Adolphus Hotel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Adolphus Hotel | |
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| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1315 Commerce St. |
| Status | Completed |
| Opening | 5 October 1912 |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Barnett, Hayes and Barnett |
| Owner | Adolphus Busch |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP: | July 14, 1983 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 83003133 |
The Adolphus Hotel (often referred to locally as simply "The Adolphus") is an upscale hotel in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA) which was for several years the tallest building in the state of Texas.
[edit] History
The Adolphus was opened on 5 October 1912, built by the founder of the Anheuser-Busch company, Adolphus Busch in a Beaux Arts style designed by Barnett, Hayes and Barnett of St. Louis. Busch's intention in constructing the hotel was to establish the first grand and posh hotel in the city of Dallas. With 22 floors standing a total of 312 feet (95 m), the building was the tallest building in Texas until it was dwarfed by the Magnolia Petroleum Building (now the Magnolia Hotel) just down the street in August 1922 [1]. The building underwent a series of expansions, first in 1916, then 1926 and finally in 1950, at the time giving the hotel a total of 1,200 rooms.
In the 1930s, various venues of the Adolphus played host to many big band musicians of the era, including Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.
In 1936, the historian and political activist J. Evetts Haley organized at the Adolphus his third party, the "Jeffersonian Democrats of Texas", to oppose within Texas the reelection of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom Haley considered a socialist.
The Adolphus has been the host of many respected leaders of business, government and entertainment, including presidents, from Warren G. Harding to George H. W. Bush. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also stayed at the hotel in 1991. In Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Borat attempts to check in to the hotel but is kicked out after calling the receptionist "Vanilla Face" and mimicking African American speech and behavior.
During the 1980s, the Adolphus underwent a US$80 million renovation, enlarging and modernizing the already-luxurious guestrooms. It also shrunk the total number of guestrooms to 428. The Adolphus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Hotel has been named one of the top ten in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler and also receives high ratings from Zagat, Fodor's and Frommer's.
[edit] References
- ^ Dallassky.com - Magnolia Building. Retrieved 24 August 2006.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Praetorian Building |
Tallest Building in Dallas 1912—1923 95m |
Succeeded by Magnolia Hotel |
| Preceded by Praetorian Building |
Tallest Building in Texas 1912—1923 95m |
Succeeded by Magnolia Hotel |
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