The Baker Hotel was a former grand hotel located in the heart of downtown,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, across the landmark

Adolphus Hotel The Adolphus Hotel is a historic upscale hotel established in 1912 in the Main Street District of Downtown Dallas, Texas. A Dallas Landmark, it was for several years the tallest building in the state. Today, the hotel is part of Marriott's Au ...

and the Magnolia Hotel. Its interiors were remodeled in 1972 after a fire, and was imploded in 1980 to make way for the Whitacre Tower, which occupies its site today.

History

Opening and events

T. B. Baker, head of the Baker Hotel Company, built the hotel in 1925. Opening night, October 25, 1925, was marked by a Gala dinner dance. According to a Dallas Morning News report, the keys to the building were officially thrown away at 6:00 Saturday morning, "thus will be symbolized the fact that the portals of the building from hence forward are never to be closed day or right." The opening was also the 30th anniversary of the opening of the old Oriental which has been torn down for the Baker to be built on the same site. The Baker was the home of

WFAA WFAA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving as the American Broadcasting Company, ABC affiliate for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur, Texas, Decatur-li ...

radio, the Peacock Terrace, Crystal Ballroom, and the place to play on Texas-OU weekends. Its ballrooms were used for debutantes, movie stars, and society members. The Peacock Terrace Ballroom opened in 1925, and the big name swing bands of the 20s and 30s played for Dallasites. The Idlewild Ball for Debutantes was held annually in the Crystal Ballroom. The Dallas Petroleum Club met at the Baker. The Mural Room was the main luncheon site for many. On the morning of November 22, 1963, the hotel hosted former Vice President (and future President)

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, as well as movie star

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

. He left the city via Love Field an hour before the arrival of

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

. The brownstone building catered to its patrons with style and luxury for 54 years. During that time the building sustained several mishaps.

Incidents and further sale

On June 21, 1946, an explosion ripped through the basement, injuring 3, and 9 died, though later reports say that 11 died. The Baker's owned the hotel until 1949 when it was sold to Dallas Rupe & Sons, investment bankers. The new management retained the Baker style. In 1970 the building was sold again to Cemgil Reality. A fire in 1971 destroyed the upper floors, and after the fire, the building was once again remodeled in 1972. Each time these incidents occurred the building was remodeled and always managed to remain elegant. Only age and new ownership finally ended the style of the Baker Hotel. Seven years later the hotels area was included in a block purchase by

Southwestern Bell Telephone Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as other d.b.a. names in its operating region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and portions of Illinois. The company is ...

Demolition

The new owners decided the 600-700 room hotel could not be economically converted for their needs. A sale of interior goods from chandeliers to doorknobs took place in September 1979. The Baker Hotel, along with two adjacent office buildings and a smokestack were imploded on June 29, 1980, and in seconds the once grand hotel was in complete ruin. The site was cleared and in its place a modern skyscraper known as One Bell Plaza was planned to be built. Construction on the building began in 1982 and was completed in 1984, with 37 stories. The building is now known as One AT&T Plaza or Whitearce Tower, serving as the main headquarters of

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

Gallery

File:Adolphus and Baker Hotel.png, The

and Baker Hotel as seen in the 1970s File:Dallas skyline, 1960s.jpg, The Baker as formerly seen in the skyline of Dallas

References

* * {{coord, 32.77999, -96.79941, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-TX, display=title 1925 establishments in Texas 1980 disestablishments in Texas Demolished buildings and structures in Texas Demolished hotels in the United States Buildings and structures in Dallas Hotel buildings completed in 1925 Hotels established in 1925 Skyscraper hotels in Dallas Buildings and structures demolished in 1980 Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion