TINA’S GREAT ESCAPE
Over the 1976 Fourth of July weekend, Tina Turner checked into the Dallas Statler Hilton. During the car ride from Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, her husband had already beaten her so hard with his shoe, Tina’s face was swollen past her ear and she was blood-soaked. Ike told the Hilton staff that their limo was just involved in an accident.
After they settled into their suite, Ike dozed off for a nap. Seeing her chance, Tina grabbed one toiletry case and her Mobil gas card before bolting from the hotel.
Installed in 1934, Mobil Oil’s neon Pegasus glows over downtown Dallas from the Magnolia Building’s rooftop. Perhaps during that “Spirit of ’76” weekend, the winged horse’s red glow guided Tina’s getaway route.
Fleeing south down Saint Paul Street, Tina headed east across I-30 toward the Ramada Plaza. There, with only 36¢, she encountered a saintly concierge who gave the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll a room and placed security outside her door.
Costing $16 million to build, the Statler Hilton opened in 1956. With 1,000 guest rooms, architect William Tabler’s Y-shaped building was our nation’s first glass-and-metal hotel.
Since 2001, it remains a vacant icon of mid-20th Century design. It’s also in danger of being ripped down. In May 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation entered the Dallas Statler on their list of America’s Most Endangered Places.
Things look promising for the Statler. In 2010, San Antonio-based Ricchi Investments paid $17 million for the landmark, in hopes of renovating the structure into a combination of hotel rooms, apartments and condominiums.
With Dallas model “Obsession Omega” (aka Dion Culberson) reminding us of our illustrious past, perhaps the Statler Hilton can also escape abuse and destruction. And, similar to Tina, emerge like a phoenix.
‘TINA TURNER:’ DION CULBERSON
LOCATION: DALLAS STATLER HILTON, COMMERCE STREET AT SAINT PAUL STREET
PRODUCTION DATES: APRIL 19, 2010 + MAY 4, 2010 | PHOTO: BRYAN AMANN | DIRECTION: DANIEL KUSNER
After they settled into their suite, Ike dozed off for a nap. Seeing her chance, Tina grabbed one toiletry case and her Mobil gas card before bolting from the hotel.
Installed in 1934, Mobil Oil’s neon Pegasus glows over downtown Dallas from the Magnolia Building’s rooftop. Perhaps during that “Spirit of ’76” weekend, the winged horse’s red glow guided Tina’s getaway route.
Fleeing south down Saint Paul Street, Tina headed east across I-30 toward the Ramada Plaza. There, with only 36¢, she encountered a saintly concierge who gave the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll a room and placed security outside her door.
Costing $16 million to build, the Statler Hilton opened in 1956. With 1,000 guest rooms, architect William Tabler’s Y-shaped building was our nation’s first glass-and-metal hotel.
Since 2001, it remains a vacant icon of mid-20th Century design. It’s also in danger of being ripped down. In May 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation entered the Dallas Statler on their list of America’s Most Endangered Places.
Things look promising for the Statler. In 2010, San Antonio-based Ricchi Investments paid $17 million for the landmark, in hopes of renovating the structure into a combination of hotel rooms, apartments and condominiums.
With Dallas model “Obsession Omega” (aka Dion Culberson) reminding us of our illustrious past, perhaps the Statler Hilton can also escape abuse and destruction. And, similar to Tina, emerge like a phoenix.
‘TINA TURNER:’ DION CULBERSON
LOCATION: DALLAS STATLER HILTON, COMMERCE STREET AT SAINT PAUL STREET
PRODUCTION DATES: APRIL 19, 2010 + MAY 4, 2010 | PHOTO: BRYAN AMANN | DIRECTION: DANIEL KUSNER
