The Crescent is a postmodern office, hotel, and retail complex located at 200 Crescent Court in

Uptown Dallas Uptown is a PID (public improvement district) and a dense neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. Uptown is north of and adjacent to downtown Dallas, and is bordered by US 75 ( Central Expressway) on the east, N Haskell Avenue on the northeast, the Katy ...

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 ...

, United States. The 10-acre complex was designed by

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the pos ...

and

John Burgee __NOTOC__ John Burgee (born August 28, 1933) is an American architect noted for his contributions to Postmodern architecture. He was a partner of Philip Johnson from 1967 to 1991, creating together the partnership firm Johnson/Burgee Architects ...

and was completed in 1986. The structure has of office space in three office towers, Hotel Crescent Court, and an upscale shopping center including department store

Stanley Korshak Stanley Korshak is an American luxury goods specialty department store in Dallas, Texas. The largest independent department store in the United States, it is located in the Uptown neighborhood in The Crescent retail complex. History In 1909 Sta ...

History

In the early 1980s Dallas developer Caroline Hunt and Rosewood Corp. purchased several blocks of old automobile dealerships north of downtown Dallas with plans to create a grand mixed-use development. Excavation began with one of the largest holes on record, creating a 5-level, 4,100 space underground parking facility. The development was one of the most expensive ever constructed in Dallas with an estimated cost of $400 million. Opening in 1986 with a gala event, the complex initially struggled to attract tenants during a depressed economy. Its elegant appointments and location in the center of the (then) transitioning Uptown neighborhood attracted multiple financial firms and upscale retailers (moving the center of the financial industry from Main Street to Uptown). The Crescent is sometimes credited for setting the quality level for much of the surrounding neighborhood, and today commands some of the highest office rents in Dallas. In 2014 plans were announced to transform and update the exterior of the building, resulting in more park space along with retail and office upgrades.

Design

Designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee, The Crescent's neo-French classical design was meant to evoke historic architecture of

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

on a massive scale. The resulting architecture was heavily criticized at the time of completion, but has grown into favor as the neighborhood evolved. The complex comprises several structures: * An office complex with a contiguous 19-story center tower and two 18-story side towers set in a Crescent-shaped contour. * A 5-story central building containing the Hotel Crescent Court separated from the office complex by a central motor court. * A low-rise, triangular retail and office building The entire complex is clad in acres of

Indiana limestone Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...

, eclipsing the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

for the amount of limestone used during construction. The building lobby areas are finished in ten different types of marble, and covering the complex is the largest cut slate roof in the world (250,000 tiles installed by skilled craftsmen). The exterior is adorned with $6 million worth of ornamental cast aluminum metal used on balconies, trellises and railings.

References

External links

The Crescent
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crescent Buildings and structures completed in 1986 Buildings and structures in Dallas John Burgee buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Dallas Philip Johnson buildings Skyscraper hotels in Dallas