Best Places To See In Dallas

300 Reunion Blvd. - 1978; Ballroom Addition - 2000

The Hyatt Regency Dallas and Reunion Tower were designed by Welton Becket & Associates from Los Angeles, California. The entire building is covered with reflective glass. Like many of its glass counterparts, the hotel building breaks out of the box and becomes a sculptural element. The focal point of the hotel itself is an 18 story atrium with most of the guest rooms centered on it. Areas containing the rooms are shaped like a Y with the atrium between the upper arms. Each of the arms stair steps down in height from the central elevator core. A major addition to the building features additional guest rooms on the north side of the building that also steps down similar to the original building. This addition does not even look like it was added to the hotel. But the largest part of the expansion, completed this summer, is a low rise ballroom that has 32,000 square feet. Additional meeting rooms, pre-function spaces, and exhibits hall are also included. Reunion Tower, which was free-standing now has its base enclosed within the hotel building. The hotel has 1123 guest rooms within 30 floors of space. It is 343 feet high, making the Hyatt Regency the 34th tallest building in Dallas.

300 Reunion Blvd. - 1978

Another one of Dallas' signature buildings, Reunion Tower is a 560 tall observation tower that was constructed as a part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The shaft of the tower is constructed from poured in place concrete and features four concrete cylinders. Three are placed on the outside in a triangular pattern and they house elevators that offer the passengers a view as they ride up or down. The center one houses stairs and mechanical shafts. The top of the tower is a three level structure, also constructed of poured in place concrete. Surrounding this top is a geodesic dome formed with aluminum struts. At the intersection of the aluminum members are 260 lights that are kept turned on most of the evening hours. However, at certain times during the evening, the lights flash to different patterns for a special light show.

The three levels at the top of the tower house different functions. The lowest level is the observation deck, known as The Lookout. Visitors can see the territory surrounding Dallas from indoor and outdoor areas. The outdoor area offers a 360 degree walk that is covered by the upper levels. Great views of the Dallas Skyline can be seen, as well as the skyline of Fort Worth, Las Colinas, and other groupings of buildings throughout the city. A nominal fee is charged to visitors. On the second level is Antares, which is a full service restaurant operated by the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Antares offers lunch, dinner, and a Sunday brunch in an elegant and contemporary atmosphere. The Dome, a cocktail lounge, is located on Reunion's highest level. Beverages, food, and entertainment are offered nightly. Both Antares and The Dome are on a revolving floor and complete a revolution every 55 minutes. When constructed, Reunion Tower was a free standing structure, just to the south of the Hyatt Regency Dallas; however, with the major addition to the hotel opening in the summer of 2000, the tower is now enclosed by the addition.

Reunion Tower and the Hyatt were designed by Welton Becket & Associates from Los Angeles, California. Reunion Tower is the 15th tallest building in Dallas.

302 S. Houston - 1925

This is the only hotel surviving out of a series of hotels that sprang up across Houston Street from Union Station. Over the last few years, it has been operating under a series of management changes and names. However, the new owners have recently updated and remodeled the lobby and the hotel rooms. Although small, the rooms offer a European ambiance with all of the modern amenities. The 10 story hotel opened in 1925.

400 S. Record - 1987

This 8 non-equal sided, sloped top building was constructed in 1987 as the headquarters of the A.H. Belo Corporation. The upper floors feature a skylighted roof. A.H. Belo is the parent company of WFAA-TV Channel 8 and the Dallas Morning News, which are located across the street. The building is 18 stories in height and has a rather commanding presence on the far west portion of Downtown.

900 Jackson - 1914; 1917; 1923 (NR, RTHL, D)
This Renaissance Revival Chicago School Warehouse was designed by the Dallas Architectural Firm of Lang & Witchell. It housed the dry goods manufacturing and distributing of Higginbotham-Bailey-Logan Co. After 1945, the company was known as Higginbotham-Bailey. The western 1/3 of the building is the original structure featuring taller towers at each corner facing an intersection. By 1917, the building was expanded approximately 50 feet to the east. This addition had a smaller tower constructed on its northwest corner and matched the original building in style and detail. In 1923, the building was expanded to include the entire block. This final addition resembled the earlier parts of the facility, including more corner towers. Lang & Witchell designed the additions, as well. In 1984, the structure was converted to office use.

