Dallas Hall is a historic building on the campus of

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

(SMU) in

University Park, Texas University Park is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States of America, in suburban Dallas. The population was 23,068 at the 2010 census. The city is home to Southern Methodist University. University Park is bordered on the north, east and we ...

. Influenced by the

Roman Pantheon The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see ''interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek mythology, Greek myths, ancient Greek art, iconography, and sometimes Religion in ancient Greece, ...

and architecture by

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, it was constructed by the architectural firm of

Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge was a successful architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, operating between 1886 and 1915, with extensive commissions in monumental civic, religious, and collegiate architecture in the spirit and style of Henry ...

in 1915. The first building on campus, it housed most of the university's operations. The campus has since been expanded around Dallas Hall, but it remains the center of SMU. It was named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.

History

Dallas Hall was designed by the Chicago branch of the architectural firm

Robert Stewart Hyer Robert Stewart Hyer (October 18, 1860 – May 29, 1929) was an educator and researcher in Texas noted for experimenting with early X-ray and telegraphy equipment. He served as president of Southwestern University before becoming the first presiden ...

(1860-1929), the first President of SMU, chose

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

after the

-designed architecture of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

.Nancy Capace, ''Encyclopedia of Texas'', North American Book, 2001, Volume 1, p. 13

/ref>''Dallas Landmarks'', Arcadia Publishing, 2009, p. 98
/ref> The building's architecture was inspired by the Pantheon, Rome, Pantheon. As a sign of appreciation towards local citizens who had given 622.5 acres and $300,000 to found the campus, it was named "Dallas Hall" in their honor. Construction began in 1912, and the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

was laid on November 28, 1912. It was dedicated in 1915, making it the first building on campus.Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Dallas Hall
/ref> The site chosen for Dallas Hall is one of the highest points in

Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nin ...

. It stood alone on a flat prairie. This, and the building's monumental size, is the origin of SMU's nickname, "The Hilltop". Constructed of brick, it is three stories tall. The building was oriented so that the crest of the building perfectly aligned with the

Praetorian Building The Praetorian Building, also known as Stone Place Tower, was a 15-story, high-rise constructed in 1909 at Main Street and Stone Street in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It was regarded the first skyscraper in Texas and th ...

, then the tallest building in Dallas. Upon its opening, all of the university's facilities, except for female dorms and temporary housing for some male students, were housed in Dallas Hall. It housed all classrooms for a decade after opening. Over the years, it has been home to classrooms, offices, a chapel, a hamburger grill, a post office and a barbershop. A highly symmetrical campus has since been constructed around Dallas Hall. It celebrated its 100th anniversary on November 12, 2012, with a dinner for university administrators and donors. It has been listed on the

since November 17, 1978. Dallas Hall is used for SMU's convocations and graduations.

Image gallery

File:Dallas Hall on Southern Methodist University Campus, Dallas (23151013129).jpg, Dallas Hall in 1921 File:SMU seal.png, School's seal within the building File:Southern Methodist University July 2016 107 (Dallas Hall).jpg, A distant view

References

External links

{{National Register of Historic Places in Texas Houses completed in 1915 University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Buildings and structures in Dallas Georgian architecture in Texas Southern Methodist University National Register of Historic Places in Dallas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks

History

Image gallery

See also

References

External links