In a report released late Friday evening, the City of Dallas disclosed that fully modernizing the iconic but aging Dallas City Hall would carry a price tag of between $906 million and $1.14 billion - a staggering figure that sets the stage for one of the most consequential decisions the city has faced in decades.
The report, from the Dallas Economic Development Corporation, estimates that addressing just the building's most urgent problems - including outdated electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems that do not meet modern standards, and a failing roof - would cost $329 million alone.
Full modernization would cost at least $906 million, which includes approximately $113 million to temporarily relocate the building's staff to another location for roughly five years during the renovation, as well as between $299 million and $360 million in interest if the city finances the project over 20 years.
The report also highlights hundreds of areas in the building that are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and notes that years of patchwork repairs have left critical systems in need of wholesale replacement. Building features and technology are described as obsolete.
The Finance Committee is scheduled to review the report Monday, February 23. The Economic Development Committee will hold a special public meeting on March 2, followed by a full city council briefing on March 4.
The report stops short of recommending an in-place renovation, citing increased construction costs, the extended timeline, environmental considerations, and operational disruptions. It notes there are apparently "favorable conditions and cost-effective relocation solutions" compared to renovation costs, as well as opportunities to make city services more accessible while requiring less space.
The debate is not without controversy. Some opponents of decommissioning City Hall claim officials are inflating repair estimates to offload the property to the Dallas Mavericks for a new arena - a charge city leaders have not directly addressed. Meanwhile, preservationists are pushing back on the numbers altogether. The Save Dallas City Hall Coalition, a group of architects and preservation activists, points to a 2018 study that estimated repairs at $37 to $39 million - so far below even the conservative $329 million estimate that the group is calling for a full reassessment.
The I.M. Pei-designed building has anchored downtown Dallas since 1978.
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