1500 Marilla - 1978

This Modern civic structure is another signature building of Dallas. It was designed by I.M. Pei and like many of his buildings, features angular forms. The City Hall in plan is a long rectangular building, but in elevation, it reveals its true shape. It is essentially a right triangle turned with one of its points down. The first floor is relatively small in plan with each floor above being larger than the one below. The north wall slopes outward, with large areas of glass. The south facade also has a considerable amount of glass with the east and west sides of the building being mostly concrete.

1515 Young St. - 1982

This library was designed by the Dallas architectural firm of Fisher & Spillman. It was completed in 1982 by Huber, Hunt, & Nichols and Avery Mays, construction managers. The building is constructed out of structural steel with a facade of precast concrete panels. Parking is provided in the basement levels. The library has many special collections and events that are on display.

401 S. Harwood St. - 1911-12 (D)

The First Presbyterian Church of Dallas was founded in 1856 with 11 members and they met in private houses and in other commercial and government structures. In 1873, they erected their first building at Elm & Ervay Streets (later the site of the Wilson Building). The church grew, and in 1882, the first brick church building in Dallas was erected by the congregation at Main and Harwood Streets. Around the turn of the 20th Century, the church had again outgrown their facilities, so another move was made to their present location in 1912. The current building was designed by C.D. Hill and it was constructed by the Alex Watson Construction Company. The building was built on the curve of Harwood at Wood Streets and the corner on which it sits is an obtuse angle leading to a modified-Akron plan for the sanctuary. The sanctuary is semicircular in shape with curved seating. The most notable architectural features of the building are the central dome and the two entrance porticos, one on Harwood Street, and the other on Wood Street. All of the columns on both porticos are monolithic. They were shipped by rail to Dallas from Indiana. All of the stone on the building is Indiana Limestone. The Children's Medical Center of Dallas began in the basement of this building as the first free clinic for children in the Southwest.

500 S. Harwood St. - 1913 (NR, D)

This Neo-Classical Revival structure was designed by Hubbell and Greene Architects of Dallas in 1913. The front facade of the building contains a large portico with Corinthian columns. It was constructed for the Scottish Rite Freemasonry in Dallas and the building has been their home since it was constructed. The corners and sides of the windows of the building feature limestone quoins and the area between the quoins is red brick. Red brick is also used to articulate the base and the portions of the parapet above the cornice. The building is located within the Harwood Street Historic District.

1717 Main - 1987
(formerly Bank One Center)

This barrel vaulted skyscraper was designed by Philip Johnson & John Burgee of New York. The building is constructed on an entire city block and has two plazas on the east and west ends. Its base is larger than the tower rising out of it and is capped off by a barrel vault. The tower starts off rectangular, and through a few setbacks forms a cross shaped tower. At the top each arm is capped by a barrel vault. The center sections of the building that ultimately become the vaults are glass curtain walls, while the remainder of the building is clad in granite with smaller, rectangular windows. The height of the skyscraper is 787 feet and it has 60 stories, making it the 3rd tallest building in Dallas. At night the upper portions of the barrel vaults are illuminated with up lights that highlight the decorative grilles above the highest occupied floor.

(formerly the Adolphus Tower)

1412 Main - 1954

This 27 story nondescript skyscraper is located directly behind the original building of the Adolphus Hotel and next door to one of the additions. The building features horizontal strip windows on the north and east sides of the building that face Main and Akard Streets respectively. The building in plan and elevation is a simple box. It was designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick of Fort Worth. The building is 327 feet tall.

1321 Commerce - 1912; additions 1916, 1926, 1950; restored 1981 (NR, RTHL, D)

In 1910, Adolphus Busch of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association proposed to the City of Dallas an offer they could not refuse. He offered to buy the City Hall property at the corner of Commerce and Akard streets to build the 20 story hotel. The city took him up on his offer and in 1912, the landmark hotel opened. When it was constructed, the French Renaissance Beaux Arts structure was the tallest building in Dallas. The architectural firm of Barnett, Hayes, and Barnett from St. Louis designed the red brick and gray granite building that is crowned by a slate and bronze mansard roof. At the corner of the building is a Budweiser beer bottle shaped turret. On the inside, the hotel continues the luxury. Many interior spaces feature lavishly detailed wood trim, vaulted ceilings, and marble. The French Room is known world wide for its fine cuisine. When it opened, the American Institute of Architects called it the most beautiful building west of Venice.

