Adolphus Hotel, Historic Beaux-Arts hotel in Downtown Dallas, United States
The Adolphus Hotel is a 22-story, 312-foot Beaux-Arts building designed by Thomas P. Barnett of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett of St. Louis. It fills much of a city block in downtown Dallas after expansions in 1916, 1926 and 1950. A 1980 renovation reduced the room count to 428 by combining smaller rooms.
Adolphus Busch bought Dallas's old City Hall on June 22, 1910, demolished it and built the hotel for $1.8 million, designed by Thomas P. Barnett of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett in the Beaux-Arts style. It opened on October 5, 1912, as the 22-story, 312-foot Adolphus Hotel, the tallest building in Texas until the Magnolia Petroleum Building surpassed it ten years later. Expansions in 1916, 1926 and 1950 brought it to 1,200 rooms.
The hotel's name honours its builder, Adolphus Busch of Anheuser-Busch, though it opened in 1912 as the renamed New Oriental Hotel. In the 1930s it hosted big band musicians such as Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. Bob Hope and Jack Benny performed here early in their careers.
The hotel occupies much of a city block on Main Street in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas. It was expanded in 1916, 1926 and 1950, so the entrances and wings face different streets; check which one serves your room. The building is a Dallas Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The hotel's name was first announced as the New Oriental Hotel, replacing the Oriental Hotel Busch owned across the street. By its opening on October 5, 1912, it had been renamed to match its builder, Adolphus Busch. The 1980 renovation cut the room count from 1,200 to 428 by merging outdated rooms.
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