Southwestern Life Insurance Building

Last updated
Southwestern Life Insurance Building
Southwestern Life Insurance Building
General information
StatusDemolished
TypeOffice
Location1500 Main Street, Dallas, Texas, United States
Coordinates 32°46′49″N96°48′05″W / 32.7804°N 96.8014°W / 32.7804; -96.8014
Opening1912
Demolished1972
Height
Roof173 ft (53 m)
Technical details
Floor count16
Design and construction
Architect(s)Lang & Witchell

The Southwestern Life Insurance Building was a 16-story, 110,000 sf high-rise in Downtown Dallas, Texas, designed by Lang & Witchell architects [1] in the Sullivanesque style. It was built in 1912 and demolished 1972. Today it is the site of Pegasus Plaza, one of the first parks to open in the city's central business district.

Contents

History

According to a 1905 Sanborn Map of Dallas, the southeast corner of Main St. and S. Akard St. consisted of a three-story brick building, divided into narrow sections, with the intersection address of 332 Main Street. Businesses such as the Rock Island Railroad Company, Metropolitan Book Exchange, Dallas Healing Institute and Dallas Business College were all associated with addresses here, believed to have been erected in 1886 by Judge Nat M. Burford (1824-1898). [2]

Southwestern Life Building (Otto H. Lang, architect) Southwestern Life Building (Otto H. Lang 1911).jpg
Southwestern Life Building (Otto H. Lang, architect)

The Southwestern Life Insurance Company formed in 1903 and established its home office at 310 Main Street in Dallas. On March 20, 1910, company president and future Dallas Mayor Henry D. Lindsley announced that the company purchased property from Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Freeman and Miss May Burford, in a deal worth $300,000, for the erection of a "monster building" of up to 16 stories in height. [3] It was said to be “the largest real estate deal ever made in either the city or county of Dallas by individuals or companies.” Located at 1500 Main Street, the high-rise contained a series of shops at street level, with tenants over the decades that included Russell Stover Candies and Bond Clothing Stores. Southwestern Life occupied its namesake building until 1964 when it moved to a new structure six blocks north on Ross Avenue [4] designed by George Dahl.

In 1965, businessman and future Texas Governor Bill Clements purchased 1500 Main Street for a reported $1.2 million. [5] While keeping any plans for the tower a secret, several years later he gave all remaining tenants notice to vacate by December 28, 1971. The structure was demolished in 1972 and a surface parking lot took its place in order to serve an increasingly automobile-dependent central business district. [6]

The City of Dallas purchased the parking lot for about $1 million in the early 1990s. [7] Work began on Pegasus Plaza in 1992 and the project, part of a revitalization effort for Main Street that included wide sidewalks and brick crosswalks, was completed in 1994. [8]

Southwestern Life Insurance Company was acquired by Houston-based Tenneco Inc. in 1980 [9] and filed for bankruptcy in 1995. [10] Its second headquarters on Ross Avenue was occupied by The Beck Group from 2003 until 2019.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of America Plaza (Dallas)</span> Skyscraper in downtown Dallas, Texas

Bank of America Plaza is a 72-story, 280.7 m (921 ft) late-modernist skyscraper located in the Main Street District in the city's downtown core in Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the tallest skyscraper in the city, the 3rd tallest in Texas and the 45th tallest in the United States. It contains 1,900,000 sq ft (180,000 m2) of office space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comerica Bank Tower</span> Headquarters of Comerica bank and skyscraper in Dallas, Texas

Comerica Bank Tower is a 60-story postmodern skyscraper located at 1717 Main Street in the Main Street District in downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of 787 feet (240 m), it is the third tallest skyscraper in the city of Dallas. It is also the sixth tallest building in Texas and the 61st tallest building in the United States. The building was designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, and was completed in 1987. The structure has 1,500,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of office space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain Place</span> Famous skyscraper in downtown Dallas Texas

Fountain Place is a 60-story late-modernist skyscraper in downtown Dallas, Texas. Standing at a structural height of 720 ft (220 m), it is the fifth-tallest building in Dallas, and the 15th-tallest in Texas. A new 45-story sibling tower, AMLI Fountain Place, has been built to its northwest on an adjacent lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Plano station</span> DART light rail station in Plano, Texas

Downtown Plano station is a DART light rail station in Plano, Texas. The station is located in Plano's historic downtown district on the eastern side of Haggard Park. It serves the Red Line and, during peak periods, the Orange Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityLine/Bush station</span> DART light rail station in Richardson, Texas

CityLine/Bush station is a DART light rail station in Richardson, Texas. The station is located on a frontage road of President George Bush Turnpike (SH 190) about 13 mile (0.54 km) east of its interchange with North Central Expressway (US 75). The station serves the Red Line and, during peak periods, the Orange Line. The station will also serve the Silver Line commuter rail service once it is completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SMU/Mockingbird station</span> DART light rail station in Dallas, Texas

SMU/Mockingbird station is a DART light rail station in Dallas, Texas. The station is located at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway (US 75). The station serves the Red Line, Orange Line, and Blue Line. It is the northernmost station to serve all three lines: the Red and Orange Lines continue north towards Richardson and Plano, while the Blue Line continues northeast towards Garland and Rowlett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cityplace Tower (Dallas)</span> Office building in Dallas, Texas

The Cityplace Tower is a 42-story building located at 2711 North Haskell Avenue, at North Central Expressway, in the Cityplace district of Uptown Dallas, Texas (USA). The building is 560 feet (171 m) tall and has 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) of office space. It is also the tallest building in Dallas outside of Downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walnut Street station (NJ Transit)</span> NJ Transit rail station

