The Magnolia Building, Pre-Pegasus — 1920s
by Paula Bosse
Beautiful! (Click for very impressive large image!)
by Paula Bosse
This is such a wonderful photo of the Magnolia Petroleum Building — even without Pegasus on top of it! When it opened in 1922, it was the tallest building in the state — all 29 stories of it. (It was so tall, apparently, that the photographer couldn’t get the whole building in the shot!) It certainly looks impressive — and impressively ominous — in this photograph. An added bonus is the beer stein-shaped turret of the Adolphus Hotel peeking around at the left. Fantastic photo!
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Photograph from a postcard found on eBay; written on the back is this message to folks back home in Oklahoma City: “Arrived at 11:30 PM. in this burg. It’s some big place, believe me.”
Brief history of what is now the Magnolia Hotel, is here. (Pegasus was not placed on top of the building until 1934.)
Some more Flashback Dallas posts featuring my favorite views of the Magnolia Building (with and without Pegasus):
- here — photos showing the major change in the skyline between 1929 and 1939
- here — incredible photo of the skyline taken from The Cedars, by Alfred Eisenstaedt
- here — the Magnolia Bldg. lit up at night, with the Mercantile Bank Bldg. in the background
- here — one of my favorite postcards of Dallas, showing the city at night, with Pegasus the highest point on the horizon
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Copyright © 2015 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Wow!
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It looks naked without Pegasus!! 🙂
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I worked in this building for several years.
The building manager took me up to see the top. I view the rear of Pegasus and all
The “Little Rascals” had signed the back side with an electric pen. Is this still part of the buildings histiry?
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I’ve never heard about this – I’ll have to look into it. Thanks, Kent!
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[…] Magnolia Building — northeast corner of Commerce and Akard (seen at right foreground of photo); called the “Mobil Building” in the 1962 Dallas directory, built in 1922; Alfred C. Bossom, architect. Now the Magnolia Hotel. […]
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