City officials opened a public call for concepts Monday seeking ideas for the future of the I.M. Pei-designed City Hall building, the surrounding government complex, and roughly 20 to 30 acres of nearby land tied to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center expansion.
The Open Call for Concepts and Ideas invites residents, stakeholders, architects, designers, urban planners, developers, and community organizations to submit preliminary perspectives on adaptive reuse of the 1978 structure at 1500 Marilla Street or broader redevelopment of the downtown site and adjacent city-owned property that will become available after the convention center’s planned 2029 opening.
Submissions are due by May 3 at 2 p.m. CT on the City of Dallas website.
The process is intended to gather creative input to help guide long-term choices on one of downtown’s most visible landmarks, with respondents encouraged to address economic impact, adaptive reuse or redevelopment options, alignment with the convention center master plan, community benefits, connectivity to surrounding neighborhoods, and high-level logistics such as budget and timeline.
Submissions should include a written narrative, conceptual renderings or diagrams if available, a summary of proposed uses and anticipated benefits, and any relevant implementation details. The call is not a formal procurement or development solicitation, and all ideas are conceptual; the city will not reimburse preparation costs.
The effort will help determine whether to pursue major repairs or a larger redevelopment strategy. Earlier estimates have put comprehensive modernization costs at up to $1 billion over the next decade or more.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert announced the call in line with a City Council resolution approved on March 4, following discussions by the Economic Development Committee on March 2. It coincides with a new statistically valid community survey, launched Monday in partnership with ZenCity, that will gather residents’ priorities for the government center and will remain open for about six weeks.
Feedback from both the call for concepts and the survey will be reviewed and presented to the City Council to guide next steps, including potential phased repair plans for City Hall and City Hall Plaza. The broader initiative also includes exploring relocation options for 311, 911, and emergency operations to at least two new sites, as well as options for relocating other City Hall staff and functions.
Staff will develop a 10-year repair and replacement program that prioritizes critical needs and creates two funding strategies — one for leaving the current site and one for staying — that include 20-year analyses of capital, financing, and operating costs.
City officials said the open process ensures market and community input helps shape decisions on one of downtown Dallas’s most prominent landmarks. Staff plan to return to the council in late May with a comprehensive briefing on progress and recommended next steps.
