Join us in celebrating the life of The Ambassador Hotel in The Cedars, Dallas, TX. Contribute to this lasting memorial by sharing stories, memories, photos, and videos. As we plan gatherings, we will post invites with event information on GatheringUs.
OBITUARY
The Majestic-Park-Ambassador Hotel, located at 1312 S Ervay Street, Dallas, TX 75215 in one of Dallas’ oldest and most affluent neighborhoods, The Cedars, was built in1904 by local architect, E. H. Silven, preceding the Adolphus Hotel by eight years. It was the home for many prominent Dallasites and hotel for visiting celebrities and dignitaries. Originally called the Majestic Hotel, the Sullivanesque Style five story building was red... see moreThe Majestic-Park-Ambassador Hotel, located at 1312 S Ervay Street, Dallas, TX 75215 in one of Dallas’ oldest and most affluent neighborhoods, The Cedars, was built in1904 by local architect, E. H. Silven, preceding the Adolphus Hotel by eight years. It was the home for many prominent Dallasites and hotel for visiting celebrities and dignitaries.
Originally called the Majestic Hotel, the Sullivanesque Style five story building was red brick with contrasting white limestone frieze, white belt course above the first story, and spandrels. In 1907, the building was bought and the name changed to the Park Hotel. In 1932, the hotel again changed hands and the name was changed to the Ambassador. To enhance and modernize the appearance of the hotel, extensive exterior renovation was done by the new owners.
In 1903, the Majestic ApartmentBuilding Company purchased from C. H. Alexander, a local capitalist, lot 116 on Ervay Street in the fashionable Cedars neighborhood south of downtown Dallas. Several large homes of important Dallasites surrounded the lot which bordered the first, and for many years the only, city park. Alexander agreed to advance the Majestic Apartment Building Co. $60,000 to be secured by a deed of trust on the lot and also to advance the company an additional $17,500 to “erect - said building.” Thomas Narcrosse, president of the company, hired Earl Henry Silven, a local architect, an&Alex Watson, a contractor, to supervise the construction of the building. Mr. Silven’s design was executed by some of the foremost contractors in Dallas; Theodore Beilharz, a stonemason whose works included some of the major buildings in Dallas; the Vilbig Brothers, excavators for most of the major buildings in Dallas including the City Hall and Neiman—Marcus; and M. H. Peterman, a descendent of the original Reunion colony and well known Dallas contractor.
When the Majestic Hotel opened in 1905, it was considered the premier hotel in Dallas. Sarah Bernhardt stayed there while performing in Dallas as well as other actors, actress and opera stars of that era. Three presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson, stayed at the Majestic while visiting Dallas. On November 18, 1905, the Majestic was the site of the Dallas social event of the year, the Idlewild Club Ball. The event covered by the Dallas Morning News, was described in the following manner. “The ballroom was resplendent in the Club’s colors...the center pillar represented a birch tree...An orchestra of twenty-eight peices was stationed on the balcony.” Several influential Dallasites were in attendance: Dero E. Seay,W. J. Lawther, W. H. Flippen, Royal Ferris and Henry C. Coke. In 1906, the Majestic went into receivership. Samuel Mcllhenny, formerly manager of the Oriental and Crutchfield in Dallas, the Driskoll in Austin, and the Beach Hotel in Galveston, was hired by the bank to be manager of the hotel. In 1907, F. W. Boedecker, president of Boedecker Manufacturing, bought the hotel and changed the name to the Park Hotel. Some alterations to the front of the building were made at this time. The Park continued to operate as both a transient and residential hotel. Well known Dallas lawyer, Harry L. Seay had rooms on the second floor. Hugh Perry who owned the Southern Rock Island Plow Company Building (the Texas School Book Depository) leased rooms at the Park also. Around 1910, Electra Waggoner Wharton, of the influential Waggoner family of Ft. Worth and Decatur, acquired the Park Hotel. She divorced her husband, A. B. Wharton, in 1921 and he retained ownership of the hotel. Wharton spent $50,000 in 1921, accord ing to ~ building permit to remodel the interior of the hotel. In 1932, through a series of complicated legal moves, the Wharton Hotel Company sold the hotel to the newly formed Ambassador Corporation whose members included F. S. Hofues, Dora Roberts and J. C. Thompson. At this point, Burton Lumber Company and L. K. LacyCompany were hired to do $31,000 worth of exterior renovations in the form of covering the exterior with white plaster and changing the roofline and roof material to red tile to reflect the Spanish Colonial Revival Style that was popular for both commercial and residential buildings in Dallas at that time. This renova tion and the name change to the Ambassador, supposedly in honor of a statesman who stayed there gave the hotel new life. It was filled to capacity during the Texas State Centennial Celebration held in 1936. Several local celebrities and politicians stayed there during the festivities. In 1954, Colonel C. R. Tips, delegate to the White House Conference on Aging and consultant on housing for the Elderly for the Department of Defense, purchased the Ambassador and instituted the Lanvin Plan for a retirement hotel. The Ambassador remained a transient and residential hotel until 1965, when it became mainly a residential retirement hotel. In 1981, the hotel was put up for sale and, it was feared that the oldest luxury hotel in Dallas might be demolished. However, Sandrudin Alani bought the hotel and has returned it to its former elegance. Situated on the southside of Interstate 30, across from Old City Park now a cultural heritage museum, the Ambassador, a recorded Texas Landmark, is also under considera tion for historical designation by the National Register for its significant roll as a historical and architectural landmark of high visibility for the City of Dallas.
In a tragic turn of events, the entire buildng was engulfed in flames the evening of Memorial Day, 2019, just when owner/ developer Jim Lake was moving (most say at a snails pace) to redevelop the property to include residential offerings. (See article on why it was taking so long).
Original Application for Historic Landmark Designation: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/historicpreservation/HP%20Documents/Landmark%20Structures/Ambassador%20Hotel%20Landmark%20%20Designation%20Report.pdf
Feel inspired to help support a culture of preservation in Dallas? Donate to Preservation Dallas. (This obituary was not posted by Preservation Dallas, simply a Dallas resident who loved The Ambassador and appreciates historic architecture.)