The Dallas Municipal Building is a

Dallas Landmark Dallas Landmark is a designation by the City of Dallas and the Dallas Landmark Commission for historic buildings and districts in Dallas, Texas, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historica ...

located along S. Harwood Street between

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

and Commerce Street in the Main Street District of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

that served as the city's fourth City Hall. The structure is also a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...

and a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the Harwood Street Historic District, located across the street from

Main Street Garden Park Main Street Garden Park is a public park located in downtown Dallas, Texas, United States The $17.4 million park was primarily funded through the City of Dallas’ 2003 and 2006 bond programs and is the first of several planned downtown core p ...

History

The City purchased land for the fourth City Hall between 1911 and 1912 from Eliza Trice, Otto H. Lang and the Sweeney Family. Designed by C. D. Hill & Company in the Beaux-Arts style, plans were drawn up in 1913 and the Spring Fred A. Jones Building Company began construction. The building company filed for bankruptcy later that year, and the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution to accept the sale and transfer of materials to C. C. Street, Jr., who completed the building. The Municipal Building opened October 17, 1914. In 1956, the Municipal Building Annex was completed at 2014 Main St. and attached as a connected building to 106 S. Harwood and became the home to the

Dallas Police Department The Dallas Police Department, established in 1881, is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Dallas, Texas. Organization The department is headed by a chief of police who is appointed by the city manager who, in turn, is hir ...

.Dallas City Hall
Dallas Morning News 11/24/08 After the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

of President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

was arrested and jailed in the Municipal Building on November 22, 1963. Two days later, he was fatally shot by

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...

while being led out by police in the basement garage.

Dallas City Hall Dallas City Hall is the seat of municipal government of the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is located at 1500 Marilla in the Government District of downtown Dallas. The current building, the city's fifth city hall, was completed in 19 ...

vacated the structure in 1978 when it moved to its current location at 1500 Marilla St. In 2003, the Dallas Police Department moved its offices to the new Jack Evans Police Headquarters at 1400 S. Lamar St, leaving only municipal courts in the building. The building suffered partial abandonment and neglect as the city tried to find a new use for the historic structure. On June 19, 2009, Texas Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

signed SB 956 into law, establishing the first public law school in North Texas.

University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law The University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law (UNT Dallas College of Law) is a law school institution accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). It is located at 106 S. Harwood St. in the UNT Dallas Law Center. The parent institu ...

planned to begin taking applications in the Fall of 2013 for classes that began in 2014. Initially, courses were held at the nearby

Universities Center at Dallas The Universities Center at Dallas is part of the UNT System. It used to be controlled by the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD). It is located in the historic Titche-Goettinger Building in the Main Street District area of downtown Da ...

, but the school renovated the Municipal Building for the law school. Renovations were complete in 2020 and the school moved to the City Hall in July.

References

External links

Dallas Morning NewsRESTORE a film by Mark Birnbaum
{{Downtown Dallas Buildings and structures in Dallas Buildings and structures associated with the assassination of John F. Kennedy History of Dallas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Dallas Landmarks Beaux-Arts architecture in Texas Government buildings completed in 1914

History

See also

References

External links