Magnolia Dallas Downtown Hotel (Dallas, Texas)

 hotel, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historical building

The Magnolia Hotel is a 29-story, 430 ft (122 m) skyscraper constructed from 1921 to 1922 in the Beaux-Arts style in downtown Dallas, Texas, United States.

The building was originally known as The Magnolia Petroleum Building and constructed at a cost of $4,000,000. The company's trademark, a rotating Pegasus neon sign, was erected in 1934 to celebrate the American Petroleum Institute's annual meeting. The sign increased the height of the building to 493 ft (150 m), and has come to represent the City of Dallas despite being obscured by larger skyscrapers. The Pegasus logo later became the logo of Mobil Oil, who merged with Magnolia Petroleum in 1959.

In 1974, the Pegasus stopped rotating due to mechanical problems and in 1977, the Mobil Oil Company moved out of the Magnolia Building and the building was subsequently sold to the City of Dallas. The sign was turned off in 1997. Later that same year, the building was purchased by Denver-based developers and was restored and converted into the 330-room Magnolia Hotel. In preparation for Dallas's Millennium celebrations, the Pegasus sign was taken down for a restoration. However, it was discovered that the sign was beyond repair and a new Pegasus sign was built from scratch at a cost of $600,000. The new Pegasus, complete with rotation, was lit for the first time at midnight on January 1, 2000. The original sign was restored and is now on display at the Old Red Museum.

The Magnolia Building consists of a three-story base, a U-shaped tower, a multi-level penthouse, and an ornamented chimney stack. At the 18th floor, a bridge that connects the two wings of the "U" form a decorative arch at the light well. At the 24th floor, the top of the building steps back and forms a balcony on 3 sides. The first penthouse level is at the 25th floor and the two wings of the building are then capped by a hipped roof covered with Spanish tile. The 26th floor has windows on the north and south walls and is tucked between the roofs of the wings. From the main roof levels rises a 3 story penthouse with the 29th level set back from the remainder of the penthouse. Finally, adding to the overall height is a two story chimney stack.

The Magnolia Building is a Dallas Landmark and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 30, 1978. It stood as the tallest building in Dallas from 1922-1943 and the tallest building in Texas from 1923-1927.

1401 Commerce Street
Dallas, Texas 75202
Tel: (214) 915-6500
www.magnoliahotels.com/dallas-downtown/