Dallas City Hall’s future is on the table, with an inquiry now underway to determine whether the brutalist landmark gets repaired or scrapped.
The City Council voted 12–3 late Wednesday to direct City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to explore alternatives to the city’s nearly 50-year-old government headquarters, a move that could reshape downtown’s civic and real estate landscape, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Tolbert must report back early next year with options that weigh the cost of repairing the I.M. Pei-designed building — pegged between $152 million and $345 million — against relocating city operations elsewhere. The decision kicks off what supporters call a fact-finding mission, not a commitment to move.
“There are a lot of questions about City Hall,” Council member Chad West said, noting the city won’t get answers “unless we have the evaluation.” Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem Gay Donnell Willis added that the city owes taxpayers a full accounting of the land’s value and “highest and best use.”
But opponents say the process could pave the way for demolition of a cultural icon. Council member Paul Ridley, who voted against the measure along with Paula Blackmon and Cara Mendelsohn, argued the city should first get a professional assessment of City Hall’s condition before “talking to every downtown landlord about moving.”
Ridley added that a steep increase in repair estimates from two years ago needs to be explored, citing a $54 million figure from June 2023.
Residents largely sided with preservationists.
Of nearly 30 speakers during Wednesday’s meeting, most urged the city to repair rather than replace the building, which sits across from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center — itself set for a multibillion-dollar rebuild.
A “Save Dallas City Hall” petition has drawn more than 3,500 signatures so far.
City staff will now study the costs and logistics of repairing versus leasing, buying or constructing new facilities, including new sites for emergency operations, the 311 and 911 call centers, and City Council chambers.
They’ll also analyze how redeveloping the current site could align with downtown revitalization plans and boost tax revenue.
The resolution requires findings to go before the council’s finance committee by February. Meanwhile, the city’s Landmark Commission has already begun proceedings to give City Hall historic designation, temporarily shielding it from demolition.
— Eric Weilbacher
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