What Is Dallas City Hall Really Worth?

By Veletta Forsythe-Lill

Yes, I said it. The question I thought I would never ask: What is Dallas City Hall really worth? When we first started hearing rumors of 1500 Marilla St. requiring exorbitant repairs, I questioned the rapidly escalating, speculative numbers. Why, all of a sudden, had this concern emerged and focused the City Council?

The question has galvanized many of us, but what does it all mean for our city in a larger context? In the beginning, we focused on the building’s iconic architecture. Once upon a time, a forward-thinking Mayor and City Council had hired one of the most lauded architects of the 20th century to design its city hall, in part, to show the city’s turn to the future after the tragic events of 1963. The building, in its design, construction method, and materials, was a unicorn. Few buildings ever built were so unique. The cost of losing historic architecture is permanent erasure. The building is never coming back, and in all honesty, based on the reports and discussions to date, Dallas will never have another city hall, regardless of its architecture.

City halls, however, are more than buildings. In this case, 1500 Marilla St. is more than uniquely formed precast concrete and rebar designed by a world-famous architect. This is our seat of government. Every city in America has a city hall. This is the place people come to speak their minds about the rules that govern them. This is the place where they may pay a water bill. This is the place where they may come to hear an exciting announcement about a gift to our city for a new park, performance space, or a global event. This is the place where those whom we elect listen to us. This is the very manifestation of self-governance.

The park/plaza outside of City Hall is the equivalent of a front porch/lawn for our seat of government. This is where we danced to the Beach Boys, visited with Santa, and mourned the loss of fallen officers. This is where we come to grieve our losses and express our grievances. This space is ours, and we are free to gather here and express our concerns about policies of all kinds. There really is no other space of such size or symbolism in Dallas that would fill the void. The loss of this space won’t have the enormous financial impact that destroying this building will have, but it will devalue the very important, intangible value of our democracy.

These impacts would be felt by those of us who use Dallas City Hall, but then there are the impacts on those who work in the building. If we are to aspire to efficiency or effectiveness in government, we must look to those who work at City Hall to not only work with the public but to work together. Problems in our city do not respect organizational chart boundaries. Neighborhoods interact with multiple departments on a regular basis. Our neighborhood might need to interact with planning, code enforcement, transportation, sanitation, public safety, and parks on a regular basis. As City Hall staffers work with communities, they must work together to address problems that require coordination. How easy will it be to find the various departments in a downtown high-rise? How difficult will it be to coordinate meetings when staffers are spread across various buildings rather than in one facility? Where would one park if you need to go to multiple offices? This is the time suck. There’s also the measurable economic cost that comes with outfitting and renting new spaces. According to that $1 billion report, the “fit out” and 5-year lease in those other downtown buildings would cost $113-185 million. The rent costs will be in perpetuity, and you will be paying a landlord out of the general fund — the same fund that pays for your parks, libraries, streets, and arts. And we know that all the numbers in the report are inflated, but the rent will still be big, forever, and paid to someone else.

Finally, the greatest conundrum of all will be the cost and impact of demolishing 1.5 million square feet of building and parking garage. The unique materials, scale, and design will represent a stubborn problem for those choosing complete destruction. Only a cursory review of a demolition of this type provides some eye-popping numbers. The cost of demolishing Dallas City Hall may be as high as $60 million. The possibility of 50 truckloads of debris per day leaving downtown for almost a year will be more than an irritant. The time frame of 3-5 years from permitting to a clean site could conflict with the prescribed timeline for a new Mavericks arena. And none of this considers the environmental cost, which will be great given the particulates that will be released in a dense urban area.

Interestingly, nobody at Dallas City Hall seems to have asked about the process and cost of demolition. The compounded tangible and intangible costs of the loss of this place need to be considered when making an informed decision about its fate. Many of us believe the cost is too great.

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Veletta Forsythe-Lill, Hon. AIA, is a long-time civic leader, former member of the Dallas City Council (1997-2005), founding Executive Director of the Dallas Arts District ( 2008-2012), and an active member of the coalition to Save Dallas City Hall.