DALLAS—Legendary Texas oilman H.L. Hunt soughtthe highest quality materials available during the construction ofthe former First National Bank of Dallas building,originally importing the dense veined white marble slabs fromGreece, in the same quarry used to build the Parthenon. Now knownas TheDrever, the skyscraper was originally designed byarchitects George Dahl and Thomas E.Stanley, and has been home to Hunt Oil,the Dallas Petroleum Club and the staged officeset for fictitious JR Ewing's Ewing Oil in the television program,“Dallas”. The mid-century tower's distinctive façade was oftencompared to the pin-striped fabric of a traditional banker's suitbecause of the repeating pattern of white marble and dark grayfloor-to-ceiling windows.

One of the largest buildings in downtown Dallas, at 50 storiesand 1.5 million square feet, and the only hotel property to span afull city block, the building at 1401 Elm St. is getting a faceliftand then some. The Drever redevelopment will include a luxury high-riseoffering 324 residential units, a Thompson Hotelplanned with 218 rooms, spa, retail, office and destinationrestaurants. When completed, The Drever's eight-story tower basewill be transformed with more than 27,000 square feet of groundfloor retail space, 44,000 square feet of office space, the hoteland residents' lobbies, and a grand ballroom. A wraparoundamenity deck with sightlines to surrounding buildings, including apool, spa, health and fitness room, dog park and outdoor recreationspaces 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 thebuilding, which is set for completion in early 2018, will alsorefurbish and recycle the tower's distinctive marblepinstripes.