Tax Credit Program Highlight: Tower Petroleum

History

Tower Petroleum, constructed in 1931, is an Art Deco skyscraper located in the City Center District of Downtown Dallas. It was designed by Mark Lemmon, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The tower is 22 stories and features Zig-zag Moderne style motifs. At one time, the Tower Theater was located behind the building, and accessed via the main lobby of Tower Petroleum. In 1951, the adjoined Corrigan Tower was constructed over and around the Tower Theater. Interestingly, the building housed the Dallas offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the 12th floor for much of World War II, from 1937 to 1943.

Rehabilitation Project

Like many working office buildings, Tower Petroleum was renovated many times, and, by the time the current owner acquired the building, most of the upper floors had been fully or partially demolished. Corridor walls remained on some floors, but many only had their green terrazzo floor and marble elevator lobbies. All of the first floor had been lost, with the exception of the marble and bronze entrance lobby. These remaining features were all retained as the building was adapted into a hotel. The first floor now houses the check-in desk and a bar, with meeting rooms on the second floor, and hotel rooms above. Where historic corridors remained, the original doors and marble base boards were retained. The building also retains its original bi-folding steel windows.