BOA Oak Cliff

[CityLove]

As I was driving home from my parents' house last night, I noticed the wonderful decorations on the side of the Oak Cliff Bank of America building. Has anyone else seen this? They've used lights on the windows to make a huge Christmas tree and the word "Noel" on the side of the building. It's very effective as you're travelling northbound on I-35 heading into downtown.

Someone should see about getting a pic of this some night this week.

[RadicalBender]

Yeah, they've actually been doing that each Christmas for several years now. At least since 2000 which is the first time I recall seeing it (but probably a lot earlier even than that).

[Kelley USA]

They've been doing this for the past 20 -25 years now... I remember seeing it as a kid- always looks great!

[CityLove]

Well cool. Guess I'm just late in noticing! I like it though.

[I45Tex]

I, too, would enjoy a Christmas picture

[frankchitown]

I remember seeing that in the 80s when we would come up to Dallas from Waco. That building seemed much bigger when I was a kid

[antoinekhuu]

pics,anyone?

[BC_Club]

Ok...finally registered. Have been reading this BB for about a year and love the information about the metroplex.

I live in the Beckley Club Estates area of Oak Cliff and can see the christmas lights on BOA from my front window. Will get a good pic of it and post. Also will try and get a pic of it from the escarpment at the back of the Wilds of Africa Exhibit behind the zoo. Been in the area for 14 years now and the building has always been lit for Christmas.

[CityLove]

Well, I'd like to officially welcome you to the forum. Glad my thread was enough to bring you out of the woodworks!

[oak cliff p-wood]

wow this site has two trolleygirls...are yall related?

[Lakewooder]

This building is a throw-back to the times when Lakewood Bank & Trust (now Wells Fargo) was the center of Lakewood and Oak Cliff Bank was the center of Oak Cliff -- they built towers beyond what was required as a statement of pride and pilotage in their communities. To a lesser degree, Preston State Bank in Preston Center also served that role...

[CityLove]

wow this site has two trolleygirls...are yall related?

I guess I'll go ahead and take this one. TG and I are both former employees of MATA, which runs the streetcar line in Uptown. I was her successor, and there is now yet another person in the position. Unfortunately, I did not have the forsight to pick a SN that wasn't job-specific, and now I'm stuck with it.

[dfwcre8tive]

High hopes for Oak Cliff icon
Tower owner seeks new format to keep Top O' The Cliff Club alive
12:00 AM CST on Friday, January 19, 2007
By FRANK TREJO / The Dallas Morning News

The Top O' The Cliff Club, an Oak Cliff institution that appeared to be on the verge of closing late last year, soon may get a new lease on life.

Ralph Isenberg, principal owner of the 15-story tower where the private club has been located for 41 years, said negotiations are under way to ensure that the facility's unique penthouse spot is not lost.

Mr. Isenberg, and others involved in the talks, declined to divulge details of the new venture, but he said he hopes to be able to announce the specifics within a few weeks.

He did say that he hopes to turn the venue into a spot that "will be available to every single citizen of Oak Cliff and Dallas."

"We're not going to let the history of what the Top O' The Cliff has stood for, and what it has meant to Oak Cliff, disappear," Mr. Isenberg said. "This venue is not going anywhere."

City Council member Ed Oakley, who represents a portion of Oak Cliff, said he supports any effort to keep the site open.

"It's absolutely been an icon as long as I've been down there," Mr. Oakley said. "I applaud their efforts. I know they're trying to make it work. It's just such a great place."

Mr. Oakley said that he is not a member of the club but that he has been to hundreds of lunches, banquets, meetings and other events at the Top O' The Cliff.

The private club, which covers the 15th floor of The Bank Tower at Oak Cliff on the corner of South Zang Boulevard and West 12th Street, has been a fixture in Oak Cliff since the tower opened in 1965. Featuring spectacular views of downtown and the southern portion of Dallas County, the club was a destination not only for club members but also for political, organizational and family events throughout the decades.

In recent years, as a result of changing demographics and changing business customs, the club had fallen on hard times. Membership, which 20 years ago numbered more than 300, had dwindled to about 100.

Late last year, club officials confirmed they were considering several options, including shutting down. The club stopped taking reservations for events at the end of 2006. But Mr. Isenberg, who was in China last year helping his wife resolve some immigration issues, returned this month saying that keeping the Top O' The Cliff is important to him.

"That venue has to be preserved first and foremost," Mr. Isenberg said.

However, the form of the facility probably will change.

Mr. Isenberg said the club has survived in recent years not so much from memberships, but from its catering and rental of meeting space.

Food service is expected to remain a part of the new venture, but Mr. Isenberg said it would be premature to say it would be a restaurant. He also wouldn't rule out a portion of the space maintaining some sort of private club component.

But in part because he said such clubs haven't been successful in recent years and because he wants to make the site more accessible to the public, Mr. Isenberg said he doesn't want the new spot to be an entirely private club.

"I want somebody in North Dallas to feel as welcome as someone from DeSoto if they want to use the venue," Mr. Isenberg said.

Mr. Oakley said revitalizing and re-energizing an asset like the Top O' The Cliff makes sense in light of the commercial and residential redevelopment taking place throughout Oak Cliff.

"Having a new restaurant or a club or whatever up there will help bring back life to it at a crucial time," Mr. Oakley said. "We've got some new and exciting things happening in Oak Cliff."

Longtime club member Don L. Hicks said he has not been involved in the discussions, but is in favor of doing whatever it takes to keep the facility open.

"I'm not particularly concerned about what form it takes," Mr. Hicks said. "What's important is that they keep the thing going."

E-mail ftrejo@dallasnews.com

[clipper]

Yes, this story was in the Oak Cliff paper several days ago.

[KesslerDweller]

The lights look great and kudos to BOA for such a good job.

Just don't try to bank there on Saturday mornings unless you have 1 hour to wait in line.

[OC_Lifer]

Without going into too much detail, let's just say I have access to just about everything about the Bank Tower at Oak Cliff. B of A only has a portion of the lobby. Since the topic seems to be the Holiday lighting I will attach a link to an image. As for the interior Holiday display the Tower won an national award for interior holiday decor and they are planning on redoing the North side Holiday light display.

Just a quick update: the Top o' the Cliff did close, but it was replaced by a new entity "The Orion Ballroom" and the owner gave the 15th floor an eye popping redo. The Tower was a Fallout Shelter with a capacity of 5000, there is a small Fallout Shelter display in the basement next to the deli.

There are lots of cool and Modern art pieces that were part of the Tower when it was built and the Tower has managed to hold on to several.

Holiday Lights (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v162/trekcollector1/?action=view&current=IMG_4622.jpg)

[lpepping]

I had my wedding at the Orion Ballroom and the interior was definitely nice. The only issue we had was the a/c wasn't working well on one side of the floor.