AIA 10 Presidents White Paper 7: Dallas City Hall Is a Crucial Anchor on the South Side of the CBD. Relocating It North Would Be a Mistake.
Read the opinion of 10 past and current presidents of AIA Dallas in this white paper.
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT IMBALANCE IN AMENITIES AND DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH.
THIS WILL ONLY INCREASE SHOULD CITY HALL FUNCTIONS BE RELOCATED.
In previous White Papers, including the CitySOUTH proposal jointly prepared with UTA CAPPA, we have illustrated a vision for the southern sector of downtown. This mixed-use vision combines cultural, governmental, convention, residential, commercial, entertainment and open space to create a vibrant, walkable, 24/7/365 neighborhood, facilitated by the imminent availability of almost 50 acres of City-owned property. That vision critically included three anchors — the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCC), a Mavs sports complex, and Dallas City Hall and City Hall Plaza.
It now appears that the Mavs have opted to relocate to the former Valley View Mall site, leaving only the KBHCC and Dallas City Hall as anchors for any future vision of southern revitalization. But, some have unwisely claimed that Dallas City Hall needs to be abandoned, and municipal functions relocated north, to somehow encourage revitalization north of Young Street. The following maps examine and disprove that fallacy by mapping current development and amenities in downtown. They clearly demonstrate that there is already a significant imbalance between north and south that would only be heightened by relocation of City Hall functions.
THE NORTH AND CENTRAL CBD HAVE MANY MORE DRIVERS OF REVITALIZATION, WHEN COMPARED TO THE SOUTH.
Anyway one looks at it, the CBD north of Young Street has more, much more, of the following:
cultural and educational facilities
open space and parks
historic districts
new commercial activity
and relocations government centers and more.
In contrast, the only major drivers in the south are the new KBHCC, Dallas City Hall, the Farmers Market, Memorial Auditorium, and the new Nolan Estes Campus.
And even proposed deck parks on the south side are endangered, per recent reports in the Dallas Morning News.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND HOW MOVING DALLAS CITY HALL OUT OF THE SOUTHERN SECTOR WILL HELP THE ALREADY AMENITY-RICH NORTHERN SECTOR.
BUT IT’S VERY EASY TO SEE HOW REMOVING THE ONLY MAJOR DAY-TO-DAY EMPLOYMENT CENTER SOUTH OF YOUNG STREET WOULD IMPEDE REVITALIZATION OF THE SOUTH.
THAT’S A HARD LOOK AT THE NUMBERS SIDE OF DOWNTOWN, THE “QUANTITATIVE” SIDE, IF YOU WILL.
NOW, LET’S LOOK AT THE “QUALITATIVE” SIDE OF THINGS, USING MARK LAMSTER’S RECENT LIST OF 50 REASONS TO LOVE DOWNTOWN
Mark Lamster, the Architecture Critic for the Dallas Morning News, shared a fascinating list in the Dallas Morning News on July 1, 2026, on those aspects that make downtown so fascinating, not only to Mr. Lamster, but to locals like us and visitors.
As we all know, and as much of the world now knows, downtown Dallas is a fascinating place, full of great architecture and art, lovely parks, and quirky, idiosyncratic experiences.
This was driven home during the recent World Cup, when visitors from around the world, wearing their national colors, spread out across Dallas, sharing their (almost entirely positive) reactions in social media.
However, 92% of Mr. Lamster’s list is — no surprise here — located north of Young Street. Only four places from Mr. Lamster’s list are located south of Young Street.
OUR CITY COUNCIL IS NOW CONSIDERING THE FUTURE OF CITY HALL, WEIGHING VARIOUS REASONS - BOTH ECONOMIC AND QUALITATIVE - TO EITHER STAY OR RELOCATE.
However, in that debate, no one should claim that the north sector of downtown somehow needs the functions of City Hall more than the southern sector.
Nor should they claim that such a relocation will somehow revitalize the southern sector.
It’s quite the opposite, in fact.
Removing the activities, visitors and 2000+ jobs of City Hall from the southern sector will only exacerbate an already inequitable, unwise, and persistent, imbalance between north and south.
FOR THE FUTURE HEALTH AND GROWTH OF THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, A RENEWED DALLAS CITY HALL SHOULD REMAIN AS THE CRITICAL ANCHOR IT ALREADY IS.
This analysis was prepared by the 10 Presidents, an informal collaboration of Dallas architects, each a Fellow of the AIA and a former President of AIA at a national, state or local level. We come together on occasions when our expertise might help the City as it considers important decisions affecting the built environment and quality of life.
We represent a diverse variety of architectural practice, from leadership of global corporate firms to sole proprietorships, from in-house municipal government to the non-profit sector. Collectively, we have over 600 years of experience in the design, planning, and execution of public and private sector projects at all scales.
The Ten Presidents (yes, there are now more than ten of us) are:
Larry Good, FAIA 1986 AIA Dallas President
Duncan Fulton, FAIA 1992 AIA Dallas President
Marcel Quimby, FAIA 1995 AIA Dallas President
Dennis Stacy, FAIA 1996 AIA Dallas President
Robert Meckfessel, FAIA 2000 AIA Dallas President
Myriam Camargo, FAIA 2001 AIA Dallas President
Ted Kollaja, FAIA 2003 AIA Dallas President
Craig Raynolds, FAIA 2004 AIA Dallas President + 2012 TxA President
Jeff Potter, FAIA 2004 TxA President + 2012 AIA National President
Tipton Housewright, FAIA 2005 AIA Dallas President
Betsy del Monte, FAIA 2007 AIA Dallas President
Lisa Lamkin, FAIA 2014 AIA Dallas President
Bob Bullis, FAIA 2015 AIA Dallas President
Michael Malone, FAIA 2015 TxA President Zaida Basora, FAIA 2016 AIA Dallas President
with consultation from Anne Kniffen, RID IIDA LEED AP ID+C and critical mapping assistance from Kate Aoki, AIA.
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