National Register Listing

Stoneleigh Court Hotel

2927 Maple Ave., Dallas, TX

The Stoneleigh Hotel project was important to Dallas in a number of ways. The initial cost, at roughly $1.5 million dollars, was far beyond previous projects. It was much larger than previous efficiency hotel projects in the area and employed 3,500 people during its construction. It was built almost entirely by Dallas contractors. The owners and lenders took a substantial risk in constructing a hybrid program, small efficiency apartments in a luxury setting, on such a large scale. The Efficiency Apartment Corporation, president J.E. Kennnefick, was formed to finance and build the project. W. Strauss and Company, from Chicago, provided $700,000 in financing.

The Stoneleigh is notable for the effect it had on development patterns in Dallas. It launched the large-scale efficiency apartment hotel as a viable and desirable development type in the city and influenced other projects, including Maple Terrace (1925), a high-rise residential project located opposite the Stoneleigh across Wolf Street, and the Cliff Towers (1929) in Oak Cliff. The Stoneleigh also had a major impact on the business climate in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood, as new businesses opened in the Oak Lawn neighborhood to service the building, including Royal Ferriss' Stoneleigh Pharmacy and a new Piggly Wiggly grocery store, Sol-Free Cleaners and Robin Goodfellow Tearoom, all across Maple from the Hotel. In 1927, the Dallas Little Theater, founded by Elmer Scott, the first recipient of the Linz award, opened at 3104 Maple Avenue. It was the hub of Dallas's artistic community in the 30s and 40s. The Theater became the El Panamerico, a Spanish language cinema, in 1943. In 1948, The Old Warsaw, one of the first European-style restaurants in Dallas, opened on Maple Avenue. In 1952, Maple Terrace offered a swimming club (open to Stoneleigh residents), and the St. Rita's Club opened. The Crescent Hotel, a large, very expensive hotel, office, and retail project, opened nearby in Cedar Springs.

The Italian Renaissance Revival style of the Stoneleigh reached its peak of popularity in the 1920s and 1930s. It is characterized by rectilinear classical planning, stucco or masonry wall finishes, low slope tile roofs, and beaux art detailing. The style was most commonly applied to hotels, apartment buildings commercial structures, and residences. Architects associated with the style include Addison Mizner, in Florida; Paul Cret, in Philadelphia; and Paul Williams, on the West Coast. Other buildings in Dallas of a similar style include the nearby Melrose Hotel, and the Santa Fe Warehouse Number Two, both constructed in 1924. The Stoneleigh, with the terra cotta tiles that simulate rustication at the base, and the low slope tile roof, specifically reference the Renaissance Palazzo, such as the Palazzo Farnese in Rome.

The Stoneleigh Hotel was of great social importance to Dallas, especially for local and visiting artists. Artists arriving to play at one of the big theaters in downtown Dallas or at Fair Park would often stay at the Stoneleigh. A longer list is included in Appendix A, but some of the highlights include Maria Callas, Margo Jones, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Yul Brenner, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Lauren Bacall, Governor Coke Stevens, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Ultimately, the quality and the amenities present at the Stoneleigh Hotel were instrumental in successfully attracting artists and events to Dallas, which in turn increased the prestige of the city. The Penthouse was an elegant place to have a party or an event at a time when the only competing venues would have been the penthouse at the Adolph us or the rooftop garden at the Baker Hotel. The Stoneleigh gave Dallasites a sense that they could compete with older, more prominent cities like New York and Boston. Ironically, as it aged, the Stoneleigh still attracted performers, but for different reasons than its original qualities. It was still elegant, but the appeal had begun to shift to the slightly worn quality that gave it an appealing sense of authenticity compared to contemporary hotels. Guests from this phase include Robert Plant, Mick Jagger and Gene Simmons.
Local clubs held meetings and exhibitions at the Stoneleigh, including the Women's Forum, Dallas Womens' Club and the Bonehead Club. The Bonehead Club was a Dallas men's club devoted to pranks, with a motto "To learn more and more about less and less until eventually, we know everything about nothing." Established in 1919, the club staged events such as a grand closing of the State Fair of Texas, reasoning that one couldn't open the new fair until the old one was closed. At Bonehead meetings, members had to wear black bowlers, while guest speakers had to wear another style to "keep from being mistaken for a Bonehead."

Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2007.