Preservation Dallas

05/14/2026

OAK CLIFF RESIDENTS: This is a very important meeting!! Plan on attending and submit your questions!!!!

05/04/2026

Our Preservation Achievement Awards are just DAYS away! Do YOU have your tickets yet? Members receive a discount on the biggest preservation event in DFW! Join us on May 7th from 6pm-9pm at the Longhorn Ballroom as we celebrate the best and the brightest in preservation from across the metroplex! Stay after the awards to enjoy food from Pecan Lodge and live music from the Longhorn Ballroom Players. Check out the link below to get your tickets while they last!

https://preservationdallas.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F38995

A huge thank you to all of our sponsors! We could not have done it without you!

04/28/2026

Tickets are going FAST for Dallas's BIGGEST night for preservation, and we have you covered! Once the doors open at 5:30pm, we plan to get the show started! Join us in celebrating the best and brightest people & projects from across the metroplex. Then stay around to enjoy live music from the Longhorn Ballroom Players, food from Pecan Lodge, and drinks to celebrate and mingle with experts from across the industry. Get your tickets before they all sell out!

See the link below for more details!
https://preservationdallas.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F38995

Not sure what to wear? Don't have anything a little bit country (or rock and roll) at home? No worries! We have you COVERED with Fleastyle Hat Bar! Buy and deck out a hat courtesy of the best little hat bar in Dallas! Better yet - a portion of every hat sale goes back to supporting Preservation Dallas! So ditch the old duster and build your custom hat at the Preservation Achievement Awards!

04/02/2026

We are 2-stepping our way to our 27th Annual Preservation Achievement Awards at the Longhorn Ballroom! Join us on Thursday, May 7 from 6pm-9pm for *the* Dallas preservation industry event of the year. We plan to celebrate some incredible projects across the metroplex, important advocates in our community, and have a little fun too! We plan to hand out awards and then head to the fun with the Longhorn Ballroom house band! We can guarantee, you won't find an event like this all year!

Tickets are on sale NOW! Looking to make a splash? Sponsorship opportunities are still available! See the link below for more information:

https://preservationdallas.app.neoncrm.com/forms/26

03/27/2026

Join Us for our first In Town Outing of 2026 to the historic Forest Theater and get a look at the work being done by Forest Forward to renovate and revitalize this sunny South Dallas neighborhood. Elizabeth Wattley, President & CEO of Forest Forward will be there to talk about the project along with a representative from general contractors Linbeck-Con Real. Space is limited so RSVP today! See the link below for more details!

https://preservationdallas.org/event/in-town-outing-to-forest-theater

03/13/2026

It's WINNER time! Our list of 2026 Preservation Achievement Award Winners is HERE! We had some incredible submissions this year, but these are the works that stood out to celebrate!

Our 27th Annual Preservation Achievement Awards will take place on Thursday, May 7 at the Longhorn Ballroom! Tickets are on sale NOW for members and non-members! See the below for more details!

https://preservationdallas.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F38995

03/02/2026

These days, it's good to have something to celebrate in and honestly, we personally need a little bit of merriment in light of *gestures around* everything.

So join Preservation Dallas this Thursday, March 5 at Pegasus City Brewery for another Pints for Preservation! A percentage of every dollar you spend with our friends at goes towards supporting Preservation Dallas in all of our education & advocacy efforts - including advocating for City Hall! Owner Will Cotten will talk all about the historic space & you'll enjoy great craft beers with an art deco twist!

See you there at 6pm!

https://loom.ly/eJleGds

02/28/2026

A Message from our Executive Director:

City Hall must be saved.

Not just because it was built in 1978.
Not just because it was designed by I.M. Pei.
Not just because of its history.
Not just because of its significance.
Not just because of nostalgia.
Not just because it appeared in a famous movie.
Not even because it stands as a symbol of governmen transparency.

City Hall must be saved because this is, plainly put, a boondoggle.

The owners of the Dallas Mavericks want our City Hall. Plain and simple. This has never truly been a conversation about repairing the building or addressing deferred maintenance. There is no meaningful negotiation over costs, no independent second opinion on the details. The speed of this process is meant to meet the needs of the Mavericks, not the needs of downtown, not the needs of the people, or even the needs of Dallas itself.

As a result, Dallas has become afraid. Afraid of losing opportunities, afraid of lost revenue, afraid of losing more downtown businesses, and, most of all, afraid of losing the Mavericks. A growing chorus of voices now loudly proclaims the need to invest in the southern portion of Downtown Dallas and that City Hall no longer serves its intended purpose.

But what is City Hall's "intended purpose"? Was it intended to be handed over to billionaire interests?

If City Hall is sold to the Mavericks, the deal could become one of the most expensive decisions in our city's history. Not only will we have to bear the cost of relocating City of Dallas operations and securing a new City Hall, but you can bet we will be paying to subsidize a new stadium, too. Even more concerning, based on Dallas history, we will likely be circling back to this same issue in 25 years when the new, shiny arena is somehow no longer suited to the future owners of our sports team and our lease is up on the new corporate compound that may be our future City Hall.

Promises of future revenue, increased "activation," or economic impact do not erase what we will have to pay, and it is wholly dependent on factors outside of our control: the market, the economy, and frankly - how well the Mavericks perform.

And you've already seen how much Dallas fears losing.

With a majority of City Council too afraid to say "no" to the Mavs, we must rely on you, the people of Dallas.

After all, it is your building. Your say. Your city.

Sarah Crain
Executive Director
Preservation Dallas

02/23/2026

Shocking. We know. We've seen headlines. We're also very sorry to have to crunch some numbers today. 😅 But if we don't, then someone else will choose for us.

The $1 billion estimate seems to have more to do with moving than fixing. What does this mean for a 25-year lease agreement? Are we making decisions as a city that will only have us circling back in the next few years?

Yup. As you can see we have more questions than answers. Hopefully, we can get some answers later today in the City of Dallas Finance Committee meeting. 🤞

What can you do? For now, follow and visit the webpage to learn more and find more ways to ACT now!

02/09/2026

Correction: The article states that the Mavs wanted to determine a final new site by Q1 2026 - Not Jan 20 - and has now been extended to July 1 per the article.

Is this really just a maintenance issue? Or a issue? What is the real cost of losing City Hall? Can really afford another stadium? On February 25, City Council meets to determine whether to abandon City Hall for a potential new Mavs stadium, but what will be the true cost? And what's so bad about the anyway?



Also, sorry for the audio! My computer decided it had worked really hard that day 🫠 Me too, computer. Meee tooo.

02/05/2026

We are working to add more tours soon!

The building opened to the public in 1978. Local officials at the time wanted to rebrand the city's image after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on...