Downtown Dallas Walking Tour

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Built in 1978, Reunion Tower is a 561 foot tower capped by a large geodesic dome—typically referred to as the "orb." From this vantage, visitors can view the Dallas skyline and take pictures using special high definition cameras. Along the perimeter of the deck are panels with photographs and information about various landmarks and historical events in the city. The tower features the observation deck as well as the Cloud Nine Cafe and Five Sixty restaurant, which is owned by renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. It was originally a free standing structure until 1998 when the Hyatt Hotel was built next to it. Not surprisingly, the Reunion Tower has quickly become a popular place for visitors as well as one of the city's iconic landmarks.

2. The Dallas Morning News- Historical Marker

This marker commemorates the start of The Dallas Morning News on October 1, 1885. Alfred H. Belo, a former Confederate Army colonel, founded the newspaper as a North Texas branch of the Galveston News, which he also founded. Today, the A.H. Belo corporation owns both publications (the Galveston News changed its name to The Daily News). The newspapers were among the first to exchange information by telegraph, which was a new technology at the time.

3. Union Station

Designed by architect Jarvis Hunt, Dallas' Union Station was built in 1916 during the heyday of steam-powered trains. At its height 80 trains would stop here each day. Before it was constructed Dallas had five stations which eventually became inefficient. To remedy this the city decided it was necessary to consolidate them into one transportation hub. An interesting feature of the station are murals painted by Phillip Lamb depicting events of Dallas history. They are actually partial recreations of original ones painted by Jerry Bywaters and Alexander Hogue in 1934 in the now demolished city hall building. Today the building serves as the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) center, as it connects bus, light rail, commuter rail and interstate rail into one efficient system.

4. John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza Marker

This marker is located at the JFK Memorial, a “cenotaph”, or open tomb, which commemorates John F. Kennedy, the nation’s thirty-fifth president, who was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The plaza was dedicated on June 24, 1970. In 1999, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza undertook management of the monument. This museum is located on the floor of the old Texas School Book Deposity building where it is believed Lee Harvey Oswald took the shots that killed President Kennedy. The alleged sniper’s perch at the sixth floor window is preserved as part of the museum.

5. Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture

The Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture is located in the former city courthouse which was built in 1892 and designed by architect Max A. Orlopp Jr. in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The museum chronicles the city and surrounding region's social, economic, political and cultural history from prehistoric times to today. The Early Years exhibit covers prehistory to 1873; the Trading Center exhibit explores the period between 1874-1917 when Dallas grew to become an important economic center; the "Big D" exhibit looks at the years between 1918-1945 when the city became well known to the country; and the World Crossroads exhibit covers the period from 1946 to 2007, chronicling the city's emergence as home to big corporations, sports teams, among others. One of the many highlights on display are the handcuffs worn by Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

6. JFK Assassination Route-Historical Marker

On November 22, 1963, a dark day in America was made known as John F. Kennedy would be assassinated right here in Dallas. This marker in Dealey Plaza, the location of President Kennedy’s assassination, marks the path of Kennedy's presidential motorcade on the day he was killed. The motorcade traveled north on Houston Street to Elm Street and then west along Elm Street. At 12:30 PM, as the parade continued along Elm Street, rifle shots wounded President Kennedy and the Governor of Texas at the time, John Connally. President Kennedy died at 1:00 PM at Parkland Memorial Hospital while the governor recovered safely afterwards.

7. Dealey Plaza

On November 22 1963, President Kennedy and his wife left their hotel and were making their way through the downtown streets of Dallas, Texas so the President could speak at a luncheon. Crowds gathered along the edges of the streets so they could wave at the Kennedys. John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, was shot in the head at approximately 12:30pm. Several shots were fired hitting the President and the Governor. Many conspiracy theories continue to circulate about what exactly happened that day in Dealey Plaza.

8. The Former School Book Depository Building Historical Marker

The site of the former Texas School Book Depository has served a variety of purposes throughout the years. Originally owned by John Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas, the site became a wagon shop operated by French immigrant Maxime Guillot during the 1880s. In 1894, Phil L. Mitchell, President and Director of Rock Island Plow Company of Illinois purchased the land and built an office building for the company’s Texas division. This structure burned down in 1901. It was rebuilt that same year. In 1937, the Carraway Byrd Corporation bought the property and leased it to a number of businesses, including the Texas School Book Depository.

9. The Sixth Floor Museum

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated from a window facing the Dealey Plaza on the sixth floor of this building, which was the Texas School Book Depository at the time. Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee at the depository, was charged with the crime. The Sixth Floor Museum commemorates this tragic and one of the most consequential events in American history. The museum features films, artifacts, and photographs related to Kennedy's life and legacy. In all, the museum houses 45,000 of these items. Topics covered include the history and culture of the 1960s and the local and global aftermath of his death. The building itself was constructed in 1898, but after a fire, it was reconstructed and erected in 1901.

10. Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and Tolerance

Founded in 1984, this museum is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and sharing the moral and ethical response to prejudice, hate, and indifference. Located in Dallas' historic West End, the museum hosts 65,000 visitors annually, nearly half of them school children. The museum is noted for its compelling and creative programming, as well as internationally recognized exhibits and world-class speakers.

11. Women's Suffrage in Dallas County Historical Marker.

A Texas Historical Marker honoring the role of Dallas women in achieving full suffrage rights for Texas women was dedicated October 14, 2010, outside the Dallas County Old Red County Courthouse. The marker is located in front of the 1892 Dallas County Courthouse, also known as the Old Red Museum.

12. Davis Building

An apartment building today, the Davis Building is one of the city's most important buildings. Built in 1926, it was designed by architect C.D. Hill in the Classical Revival style. Perhaps its most interesting feature is the large cupola on the roof, which can be easily seen from the rooftop pool area. Until 1954, the building was the headquarters of the Republic National Bank and as such remains a key symbol of the city's prominent and powerful banking industry. The west portion was an extension built in 1931. Other businesses and organizations were located here as well including insurance companies, the Texas baseball league, Coca-Cola, and Texas Instruments, which got its start here. The building, which is named after Wirt Davis, one of the bank's former chairmans, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

13. Kirby Building

Designed the in Late Gothic Revival style, the 17-story Kirby Building is one among the most architecturally pleasing buildings in Dallas. The original and largest part of the building was constructed in 1913 by prominent developer Adolphus Busch, who also built the Hotel Adolphus located one block to the south. It was an office building and also home to the A. Harris & Co. Department store, one of the prominent stores in the southwest during the first half of the 20th century. The store built three additions, in 1925, 1930, and 1955; the last addition is the least architecturally significant but still an important part of the building. Today, the Kirby Building is now an residential building featuring apartments and lofts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

14. Hotel Adolphus

Built by the founder of the Anheuser-Busch company, Adolphus Busch, the Adolphus Hotel was opened on October 5, 1912, intending to establish the first grand and posh hotel in the city of Dallas. With 22 floors standing a total of 312 feet, the building was the tallest building in Texas until it was dwarfed by the Magnolia Petroleum Building (now the Magnolia Hotel) just down the street in August 1922. Otto Schubert took over management in 1922 and it was under his watch that the hotel attained national prominence. Dallas architects Beran and Shelmire headed the hotel's renovation in the 1980s, thereafter attracting guests like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush. Queen Elizabeth II gifted the hotel an official portrait to be hung in the lobby as a token of gratitude for the extraordinary service she and Prince Philip received there during their state visit in 1991. The Adolphus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

15. Magnolia Hotel

The Magnolia Hotel, formerly the Magnolia Petroleum Building, is one of Dallas' most iconic buildings. It was built in 1922 in the Beaux-Arts style with the company's logo, the famous winged horse "Pegasus", featured at the top. When Mobil Oil merged with Magnolia Petroleum the logo was retained. The Pegasus, which could rotate, quickly became a Dallas landmark. After several years, the condition of the original Pegasus deteriorated and eventually, it was unable to rotate. In 1999, the current Pegasus replaced the original and was officially lit on January 1st, 2000. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

16. Giant Eyeball

The Giant Eyeball, also known as the Eye, is one of Tony Tasset’s many eccentric artworks. Known for transforming mundane objects into art pieces, Tasset originally created the Eye in 2010 as a commission for the Chicago Loop Alliance, as part of its Art Loop installation. The Art Loop works to install a new and temporary artwork in the Loop every summer. The Eye was brought to Dallas in 2013 when Timothy Headington, the owner of the Joule Hotel, bought it.

17. Wilson Building

Modeled after the Grand Opera House in Paris, France, the Wilson Building is a historic commercial building located in downtown Dallas. It was built in 1904 by wealthy cattle rancher and investor Frederick P. Wilson and was the first eight-story building in Texas. The building is rectangle in shape but its northeastern and southeastern corners are rounded. The facade features numerous ornamental details made out of brick, terra cotta, and marble. These include Doric and Corinthian columns, eagles, arches, and ornamental motifs with the letter 'W'. The building is still considered one of the most beautiful in Dallas and an important early example of commercial architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Today, the Wilson is an apartment building with commercial space on the ground floor.

