An uptown Dallas hotel is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of events showcasing its storied history.
Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh, on the corner of Maple Avenue and Wolf Street, opened in October 1923 as The Stoneleigh Court Apartment Hotel. At the time, the 11-story building was the only high-rise building and the only hotel in the area. Just before its grand opening, The Dallas Morning News described it as the “largest and most pretentious hotel ever constructed in the Southwest.”
The Beaux-Arts style structure was originally designed as a swanky apartment house with 125 units, ranging in size from one to five rooms each, with some of the apartments set aside for travelers. The hotel’s launch helped kick-start the concept of luxury high-rise living in Dallas, according to a press release.
One visitor, Col. Harry E. Stewart, became so enamored with the hotel that he decided to buy it in 1934, turning the 11th floor into a penthouse suite that he used for his personal quarters. It was reportedly the first penthouse in Texas. He also added a 12th floor with a terrace overlooking the Dallas cityscape.
Stewart selected Dorothy Draper, the first female interior design firm owner in the United States, to design the penthouse, incorporating Art Deco style throughout the space. The penthouse, which reportedly features secret doors and passages, was luxuriously finished with marble floors, 500-year-old English oak paneling, and 18th-century mirrors.
Many celebrities have stayed in The Stoneleigh’s penthouse and presidential suites, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, Frank Lloyd Wright, Tom Cruise, Carol Channing, Yoko Ono, Dan Aykroyd, Paula Abdul, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and many more.
Though the hotel has changed hands several times over the years and has been updated many times, many of Draper’s original design elements remain.
“It still looks like an old mansion, and the library looks like a speakeasy,” General Manager Stacy Martin said of the penthouse space, per InsideHook.
The hotel currently features 176 guest rooms and suites, and the penthouse is only used for special events. However, members of the public have a chance to sample the luxury of the penthouse suite and relive some of The Stoneleigh’s history by being selected to attend one of several 1920s-style speakeasy events, which are being held in celebration of the hotel’s centennial.
Selected guests will receive a password that will give them access to the 11th-floor Library Room, which will be converted into a speakeasy for the evening. Patrons can enjoy “1920s-inspired cocktails and bites,” and hotel staff will be on hand to give tours of the private rooms and share stories about the hotel’s history.
The two remaining speakeasy events, which are limited in capacity, are scheduled for June 15 and August 17. To register for a chance to be randomly selected to attend one of these events, click here.
In addition, The Stoneleigh will host a grand celebration “embodying the heart and character” of the hotel in October, with more details to be announced in the near future.
In the meantime, guests can enjoy other monthly activities at the hotel, such as guided yoga event “Yogarita,” live music, and wine dinners, all with centennial elements woven into the action.
“We are very honored and proud to be celebrating our Centennial year. We have a lot of beautiful history here, and we are excited to share with you what we have in store to celebrate 100 years!” said Martin in the press release.
