Dallas Hilton

The Dallas Hilton, also known as the Plaza Hotel, a historic building at the intersection of Main Street and S. Harwood Street in Downtown Dallas in Texas in the United States. The hotel was added in 1985 because of its significance for architecture and engineering in the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing building to both the Harwood Historic District as well as the Main Street District. 1988 was designated as a Texas Historic Landmark. The now operated as Dallas Hotel Indigo Hotel is located opposite the Main Street Garden Park.

The Hilton Hotel was built in 1925 for Conrad Hilton and was his first high-rise hotel in Texas and the first one that has borne the name " Hilton ". Conrad Hilton was the owner of one of the first two hotel chains in the state and has become one of the leading hoteliers in the world, who ran an international chain of hotels and resorts

In contrast to his former hotel, which he had bought and renovated, the new hotel in Dallas Hilton from the outset was planned as a skyscraper. As a location for the building Hilton chose the highest point in downtown Dallas. Hilton commissioned the renowned architectural firm of Lang and Witchell, one of the most recognized architectural firms of the city, with the planning of the new hotel. They designed the hotel as scoring 14 floors building made ​​of reinforced concrete and masonry in a simplified sullivanesken style with symmetrical facades and details of the Beaux -Arts architecture. The horseshoe-shaped floor plan is similar to the Magnolia Building and has two towers down with front side for Harwood Street, which form an open courtyard. Both towers are connected by the main entrance and a bridge to the tenth floor.

The foundation stone was laid on 25 July 1924, a year later the hotel was completed. The construction costs amounted to 1,360,000 U.S. dollars ( in today's prices 18.791 million U.S. dollars) and the building was then the second most expensive building in Texas. Officially the hotel on Thursday, August 6, 1925 was opened. Hilton maximized the available in the public areas of the hotel room for different lines of business services. The presence of drug, Rasiersalon, Hair Salon, Luggage store, coffee, Schneider, cigarettes and newspaper kiosk, Telegrafierdienst, dining and other services were matched to Hilton's emphasis on the services and contributed through their rent payments helping to co-finance the operation of the hotel. Hilton did not form Kaital in land ownership and thus introduced the concept of Mietpacht a 99-year, which was well known from the east coast, but in Texas was unknown.

Hilton's private offices were located on the mezzanine level of the input tract, which also contains seven sample room with Murphy beds. The 325 guest rooms are typically small and pearl gray and painted cream rooms and corridors were carpeted. Most of the rooms were equipped with full bathrooms, the rest with shower and toilet. Seventy-five percent of the rooms were oriented to the south or east, to the west there was no room.

The competition with the luxurious hotels Adolphus and Baker, who were only a few blocks away, prompted Hilton to a marketing strategy that was aimed at a new target group - The Average Man - moderate prices and a handsome appearance would incite in a city in which it few alternatives exist.

Change

During the Great Depression Hilton lost four hotels, but was able to keep five of them; one of them was the Dallas Hilton. In 1938 he gave up the lease on the Dallas Hilton, when he moved its headquarters to California. George Loudermilk, the owner of the property, completed in July 1938 with another Texan hotel operators, AC " Jack " White, a contract for the operation of the hotel from. White changed the name of the hotel in White Plaza. He invested $ 150,000 in improvements to the building, including in the air conditioning. The number of hotel rooms has been reduced from 325 to 234. Loudermilk lived until his death in 1953 at the hotel.

1961 the building was sold to Earlee hotels, but was until 1974 the name White Plaza. During this time began the decline of the building and the hotel's popularity began to take off.

Renovation

The real estate investor Opal Sebastian bought the building in 1977 and changed the name to Plaza. For a time, all the floors were closed above the fourth floor and the hotel rooms were generally in poor condition. After a while - the details are not comprehensible - Sebastian opened the previously closed floors in renovated condition.

On February 15, 1985, the hotel was sold again. The new owner was Dallas Plaza Partners, a sitting in California joint venture of Hotel Equity Management and Real Estate Bank Black Moon, Garlock and Flynn from San Francisco. Dallas Plaza Partners joined with Corgan Associates Architects a contract to renovate the hotel and Jerry O'Hara was awarded the contract for the interior. After a ten- month renovation period, the hotel was reopened in December 1985 as the Dallas Plaza Hotel. It later received the name of Aristocrat Hotel and was operated by the Holiday Inn hotel chain.

Presence

2006, the hotel was converted into a Hotel Indigo, a chain, which is also operated by the InterContinental Hotels Group as franchising. The interior of the property has been renovated to provide five million U.S. dollars. The rooms received new hardwood floors and bathrooms, as well as a business center has been set up and expanded the gym. Today, there are 169 rooms at the hotel.