Dallas Statler Hilton

The Statler Hotel & Residences
The Statler and adjacent old Dallas Public Library building in 2009.
General information
Location	Dallas, Texas, United States
Address	1914 Commerce Street
Opening	1956, 2017
Cost	$16 million
Owner	Centurion American Development Group
Management	Hilton Hotels
Technical details
Floor count	19
Design and construction
Architect	William B. Tabler
Other information
Number of rooms	159 hotel rooms, 219 apartments
Website
Official website

The Statler Hotel & Residences is an iconic hotel of mid-twentieth century design located at 1914 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). 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 has been vacant since 2001, but is currently set to be restored and reopened in 2016.

Designed for the Statler Hotels chain, the hotel opened after that chain's sale to Hilton Hotels and was completed in 1956 at a cost of $16 million as The Statler Hilton Dallas. It was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and the largest convention facility in the South. Opening day included luminaries from both coasts converging on Dallas for a four-day celebration.

Architect William B. Tabler introduced several new construction techniques and materials. The first full application of its kind, a cantilevered reinforced flat-slab system reduced the number of columns needed and created a soaring building. Tabler was also one of the first in the country to use a thin-skinned curtain wall design consisting of 1 3/8" panels made of glass and colored porcelain coated metal. Its innovative features made it a significant contributor to the Modern movement in Dallas, and for the state of Texas.

The Y-shaped building contained 1,001 guest rooms over 20 floors and a ballroom capable of hosting 2,200 people. The room count was reduced to 710 after numerous renovations.

The hotel itself was proclaimed “the last word in hostelries.” The Statler Hilton boasted many firsts for the hotel industry such as elevator music and custom 21" Westinghouse TVs in every room. It was one of the first hotels to have its ballroom and conference rooms located on lower floors, and a heliport was located on the roof to shuttle guests from nearby airports.