The hotel was so successful that in 1916, a U-shaped 14 story addition was constructed to the west of the original building. This addition was designed by Lang & Witchell of Dallas. Another 23 story addition, designed by Sir Alfred Bossom who was an eccentric English Architect, was placed between the two towers, but rose to the rear of the property in 1926. This tower is 312 feet high and is taller than the original hotel. Bossom also designed the Magnolia Building across Akard Street. These two additions, although less ornamented, were similar in appearance to the original building. In 1950, another 22 story addition was built to the rear of the complex with a small frontage along Main Street that was leased for retail uses. This addition did not match the appearance of the earlier additions. At one time, the hotel had 1,200 rooms.

In 1981, the original building was restored, and the remaining structures were remodeled. The architects for the restoration were the Jerde Partnership of Los Angeles with Beran & Shelmire of Dallas as Associate Architects. This work included unifying all public areas of the additions with interior finishes that matched the original building, knocking off the top of the 1916 addition and stepping down the remains into multiple rooftop terraces, closing the areas between wings with false fronts, and applying banded two color stucco over all of the additions. This made the additions read as one unit, with the original tower set apart from them. There are 435 guest rooms within the hotel.

901 Main - 1985

Jarvis, Putty, Jarvis of Dallas designed this signature building of Dallas. It is the city's tallest skyscraper at 921 feet and 72 stories. It is also the 3rd tallest building in the State of Texas. The plan features several notched corners which allow multiple corner offices per floor. Each of these notches stop at different heights at the top of the building, giving the obviously modern design an Art Deco styling. Although the building is predominantly glass, the floors are expressed on the exterior with aluminum spandrel panels. This skyscraper was constructed on land that was originally part of the Main Place development. The Main Place development only had one building constructed, with the remainder of the property sold for this development. A twin tower to the Bank of America Plaza and other buildings were proposed, but plans were scrapped when the economy downturned in the late 1980's. At night, the building is outlined with green argon tubing, making it a very prominent part of the skyline at night. Bank of America is the tenant for which the building is named. KDFW-TV (Fox 4) has a camera located on top of the skyscraper to show views of the city during their newscasts.

500 N. Akard - 1984

Situated on a nearly triangular block in an area where the two street grids intersect, this skyscraper modifies the form of its block, orienting its point at the narrow end of the site. However, the building is not as dominant on its site as New York's Flatiron Building. Architects HKS of Dallas chose red granite and glass as the materials for the 45 story office tower. The Ervay Street (northeast) side of the tower is flat with the Akard Street (west) side of the tower chamfered into nine bay windows. The Patterson Ave. (southeast) facade is flat with the corners chamfered into 3 bay windows; thus, a triangular shaped building has been modified into an essentially 6 sided skyscraper with multiple corner offices and bay windows. This skyscraper reminds me somewhat of the Bank of America building in San Francisco. At night, the upper three floors have band of lights above the windows. Lincoln Plaza is 579 feet high with 45 stories, and is the 13th tallest building in Dallas. Dakota's Restaurant occupies space in the basement of the building and can be entered through an elevator placed in the small block to the north of the tower.

717 N. Harwood - 1980

This skyscraper is one of the simple rectangular plan office buildings constructed in Dallas during the late 1970's to early 1980's. The building features an inward sloping glass wall all four sides that are anchored by concrete panel clad corner elements. The base and the top features additional concrete bands that give the building a base and a top. A one story concrete panel parapet fills out the top of the skyscraper and was originally designed to carry a corporate logo or name. When the building was constructed, it was the home of Diamond Shamrock, and their logo was illuminated in the center of each facade. Recently, the skyscraper has been renamed the KPMG Centre. The building is about 481 feet high in 34 stories and is the 19th tallest building in the city.

