{"id":33051,"date":"2025-11-03T12:53:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/33051\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T12:53:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:53:17","slug":"why-its-vital-city-hall-remains-standing-we-asked-the-architects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/33051\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It’s Vital City Hall Remains Standing: We Asked the Architects"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CityCredit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

As the unprecedented rush to determine the fate of Dallas City Hall unfolds, I\u2019ve been reaching out to the people we should be listening to. Those who possess the education, experience, and knowledge about architecturally significant buildings \u2014 architects.<\/p>\n

This is not a decision that should be made based on economic gain. In fact, it should never have even become a discussion. But here we are, so let\u2019s listen to the professionals before tonight\u2019s public meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1500 Marilla St. We hope everyone will voice their opinions on the fate of this historically<\/a> and architecturally significant building, one that is globally recognized and a defining feature of our city.<\/p>\n

\"CityCredit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

Max Levy, FAIA<\/p>\n

The Dallas City Hall, together with its Plaza, is arguably the finest example of Modern civic architecture in the country.\u00a0It is unlikely that the City has the artistic commitment and budget to replace this distinguished work at the same level of excellence. To demolish it on the basis of practicality and efficiency would be a bewildering episode of civic effacement. Repair and restore it, inhabit it with sensitivity and gratitude for its uplifting proportions and civic atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\"\"Renowned architect I.M. Pei designed Dallas City Hall to be impressive, dramatic, and impactful. It is all of those things. Credit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

Cliff Welch\u00a0FAIA<\/p>\n

It would be incredibly shortsighted to lose such an iconic piece of Dallas\u2019s history and culture from an architect as influential and respected as I.M. Pei.<\/p>\n

Willis Winters, FAIA<\/p>\n

The suggestion to demolish an internationally renowned public building to make way for a basketball arena is preposterous and should be firmly rejected. Civic landmarks are not fungible assets to be replaced by private entertainment venues. The value of City Hall as a symbol of democracy, history, and architectural achievement far exceeds any hypothetical benefit of an arena in this location.<\/p>\n

\"CityCredit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

Norman Alston, FAIA<\/p>\n

Dallas City Hall embodies everything that architecture should. It is a direct result of Dallas desperately seeking to reshape and rebrand itself after the Kennedy assassination. It is the first and probably the purest representation of those efforts that was ever accomplished. The Plaza was designed to bring the community together. The architecture was designed to be bold and progressive, and it was, whether you like it or not.<\/p>\n

In the 1970s, it was an internationally recognized and important building, and by 1970s standards, it was transparent. They were absolutely going for the theme of government transparency. It\u2019s\u00a0not a disposable building. It was not meant to be here for only 50 years and tossed.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have enough specific information to detail it. The actual repair numbers are not north of $300 million. We could fix everything at Fair Park for that.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0a great building at any level. There is no justification for tearing it down.\u00a0Fix what is broken.<\/p>\n

\"\"Credit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

Stephen B. Chambers, AIA<\/p>\n

The Brutalist inverted pyramid by I.M. Pei is a bold and provocative gesture that we have too little of in Dallas. It\u2019s not just another forgettable shiny glass object. It invites thought, conversation, and opinions. It\u2019s unforgettable and dynamic.<\/p>\n

Eddie Maestri, AIA<\/p>\n

As an architect, I believe tearing down buildings, especially ones of civic and architectural significance, is often a very shortsighted decision. Throughout history, we\u2019ve seen how structures that fall out of favor in one era are later recognized for their cultural or design importance. Think of the loss of New York\u2019s original Penn Station or the urban renewal projects of the 1960s that erased so much early-20th-century architecture. Beyond the historical implications, demolition can be inherently wasteful and far from sustainable. Preserving and adapting our existing civic buildings is almost always the greener, wiser, and more forward-thinking approach.<\/p>\n

\"CityPhoto by Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com<\/p>\n

Carl Elefante, former president of the American Institute of Architects<\/p>\n

\u201cThe greenest building is\u2026\u00a0one that is already built.\u201d This concept encapsulates the idea of \u201cembodied energy,\u201d which refers to the investment of materials and energy in existing buildings.<\/p>\n

Petition to save Dallas City Hall<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit: Karen Eubank for CandysDirt.com As the unprecedented rush to determine the fate of Dallas City Hall unfolds,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33052,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[21212,102,21213,106,104,103,21214,21215,21216,21217,21218],"class_list":{"0":"post-33051","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-cliff-welch","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-dallas-architects","11":"tag-dallas-city-hall","12":"tag-dallas-headlines","13":"tag-dallas-news","14":"tag-eddie-maestri","15":"tag-max-levy","16":"tag-norman-alston","17":"tag-stephen-b-chambers","18":"tag-willis-winters"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}