Dallas, Texas – Standing vacant for more than ten years, the famous Dallas Cabana Hotel is about to undergo a dramatic make-over into luxury apartments. Now with a project budget over $116 million, developers Sycamore Development in partnership with Hunt Capital Partners have started an ambitious renovation project to revive this 1960s icon. This major undertaking is backed by a generous subsidy of up to $41 million from the City of Dallas, sourced from the Design District Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
Built originally by Las Vegas hotelier Jay Sarno in 1962, the Cabana Hotel was a glamorous destination for celebrities. Legends like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, who added to its reputation as a fashionable and trendy venue, visited this beloved hotel during its height. A teenage Raquel Welch even worked as a cocktail waitress in the renowned “Bon Vivant Room,” thus transforming the Cabana into a cultural center for the city.
Restoring this bit of Dallas history is about more for the developers than just turning over a run-down building. It’s about restoring vitality to a National Register of Historic Places structure, maintaining its original appeal while modernizing it. Important architectural characteristics and mid-20th century design components from the original hotel will be carefully restored, therefore honoring its original flair. This dedication to preservation emphasizes the developers’ goal of combining modern urban living with historic grace.
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The initiative also represents a major investment in Dallas’s Design District, a thriving area known for its galleries, creative venues, and bout-based stores. The financial support of the city emphasizes its commitment to revitalizing historic sites, advancing development that combines the old with the new, and enhancing the cultural identity of the community.
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When all is said and done, the former Cabana Hotel will be evidence of Dallas’s capacity to honor its past while welcoming development and creativity, offering new living quarters in a neighborhood still evolving. For locals, the Cabana’s comeback offers not just opulent lodging but also an opportunity to live amid a bit of Dallas history.
