Recently, they have ripped out all the dead greenery (or should it be called brownery in this case) and replaced everything with fresh mulch. I found that odd too.Originally Posted by njjeppson
i know the power washing of the sidewalks/storefronts is a city deal... at least on main....or maybe the owners understand that the smell of bum waste isn't exactly a great selling point.. point being, i wouldn't chalk this or the landscaping up to anything more than routine upkeep...
:2lol:
So I take it the deal with money down that the last newspaper article in DMN talked about closed? Or is this the Hong Kong folks doing work on the building? Which would be rare.
There is always a large amount of bums collected around there in the mornings across from the jackson garage...
It is official. Pegasus news scooped the DMN.
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2007...hotel-re-open/
DOWNTOWN DALLAS — I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Dallas Grand Hotel. I spent my first three weeks in Dallas living there -- my publisher at the time had a barter account. Later, once D Magazine had moved to Commerce Street, the hotel's watering hole, "Gatsby's Bicycle Bar" was the closest gin mill to our office. And even though the place was going downhill fast, they had a decent appetizer buffet.
And as I got into the business side, I got us a barter account there. (Hmm, perhaps if they took cash they might have stayed around.) And there were some interesting parties at the rooftop pool when we had guests in town.
The building, vacant for six years, has become quite the Downtown Dallas eyesore. So I'm thrilled to learn, via Randall Turner (via Mike Davis) that a California investor has bought the hotel and a couple adjoining buildings with plans for a comeback.
sweet
So in deals like this, are they going to find the management firm for the hotel first or are they going to start renovations first?
They have alot of work in front of them...
Actually, there isn't as much as a standard conversion. For example, the Merc had to go to the skeleton inside and be completely re-laid out from top to bottom. This one will essentially only need surface attention, though a lot of it. There will be no redoing the floor layout or anything like that. I'd be surprised if it lasted longer than 9-12 months.
I'm shocked that there won't be floor renovation. The ceilings are uber low. My husband and I booked a room to stay there during the millennium and after all the party meyhem with our friends taking up about another 20 rooms, we split for our own crib. That place felt like a cruise ship inside. Very claustrophobic. The exterior is amazing. Can't wait to see it come back to life and have a fab park in front.
Well they can't raise the ceiling height. That would likely make the renovation cost prohibitive. There will be touch up inside, probably even replacing of sheet rock or things similar to that. However, they won't need to clear out each floor to the concrete skeleton and then redo everthing room by room.
Have you ever stayed at the Paramount or the Hudson in NYC? Now that is what you call small rooms...
It will be very interesting to find out which brand will occupy the building. Maybe it'll be true "five-star historic hotel" rennovation by Hilton. If all of the 700+ rooms are all going to come with "five star" amenities and price, it'll have to be a chain with a powerful international reservations draw.
Stayed at the Hudson a few years ago. Teensy weensy rooms. AWESOME library.
just needs exterior updates and it should be good to go to me.
it needs work throughout... the 4th and 5th floors are all but completely destroyed.... i'll try to get more pics up today...
O, well i had heard the interior was fine.
I think it needs a major update if u ask me to be honest. They need to give it a las vegas up date to bring back the glamor of bring a Grand Hotel. Especial with the addition to the Mercantile and the new park. Its got potential. Just needs work.
Yeah, also remember the discussions earlier in this thread where various renovations throughout the years have resulted in a mish-mash of styles, looks, eras, etc. Based on the photos Justin submitted earlier, it seems to me like some pretty significant planning needs to happen from an architectural and design standpoint to create consistency - both inside and out - for the entire building.
I would love to see them modernize the whole building while maintaining the original 50s era feel and charm. The result would be very boutique and upper-scale.
As far as the room size, no they can't increase the ceiling height - each floor of the building is a solid slab of cement (part of the original architectural design); but, they could remove walls between rooms to create larger units and more suits.
are there any areas in particular that you guys would like to see? rooms? common areas? 4-5th floors?
I want to see areas that look the most dismal.
Wait, that's most of the interior.
Wherever you find the most shocking destruction.
Water damage, piles and piles of stuff, graffiti (if any), etc.
Thanks, Ninja.
np- here are a handful from the 4th and 5th.. i'll crunch a few more when i get home.
Yikes!!
Vegas Glam might be kinda fun.
Love the pigeon in the middle of the floor. :roflmao2:
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...asGrand154.jpg
Yikes.
just think about it. This Hotel could be re vamped to look like a casino, and when Texas finally legalizes gambling, it could be turned into a casino.
Just a thought
If they want a Great 5 star hotel they need to do something like a J.W. Marriot.
I am always suprised that with all the posh hotels Dallas is supposed to have that Marriot doesn't go all out and have both a Ritz and a J.W. Marriot in Dallas. Although They would have to do some serious rennovations to make the Statler/Grand even a 4 star hotel. 5 Star is a very lofty goal to achieve. It starts with the rooms and involves much much more.
Plus with an attempt at renovating to a 5 star level, even if the hotel wasn't successful under the J.W. Marriot name it could easily be transfered to a new management company with a different 4 star brand.
The great cities of the world have J.W. Marriots, now Dallas needs one!
Best idea so far
Whoa. No offense but, that sounds like a big time bummer. That place feels so cramped already and junking it up with a flashy casino feel would only contribute to it's claustrophobic feel. Also, I think that would be an insult to it's gorgeous exterior. And, with all the efforts to properly revitalize downtown, I think a casino-ish hotel would send the wrong message and attract the wrong type of people. There's going to soon be a fabulous park across the street from this hotel that was once called "Grand" for a reason. The hotel needs to be something that's going to support the draw of this park...which I hope will have outdoor concerts for free that will range from indie/new (bring the youth downtown) to the Dallas symphony doing something contemporary (hi, Boston).
