Wes Wise, J. Erik Jonsson and I.M. Pei At The Dallas City Hall Groundbreaking - August 14, 1972

WFAA Collection

[@DONUTBUZZCUT]

Oh!

[@vg_grover4828]

And now the area is a hot-spot for the homeless!

[@214dude2]

Well, that’s where all the shelters are. No one wants them close to their neighborhood…so Downtown is the only option.

[@johnerwin9024]

Library/City hall always been eyesores 😑😑

[@rlrober]

By far the ugliest building in Dallas

[@214dude2]

It would of looked a lot better without the stairwells. But the Mayor insisted that the building look like it’s not about to fall over. So, Pei added the 3 stairwells to the exterior of the building to make it look like it’s supporting the building. It was originally intended to be a fully sloped facade with nothing holding it up.

[@rlrober]

@@214dude2 I read about that, and that infact did take away from the "cool" look it would have had without the stairwells. But the materials and the surrounding grounds are awful. No lighting, no trees, not grass, and that fountain that is just a water hole.

[@chrisv741]

@@214dude2 To this day, the stairwells fuck with me because it would look perfect without it. Nonetheless, it's one of I.M. Pei's better works -- stairwells be damned.

[@214dude2]

@@rlroberit had way more lighting but the city changed the original light poles for some reason. It’s a plaza so it’s designed to hold protests and events. The concrete was chosen because the city wanted something that’s maintenance free.