The Dallas City Council has postponed making a decision about the future of City Hall until this summer, slowing the previous momentum to relocate from the building. The current structure has served the city for nearly 50 years.
During a meeting that began at noon on March 4, the council voted at 1 a.m. on March 5 to delay a vote on moving out of City Hall.
“The vote today is, ‘Go run another lap,’” said City Manager Kim Tolbert. “I think it was presented as if, ‘Today was the decision – City Hall is gone, we’re moving,’ but that is not what we heard from the finance committee.”
The council’s finance committee heard a staff breakdown on February 23 on a potential $1 billion cost to upgrade and overhaul City Hall, as The Dallas Express reported. By the end of that meeting, committee members unanimously passed recommendations to leave, to move out the remaining staff and emergency operations like 911 and 311, and to explore the redevelopment of the current site.
Now, however, the council has pushed the vote until this summer.
Dozens of speakers turned out to oppose leaving City Hall, citing its historic significance and potential private interests at work.
Councilman Bill Roth expressed concern about moving 911 and 311 out of the building rapidly.
“One of the provisions in this was that we were going to talk about moving 311/911 as quickly as possible,” Roth said. “When I heard that, and I saw that, that made me nervous. That made me like, ‘What, are we in trouble here?’ Sounds like we’re not, and I appreciate your directness.”
Though several speakers, like Amy Lewis Hofland of Downtown Dallas Inc., also supported moving City Hall and redeveloping the current building.
“We know this will require the demolition of the existing structure,” Hofland said. “This was not a casual decision. It followed careful deliberation about what kind of downtown we want and need. We understand this conversation has been framed largely as a cultural preservation versus commerce. We believe in culture, we also believe in downtown.”
A Historic Landmark Or A Hole In The Pocketbook?
In the basement of Dallas’ former City Hall, Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald – the alleged assassin of former President John F. Kennedy – in 1963.
To help the city move on from its reputation as the “City of Hate” after the JFK assassination, architect I.M. Pei designed the modernist City Hall at 1500 Marilla Street, which sits just south of downtown. The building opened in 1978.
After 48 years, the building is showing signs of its age.
The city might have to pay between $906 million and $1.1 billion for repairs and upgrades, according to a report released on February 20. Some officials are calling for a move to a new location for fiscal responsibility, while others are questioning the number.
As The Dallas Express reported, during the February 23 briefing, staff presented a report on the condition of City Hall.
Researchers found “all systems past their useful life” in City Hall, with mechanical, plumbing, heating, A/C, and electrical systems falling short of modern standards. Most repairs so far have been in response to system failure.
They also said it would take at least $906 million to make the current City Hall “fully updated”; to address “major building systems and infrastructure deficiencies,” they estimated the cost at $329.4 million.
“Fully updating City Hall will cost much more than corrective repairs due to required code and ADA upgrades, temporary relocation, and financing costs,” per the presentation. “The real estate market engagement revealed favorable conditions and cost-effective relocation solutions as compared to the renovation cost estimate.”
Still, several council members expressed skepticism of the numbers, including Committee Chair Chad West. The issue sparked an alliance between Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn and Councilmen Adam Bazaldua, Bill Roth, and Paul Ridley.
The council told staff to begin considering the future of City Hall on November 12, as The Dallas Express reported, citing concerns about the aging building’s condition and development prospects for its current site.
Mayor Eric Johnson had asked members to determine if the current City Hall and other facilities support the city government and its citizens, and whether moving locations would be fiscally responsible.