It's so obvious that the interior of this hotel needs to match it's ultra contemporary exterior with the spirit of California greats like Schindler, Lautner, or Neutra. The hotel should be open, airy, and happy. A combo of retro and modern. Anc ECO!!!!
It seems when Dallas establishments try to do something cool it always comes off cheesy, snotty, or lame. This place needs to come off with the same smart and laid-back attitude as a mix of Lee Harvey's and The Belmont Hotel.
Just my morning rants. Now late for work...
This could easily be converted into something like The Standard in downtown LA. I don't think those ceilings are higher than 8 feet either.
DAGNABBIT!
"This could easily be converted into something like The Standard in downtown LA. I don't think those ceilings are higher than 8 feet either."
I would love to see something like that in downtown Dallas. I have stayed at the downtown and Sunset location. To me, Dallas is ripe for a hotel similiar to The Standard downtown.
banking214
A shame it wasn't turned into apartments. You could then do two-floor units and cut out the floor area in front of the windows to make a loft-style bedroom upstairs. That would give you a 16-foot ceiling in the front half of the unit and kitchen and dining area tucked under the bedroom.
Stayed at the one in Hollywood few months back. Very cool. Dallas could use a hotel like that.
Nothing new, but interesting that The Observer is taking note:
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa..._long_as_i.php
It's interesting that The Observer focuses on the 4th and 5th floors, which were completely ignored. Correct me if I'm wrong, but all the other floors were left in a passable condition, correct?
The Oberver article also references the building can't be converted to a first-class building - one reason being there is no central air (just window units). Is that true? If so, why couldn't central air be added as part of the renovation?
Exactly. That's the kind of place I had in mind. And if I can get my hands on some of their Andy Warhol-ish (not Kool Keith) blue-flower drapes...all the better. I've been obsessed with them for a long time.
Evidently there was at one time central air and heat that was carried in ducts built into the the curtainwall of the building. The system failed or - more likely - was horribly impractical and later replaced by those individual units. Anything can be fixed - it just takes money.
unfair park needs to ask before they use people's work.
yeah, i was disappointed with that...
outside a little dust, the other 15 or so floors are made up and ready for guests. slightly out of date, but ready..
here's a peek at what the other floors look like..
i'd say a good 98% of the rooms, outside the 4th and 5th floors are in similar condition... just decorated differently....
this is one of the governors suites, i believe...
Man, that room really is made up and ready for guests - complete with coffee maker, drinking glasses, and ash trays. I still find it amazing how time just stood still inside that building.
the other 2%...
not sure if i remember all the details correctly, but...
homeless squatters found their way in to one of the larger suites on the 20th floor (i think)...
they were there for apx a week before being discovered. DPD arrested the VIP's...
color TV, baby.
Thanks for continuing to post these photos. In the large photo, what is that that is curled up in the corner (a door, a window, a connecting room door,?)? Is that how the squatters made their way into the room?
Are all the rooms locked, or did they go and open them all up before walking out?
Dallas Observer get on my nerves.
its my pleasure, toby... i've been meaning to share them for some time...
yes, they worked their way in via stairwell, without electricity, down a dark hallway where they pried the laundry door open.. every room is locked up tight.
visit the link below for some neat history on the hotel...
A few interesting features don’t seem to have made it into modern hotels. Like Servidor, those bulging compartments on each room door which could be opened from both sides and allowed laundry to be picked up and delivered without entering the room or disturbing the guest. The room doors also had a special button that the maid could press to determine discreetly whether the room was occupied (more precisely, whether the door was locked from the inside), so that it wasn’t necessary to bang on the door and yell “room service!” like today.
Jason Grant
The Nostalgic Glass
Justin how many photographs did you take inside the building?
So glad you did this !!!!! I have enjoyed looking at them.
If you have more keep them coming.
Scott Dorn
Hitting the streets with the cam
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70886669@N00/
http://homepage.mac.com/sdorn/dallas_shots
http://www.myspace.com/177586541
thanks scott.. glad you've enjoyed them..
i shot apx 4-450 frames over a two day period.. most of which document various suites throughout the hotel.
i'm really excited to hear more about the buildings future... it really is uniquely dallas..
Those compartments in the doors for dry cleaning are as outdated as the little cabinets on the old pullman trains where you could put your shoes from the inside and the porter would open it on the outside and polish them during the nite.
Now Ninja gets his props.
haha... thanks brint!
I apologize in advance for an opinion that has no doubt been offered and shot down many times on this thread. But I think the only way this building will be preserved is to make it a SRO type affordable apartment complex. We have too many expensive condos, we have too many 400 dollar Hotel rooms, we have absolutely NO PLACE for people making 25K or less to live in Downtown Dallas. No families, no cars that need spaces in a garage nearby, just single folks making $10-12 dollars an hour as Hotel workers, computer data entry staff, bank tellers, and all those bartenders and wait staff we need to work the Retail jobs Downtown needs for a residential population.
Grow up Dallas...our Downtown is not Manhattan or North Lake Shore Drive. It needs Walgreens, small parks with walk dogs, and apartments in the 500 dollar range, or it will continue to decline. Don't tell me it is not fiscally possible. The building is sitting empty and falling apart. Anything we can do to save this structure makes more sense than watching it crumble into dust.
Last edited by kenc; 05 September 2007 at 10:03 PM.
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