezing, while the other is sweltering. Old plumbing occasionally leaks. The building isn't ADA compliant.
What's next: The city manager has been directed to present findings by the end of February.