Under the Texas sun, a plain of raw concrete slopes toward the skyline. Designed by IM Pei and completed in 1978, Dallas City Hall is a monumental composition of raw concrete and geometry. Its distinctive profile consists of six floors that expand as it rises, and is intended to express government transparency and citizen dignity. For nearly half a century, it has been considered Dallas' best-known work of brutalist architecture and has appeared in films such as RoboCop and Solange's When I get home. Now it may not survive the decade.
This month, the Dallas City Council will continue to weigh whether to repair, sell or demolish the 47-year-old landmark, and a petition calling for its preservation is currently circulating.
At a joint meeting On Nov. 3, two council committees expressed interest in exploring a move or investing hundreds of millions in repairs. “We can’t just move into an office tower and not have access to the other services that taxpayers need,” said Councilman Chad West, chairman of the Finance Committee. A resolution directing City Manager Kimberly Tolbert to outline relocation options is expected before the full council on Nov. 12, with a final decision expected by year's end.
Some city leaders argue that selling the property could free up valuable downtown land adjacent to the new site Convention Center It is scheduled to open in 2029, with remedial work possibly including a new arena for the Dallas Mavericks. Others see the proposal as a betrayal of the ideals that Pei's building was intended to represent.
“This is a significant part of the cultural fabric of downtown Dallas,” said preservationist Ron Siebler The Dallas Morning News. “Tearing down a historic building to build an arena is a typical Dallas type of business.”
Mark Lamber, the architecture critic of The Dallas Morning Newswas more direct. His conservation piece begins with a bang: “Of all the irresponsible, ill-conceived, short-sighted, counterproductive, cynical, philistine and downright stupid ideas I've heard in my time writing about Dallas, the prospect of destroying City Hall stands alone. Demolishing architect IM Pei's iconic building would be an act of epic mismanagement that cannot be justified on aesthetic, environmental, financial or moral grounds.” He calls the idea of tearing down the town hall “nonsense”.
Today, the building's surfaces bear the marks of deferred maintenance Water comes out To Failed electrical systems which left the building in poor condition. Estimates for necessary upgrades range from $152 million to $345 millionwhile in the past the city has only allocated a fraction of this to municipal maintenance.
But that is significantly less than a new building would cost. Lambster writes that Willis Winters, a prominent city architect and former director of the city's parks and recreation department, “estimated the cost of the replacement at $825 million.”
For many, the building's tapered concrete volumes remain a proud symbol of Dallas' civic identity. The square was once the site of protests and parades and was among the city's first spaces designed for public gatherings.
“We did more harm than good” said Council member Paula Blackmon, who supports the restoration. “We didn’t take care of it and it’s sad.”
Since this week a petition has been sent to “Save Dallas City Hall“City Hall is not just a building,” the organizers wrote. “It represents our shared history, our commitment to progress and our reputation as a world-class city.”
Lambster writes, “Its destruction would arguably represent the most egregious demolition of an American public building since the demolition of New York's Penn Station in the 1960s, an act of philistinism that essentially launched the modern preservation movement.”
Across the country, mid-century civic buildings have become flashpoints for debates about public value and urban identity. Preservationists point to recent renovations of other brutalist landmarks, such as: Boston City Hallas proof that renewal is possible. In March, the Dallas Landmark Commission voted unanimously to initiate landmark designation, effectively suspending major alterations or demolitions for two years.
However, practical concerns remain. “It’s easy to see why City Hall may have taken a back seat.” said Councilman Gay Donnell Willis pointed to voter priorities that favored infrastructure, public safety and congressional projects. Others, like Paul Ridley, Switch that it is time to invest again: “We have saved money as a city by not investing in the building in the past. Now it is due and it is time to spend the money that we should have spent years ago.”
The debate has also expanded Redditwhere users exchange jokes and serious requests alike. Some suggested transforming the structure into a haunted Halloween, while others cited the cameo in the 1987 film RoboCop as a reason to save it. “Bite the bullet, Dallas. Spend the money.” The Building,” one commenter urged. Another took the opposite stance: “Insanity. Sell it.”
The towering concrete form of Dallas City Hall may not be universally loved, but it's still instantly recognizable. The building still questions what kind of city Dallas wants to be. Will it be a city that preserves its monumental creeds or one that gives them away when maintenance costs become too high?
Lamster believes in Dallas' enduring civic gesture, expressed at a historic moment when its national reputation was rebuilt after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963: “City Hall was designed to represent Dallas at its best. It is bold, forward-looking, ambitious, generous and optimistic. In the evening, when the warm Texas sun sweeps across its front facade, it achieves a beauty approaching the sublime. To destroy it would be a…” unforgivable act of self-harm.”
The City Council Finance Committee will meet again on November 12 to determine the next chapter of Dallas City Hall.