Walnut Street is a New Jersey Transit station on Walnut Street at Depot Square in Montclair, New Jersey along the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is the most used station on the Montclair–Boonton Line. Walnut Street is the second or fifth of six stops that are in Montclair along the Montclair-Boonton line. It gets its name from the street that crosses the railroad tracks next to the station. It has a farmers' market in its parking lot from the summer to the early fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercantile National Bank Building</span> Skyscraper in Dallas, Texas

The Mercantile National Bank Building is a 31-story, 159.4 m (523 ft) skyscraper at 1800 Main Street in the Main Street district of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the former home of the Mercantile National Bank, which later became MCorp Bank. The design of the skyscraper features Moderne styling from the Art Deco era and was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager. The building has a series of setbacks that is crowned by an ornamental four-sided clock along with a decorative weather spire. The Merc was the main element of a four-building complex that eventually spanned a full city block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramsey station (NJ Transit)</span> NJ Transit rail station

Ramsey is one of two railroad stations operated by New Jersey Transit in the borough of Ramsey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Main Line and Bergen County Line, Ramsey station is also unofficially known as Ramsey – Main Street due to the opening of Ramsey Route 17 station to the north in 2004. The station contains two low-level side platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collin Creek Mall</span> Former shopping mall in Plano, Texas

Collin Creek Mall was a regional shopping mall in Plano, Texas. The two-level, 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m2) structure was built in 1981 and was located on the western side of North Central Expressway (US 75) near President George Bush Turnpike. The mall's name was a combination of Collin County and Spring Creek, the latter of which it was built on top of.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titche–Goettinger Building</span> United States historic place

The Titche–Goettinger Building is one of Dallas' original broad-front department stores located along St. Paul Street between Main and Elm Street in downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). The structure currently houses apartments, retail space, and the Universities Center at Dallas. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places both individually and as a contributing property in the Dallas Downtown Historic District and is a Dallas Landmark as part of the Harwood Street Historic District. It is also located across the street from Main Street Garden Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic Center</span> United States historic place

Republic Center is a mixed-use complex at 300 N. Ervay Street and 325 N. St. Paul Street in the City Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA), adjacent to Thanks-giving Square. The complex is located diagonally across the street from DART's St. Paul Station, which serves its Blue, Red, Orange, and Green light rail lines. It also contains part of the Dallas Pedestrian Network, with shops and restaurants in the lower levels of the building and is connected to the Bullington Truck Terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praetorian Building</span> Commercial offices in Dallas, Texas

The Praetorian Building, also known as Stone Place Tower, was a 15-story, 58 m (190 ft) high-rise constructed in 1909 at Main Street and Stone Street in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It was regarded the first skyscraper in Texas and the first skyscraper in the Southwestern United States. It was among the first skyscrapers built in the entire Western United States, following the 1885 Lumber Exchange Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota and other taller towers in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Omaha, and Kansas City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">200 South College</span> Skyscraper in North Carolina, United States

200 South College is a 300-foot (91 m) high-rise in Charlotte, North Carolina. Completed in 1975, it consists of 22 floors and an 11-story parking garage. On the second floor, it is connected to neighboring buildings via skybridges, as part of the Overstreet Mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus Plaza</span>

Pegasus Plaza is a public park located in downtown Dallas, Texas. Located at the corner of Akard and Main Street in the Main Street District, the plaza takes its name from Pegasus, the iconic sign atop the adjacent Magnolia Hotel and the mythical flying horse. The shaded plaza includes several fountains and is used for concerts, festivals and Christmas celebrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Rowlett station</span> DART light rail station in Rowlett, Texas

Downtown Rowlett station is a DART light rail station in Rowlett, Texas. The station is located in Rowlett's historic downtown district, approximately 14 mile (0.40 km) south of Lakeview Parkway (SH 66) and 12 mile (0.80 km) west of President George Bush Turnpike (SH 190).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corrigan Tower</span> High rise in Dallas, Texas, United States

Corrigan Tower, also known as 1900 Pacific or 1900 Pacific Residences, is a high rise located at 1900 Pacific Avenue in the City Center District of Dallas, Texas. The building contains 20 floors, now made up of apartments but originally office space, and is of modernist design. It is situated on the high-traffic corner of St. Paul Street and Pacific Avenue, across from Aston Park and the future Pacific Plaza Park. It lies within the Harwood Historic District, but is not a contributing structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry D. Lindsley</span>

Henry Dickinson Lindsley was an American businessman who served as the 32nd Mayor of Dallas from 1915 to 1917.

12th Street station is a future public transit station in Plano, Texas. Set to be operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the station will service DART light rail's Red Line and the Silver Line commuter rail. During peak transit hours, it will also service the Orange Line.

References

  1. (1911, January 4). Construction News for the Central West and Southwest. Western Contractor Vol. 20 No. 521
  2. (1898, May 12). An Old Settler Gone. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  3. (1910, March 20). Downtown Property Deal of $300,000. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  4. (1964, October 18). Half-Acre Garden Provides Setting. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  5. (1971, December 3). Demolition Nears for Old 'Scraper. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  6. (1972, October 26). "Something Missing?" The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 9, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  7. (1992, October 7). Police group fires new salvo at city - Box calls latest radio ad `irresponsible'. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  8. (1994, May 6). MAIN STREET - The next phase is a critical one. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  9. (1980, April 30). Southwestern holders say goodbye. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 15, 2018 from NewsBank on-line database (America's Newspapers)
  10. (1995, October 11). Insurer Files Bankruptcy. The New York Times.