Dallas City Hall, 1914-1978
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In May 1910 Dallas officials determined that the City Hall, then situated on the northwest corner of Commerce and Akard Streets, had become too small to serve adequately the city's population of over 90,000. They sold the property to Adolphus Busch, who built the Adolphus Hotel at that site. A number of locations were considered for the new municipal facility before C. C. Slaughter suggested this site, which the city purchased in the fall of 1911. Voters approved a bond issue in an April 1912 election, and construction began in May 1913. The completed building opened on Oct. 17, 1914, to coincide with the start of the State Fair. C. D. Hill and Co. of Dallas designed the five-story Beaux-arts City Hall, constructed of Texas gray granite. Ornate Corinthian columns line the Classical facade. The interior of the structure, originally finished with marble floors and mahogany woodwork, has been remodeled periodically to provide additional office space. In 1956 the adjacent municipal building was erected to serve the growing city. In the basement of this structure on Nov. 24, 1963, Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
By 1910 Dallas had outgrown its old city hall, so officials sold that corner to a brewer who built the Adolphus Hotel and chose this site for a grand new one. Opened in 1914 to coincide with the State Fair, the five-story Beaux-Arts building of Texas gray granite, with its Corinthian columns, served the booming city for decades. In the basement of the adjacent municipal building, on November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy.
Why it matters
A monument to Dallas's Progressive-era ambitions, this building became forever linked to one of the most wrenching moments in modern American history.
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Related people
- · Jack Ruby
- · Lee Harvey Oswald
- · John F. Kennedy
- · C. D. Hill
Related events
- · Shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald
Themes & tags
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