1928 Ross Av. - 1926

The congregation of the First United Methodist Church was founded in 1846. The congregation had three previous homes before Trinity Methodist and First Methodist merged and settled down in their current location. This building opened on February 7, 1926. The building was designed by Herbert M. Greene, and R.H. Hunt. Late English Perpendicular Gothic Revival would best describe the style of the church. Materials on the church include red brick, terra cotta, and cast stone. It is directly across the street from the Dallas Arts District and more specifically, the Dallas Museum of Art.

2200 Ross - 1987

This Post Modern skyscraper is another signature building on the Dallas Skyline. Many people call it the keyhole building because it has a rectangular hole in the center of the building near the top. The skyscraper has a red granite base with a pink granite middle and a glass vaulted top that includes a 7 story hole. At the center of each elevation is a 45 degree angled window, which helps to break up the facade in the granite mid section. The corners of the building are notched to provide additional corner offices. The mid section stops at varying heights on the north and south facades and terraces down to the starting point of the hole. The entire glass top of the building is also set back from the granite mid section on all four sides. The actual roof of the skyscraper is a vaulted top that runs entirely across the building, and even the vault is notched to provide additional interest. At night, the glass top is illuminated with spotlights set into the mid section of the building. On the 40th floor is a skylobby that offers good views of the Uptown area of the city. The skyscraper was designed by SOM and is 738 feet tall with 55 stories, making it the 4th tallest building in Dallas.

2201 Ross - 1902; 2005

In 1869, the Bishop of Galveston established the first Catholic parish in Dallas, Sacred Heart Church. The first building in Dallas was constructed at Bryan and Ervay Streets. By 1890, the church was outgrowing their building and they purchased the current property at Ross and Pearl. The current cathedral's cornerstone was laid in 1898 and the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was dedicated in 1902. For many years, the architect was unknown, but in 1989, a discovery of the original drawings by Nicholas J. Clayton were made in a Galveston library. This is the last surviving work of Clayton's in the city. Clayton was one of the premier Victorian Architects in Galveston. However, the building was not completed in 1902. Due to a lack of funds, the 219 ft. bell tower was not constructed with the original building. In 1975, this parish merged with a neighboring parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe. At that time the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was renamed Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe, which means Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This Neo-Gothic Cathedral was constructed out of red brick and limestone trim and base, giving it some Romanesque Revival characteristics. The cathedral features many beautiful stained glass windows and a wonderfully preserved interior. At the time the cathedral was constructed, it was in the middle of a thriving residential community. Now the cathedral is situated on the edge of the Dallas Arts District and is surrounded by new office development. As the church entered its second century, a decision was made to complete the building and build the bell tower. That work was completed in 2005.

2001 Flora St, Dallas, TX 75201

1901 N. Akard St. - 1889

The Cumberland Hill School was designed by Dallas Architect A.B. Bristol, and is the only remaining 19th Century school building in the city. It was also one of the first brick school buildings constructed in the Dallas school system. The school was actually constructed on the site of a pre-Civil War school organized by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Dallas. The school was closed in 1958, but from 1963 until 1969, the Dallas Independent School District used the building as a vocational center. In more recent times, the building was restored and converted into office space.

1445 Ross - 1986

This unique skyscraper was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners who also designed One Dallas Center, Energy Plaza, and the Dallas City Hall. The building was once part of a three building development which included a twin tower and a hotel placed in a beautiful water park featuring many fountains. The second tower and the hotel were never constructed, but the fountains were completed.

The skyscraper is clad in green glass and is sculpted into a prism. One of the unique features is that it looks completely different as you view it from various locations in Downtown. Starting with a parallelogram in plan at the ground floor, upper stories are supported by two triangular shaped masses at the north and south corners. This configuration is present for the first five floors. Levels 6 through 13 are square in plan. At the 14th level, the area of wall between the face of the building and the angled base below starts sloping upward, allowing the parallelogram shaped tower to be visible. When the sloped glass wall ends at the corner of the structure, the tower section then starts sloping upward to form a ridge at the center. Fountain Place is 720 feet tall with 62 stories, making it the 5th tallest skyscraper in Dallas.