18. Titche–Goettinger Building

Built in 1928, the former Titche–Goettinger department store building is historically significant for its architecture, its contribution to the city's economic development, and its association with its Jewish owners Edward Titche and Max Goettinger. Architect George L. Dahl designed the building in the Italian Renaissance style. Today, the building features apartments, commercial and restaurant space, and a portion is used by the University of North Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

19. Majestic Theatre

The Majestic is a historic performing arts theater in the City Center District and the last remnant of Theater Row, the city's historic entertainment center that was based around Elm Street. The Majestic hosted a variety of acts from Houdini to Mae West and Bob Hope during the vaudeville era. Beginning in 1922, films were added to the regular vaudeville offerings. The theater began hosting movie premieres and associated stars such as Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, and John Wayne. The Big Bands featuring Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington continued the tradition of live entertainment at the Majestic. Today, the Majestic has been restored and is a contributing property in the Harwood Historic District. The structure is a Dallas Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

20. Dallas Municipal Building

Dallas Municipal Building opened in 1914 as the city's fourth City Hall. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and jailed in the Municipal Building on November 22, 1963. Two days later he was fatally shot by Jack Ruby while being led out by police in the basement garage. The city government vacated the structure in 1978 when it moved to its current location. In 2003, the Dallas Police Department moved its offices as well, making the building partially abandoned. Today, it is presently home to the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. Many of the spaces associated with Oswald, including the cell he occupied, have been well preserved.

21. Scottish Rite Cathedral and Museum

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is one of the oldest bodies of the Freemasons, through which Master Masons can further their education. Since 1903 the Dallas Scottish Rite has grown from its initial membership of only sixty-four to a current tally of over seven thousand. The order continues to educate its members and the wider community on the values of love, tolerance, charity, truth, faith, community, and patriotism. Theirs is the largest Valley (the term for a Lodge or jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite) in the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.

22. Museum of Street Culture

The Museum of Street Culture's mission is to serve as a catalyst for social change through historic preservation and showcasing art depicting the lives of everyday people. It presents art exhibitions inside and outside of the building and also offers various educational and public programs. The artwork is created by both Stewpot clients and professional artists. The museum's collection includes photographs, drawings, paintings, sculpture, historical artifacts, audio recordings, films, videos, ephemera, and interactive media. The museum also highlights the city's music and film history (the building was built in 1929 by Warner Bros. to store films, and in the late 1930 blues legend Robert Johnson held a recording session here). Local photographer, author, and filmmaker Alan Governar, established the museum in 2017.

23. Confederate War Memorial (1961-2020)

Believed to be the city’s oldest statue, this sculpture was erected by the Dallas chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1896. The memorial was removed in 2020 following a lengthy legal battle. This sculpture was designed by a German immigrant who specialized in working with bronze and granite. It is located within the Pioneer Park Cemetery, a collection of four graveyards that contain many important figures from Dallas’s history, stretching as far back as 1853. The statue demonstrates a transition in the types of monuments created by Confederate supporters. In the years following the war, Confederate markers and monuments were located in cemeteries and honored the dead. In the late 19th and early 20th century, however, Confederate monuments presented a celebratory history of the "Lost Cause". They were placed in prominent public places to send a message about the South's refusal to accept the consequences of defeat and Reconstruction. Such monuments were political and designed to erase the history of the South's defeat and occupation by Northern armies. Similar to the early monuments, this work is located at a burial ground. Demonstrating elements of later monuments, it also presents Confederate soldiers on pedestals. Many of the monuments dedicated in the next two decades placed Confederate leaders in larger-than-life poses atop horses--monuments that were similar to those created for conquerors and victors.

24. Pioneer Plaza and Pioneer Park Cemetery

Pioneer Park Cemetery dates back to the 1840s and combines the remnants of four cemeteries, portions of which came under the city of Dallas's control in 1951. Now located near the city center, the site for the cemetery was outside the small town of fewer than 1,000 residents when the first headstones were erected in the early 1850s. The last burial occurred at the cemetery in 1921 and today its 800 gravesites are bounded by the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and Marilla Street on the south and east, Griffin Street on the west, and Young Street to the north. Numerous city leaders and founders are interred within its confines and it was designated a city landmark in 2002 and features several monuments.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Dallas Walking Tour

Created by Brittany McElwee on July 11th 2017, 2:10:35 am.

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Description

Begin your tour of the heart of Dallas with Reunion Tower for an incredible view of the city followed by stops at landmark buildings such as the famed Union Station, a 1916 landmark still in use today. Visit the Old Red Courthouse, a recently restored Richardson Romanesque relic from the 1800s. See a replica of the cabin built by John Neely Bryan, the original Dallas settler. Visit the John F. Kennedy Memorial, the Dealey Plaza, the Sixth Floor Museum, and Pioneer Plaza. Finally, take a walk into the business district where you will find Hotel Adolphus, the 1912 Baroque building created by Adolphus Busch, followed by the original Neiman Marcus store, more than a century old. Finish off your tour at buildings such as the Majestic Theatre and the interfaith chapel found at Thanksgiving Square.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Dallas Walking Tour

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