Historical Preservation Leads to Dallas Core Resurgence

DALLAS—The Texas Historical Commission Awards for Excellence recognizes worthy accomplishments and exemplary leadership in the preservation of Texas’ heritage. Its most recent round of awards honored Merriman Anderson/Architects, which received the 2018 Award for Excellence in Historic Architecture.

Merriman Anderson/Architects designs these renovations with sustainable features to improve the built environment without compromising the building’s character. Sustainability is developed through historic renovations by repurposing buildings and conserving resources.

“Restoring historic buildings not only reduces construction waste and energy but pays tribute to the state and city’s history and culture,” said Jerry Merriman, Merriman Anderson/Architects founder and president. “We are proud to play a role in preserving Texas’ heritage and bringing life back to historic buildings and their architecture.”

Merriman Anderson/Architects is responsible for the restoration of 26 historic buildings in downtown Dallas and Fort Worth including The Statler, 1401 Elm, Old Dallas High School, Tower Petroleum Building, Butler Brothers Building and the Sinclair Building, among others.

The Statler opened in 1956 as the largest hotel in the Southwest with 1,001 rooms and was an icon of mid-20th century design with its innovative architecture features. In 1965, the 1401 Elm building was constructed for the former First National Bank in downtown Dallas. It was once touted as the tallest building west of the Mississippi with 52 floors. Old Dallas High School dates back to 1907 and reopened as offices in 2017.

Tower Petroleum Building was built in 1931 as a 23-story art deco building that was once one of the buildings of Theater Row, the entertainment district on Elm Street in downtown Dallas, and housed the Tower Theater on the ground floor. It was redeveloped into a 177-room hotel while turning its basement into rehearsal space for performances at The Majestic theater down the street. In Fort Worth, the Sinclair Building was built in 1929 and is an example of quintessential art deco architecture. It is currently being redeveloped as a Marriott Autograph hotel.

“Our firm is responsible for the restoration and renovation of a total of 38 historic buildings over the last 17 years. Twenty-six of those historic buildings are in Dallas; a couple projects are still in progress,” Merriman tells GlobeSt.com. “Many historical buildings in downtown Dallas had been left abandoned, but over the last decade newly restored and emerging projects are bringing sustenance in the form of authentic historic experiences with retail, office, event center, entertainment, hospitality and multifamily.”

Merriman Anderson/Architect’s designs for these historic renovations pay homage to the buildings’ history while implementing modern design and technology. Restoring these formerly abandoned buildings also leads to transformation of the surrounding areas.

“Preserving these historical buildings has led to the resurgence in some neighborhoods, such as The Statler Corridor which includes the historic Statler Hilton, the adjacent Old Dallas Central Library, Continental Building, 1700 Commerce and 1712 Commerce buildings,” Merriman tells GlobeSt.com. “The Statler Corridor is designed to enhance the lifestyle of all downtown residents, workers and visitors.”

The awards dinner was held last month at the Capitol Ballroom in Austin. Gene Kranz, the leader of the “Tiger Team” of flight directors for Apollo 13, was the keynote speaker for the event. This is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

Merriman Anderson/Architects has also received 16 Preservation Dallas achievement awards during the years, seven of which were in 2018.