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Guide No. 43:
Municipal Building Contracts,
1913-1914

Overview of the Collection

Repository:

Dallas Municipal Archives
Office of the City Secretary
1500 Marilla Street, 5D South
Dallas, Texas 75201

Creator: City of Dallas
Title: Municipal Building Contracts
Dates: 1913 -1914
Quantity: 5 linear inches
Abstract: Municipal building contracts for building a City Hall at 2014 Main Street
Identification: 97 - 020
Language: Records are in English

Scope and Contents

Collection documents the design and construction of the City of Dallas 1914 city hall, called the Municipal Building. In May 1910 Dallas officials determined that the City Hall, then situated on the northwest corner of Commerce and Akard Streets, had become too small to serve adequately the city's population of over 90,000. They sold the property to Adolphus Busch, who built the Adolphus Hotel at that site. A number of locations were considered for the new municipal facility before C. C. Slaughter suggested this site, which the city purchased in the fall of 1911. Voters approved a bond issue in an April 1912 election, and construction began in May 1913. The completed building opened on Oct. 17, 1914, to coincide with the start of the State Fair.

C. D. Hill and Co. of Dallas designed the five-story Beaux-Arts City Hall, constructed of Texas gray granite. Ornate Corinthian columns line the Classical facade. The interior of the structure, originally finished with marble floors and mahogany woodwork, has been remodeled periodically to provide additional office space. In 1956 the adjacent municipal building was erected to serve the growing city. In the basement of this structure on November 24, 1963, Jack Ruby fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald, alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy.

The collection contains contracts for all aspects of the design and construction of the Municipal Building.

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Index Terms

Dallas -- Texas -- History
Historic buildings -- Texas -- Dallas -- Conservation and restoration.
Dallas (Tex.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Box Folder
Title, Date
1 1 C. D. Hill and Company Architects, contract for architecture plans, January 22, 1913
2 The Fred A. Jones Building Company, contract for building contractor, March 12, 1913
  Report on two alternate bids to be added to contract, February 7, 1913
3 Noelke-Richards Iron Works, contract for structural iron, August 4, 1913
4 W. M. Clower Electric Company, contract for electrical wiring, October 10, 1913
5 Kinnison Brothers Heating and Ventilating, contract for heating and ventilating plant, October 10, 1913
6 H. T. Kilpatrick, contract for plumbing and drainage, October 17, 1913
7 Otis Elevator Company, contract for elevators and electric sidewalk lifts, November 7, 1913
8 Oscar Daniels Company, contract for steel & iron construction, November 24, 1913
9 R. Russell Stapler, contract for superintendent of construction, November 26, 1913
10 Mayfield Lumber Company, contract for lumber, December 12, 1913
11 Mosler Safe Company, contract for vault doors, December 12, 1913
12 Jones Lumber Company, contract for lumber, December 15, 1913
13 Bonner Marshall Brick Company, contract for face brick, December 29, 1913
14 Bloomington Cut Stone Company, contract for cut stone, January 7, 1914
  Dallas Builders Supply Company, contract for Spencer Turbine Vacuum Cleaner, January 5, 1914
15 Ogburn Gravel Company, contract for brick sand, January 7, 1914
16 Dallas Press Brick Company, contract for common brick, January 7, 1914
17 Imperial Water Proof Company, Ltd, contract for waterproof materials, January 14, 1914
18 Collinsville Manufacturing Company, contract for sheet metal, tile roofing, and metal windows, January 23, 1914
19 Uhrich Planing Mill Company, contract for mill work, January 21, 1914
20 A. L. Gooch, contract for granite, February 9, 1914
  W. P. Crosman, contract for concrete sand, January 28, 1914
21 Spuck Iron and Foundry Company, contract for ornamental iron and steel work, February 11, 1914
22 S. F. Bowser and Company, contract for gasoline tank, February 18, 1914
23 D. C. Collawn, contract for plastering, February 20, 1914
24 New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company, contract for terra cotta, February 23, 1914
25 The Texas Glass and Paint Company, contract for glass, March 9, 1914
26 P. M. Bruner Granitoid Company, contract for sidewalk lights, March 16, 1914
27 Vermont Marble Company, contract for furnishing and performing all marble work, March 30, 1914
28 Otto Bowman, contract for painting, April 20, 1914
29 Moroney Hardware Company, contract for hardware, May 20, 1914
30 J. Desco and Son, contract for tile floor and base, June 1, 1914
31 Dallas Roofing Company, contract for roofing, July 1, 1914
  Bloomington Cut Stone Company, contract for cut stone, June 10, 1914
32 Uhrich Planing Mill Company, contract for counters, July 13, 1914
33 Egan Fixture Company, contract for electrical fixtures and fans, July 22, 1914
34 Art Metal Construction Company, contract for metal vault filing devices, July 24, 1914
35 C. A. Bryant Company, contract for auditorium seats, July 24, 1914

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