Drever’s Reuse of Marble is Unprecedented in Scale

The Drever at 1401 Elm St. is getting a facelift.

DALLAS—Legendary Texas oilman H.L. Hunt sought the highest quality materials available during the construction of the former First National Bank of Dallas building, originally importing the dense veined white marble slabs from Greece, in the same quarry used to build the Parthenon. Now known as The Drever, the skyscraper was originally designed by architects George Dahl and Thomas E. Stanley, and has been home to Hunt Oil, the Dallas Petroleum Club and the staged office set for fictitious JR Ewing’s Ewing Oil in the television program, “Dallas”. The mid-century tower’s distinctive façade was often compared to the pin-striped fabric of a traditional banker’s suit because of the repeating pattern of white marble and dark gray floor-to-ceiling windows.

One of the largest buildings in downtown Dallas, at 50 stories and 1.5 million square feet, and the only hotel property to span a full city block, the building at 1401 Elm St. is getting a facelift and then some. The Drever redevelopment will include a luxury high-rise offering 324 residential units, a Thompson Hotel planned with 218 rooms, spa, retail, office and destination restaurants. When completed, The Drever’s eight-story tower base will be transformed with more than 27,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, 44,000 square feet of office space, the hotel and residents’ lobbies, and a grand ballroom.  A wraparound amenity deck with sightlines to surrounding buildings, including a pool, spa, health and fitness room, dog park and outdoor recreation spaces will be on the ninth floor at the top of the base element. The 50th floor will feature an open-to-the-public observation deck. Drever Capital Management’s redevelopment of the building, which is set for completion in early 2018, will also refurbish and recycle the tower’s distinctive marble pinstripes.