Today, I just caught word that the Stoneleigh has become a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a list that includes 165 accommodations from around the world. Here’s a look at the official press release.

When the Stoneleigh was constructed in 1923, it was the largest project of famed Dallas architect F.J. Woerner.  After the formal opening of the property (originally known as the Stoneleigh Court Hotel) on October 18th, 1923, Woerner made sure to keep all of his plans on file.  Rather than using paper, Woerner drew all of his plans on waxed linen, the traditional medium at the time.

Twenty years later, when Dallas realtor Leo F. Corrigan purchased the hotel, his company called Woerner’s daughter, Louise Sellers, to try and track down the original plans. Despite their best attempts, they were never able to get their hands on the original documents.

As it turns out, during the Great Depression, Louise’s mom boiled the wax off the plans and made clothes for her daughter. In an interview conducted in 2005 by Mary Morris, a freelance writer working for the Stoneleigh, Louise recalls, “It was the most beautiful thing you ever saw. It made gorgeous handkerchiefs, and shirts, and dresses and what have you. Being a German family, you didn’t throw anything away.”

You can look at the full transcript of the original interview here.

Recently, Hotel Designs, which covers design news within the travel industry, posted up an article featuring news about the Stoneleigh project. Take a look here.

The Stoneleigh Lions have stood at the front of the hotel for over 70 years, but that wasn’t always the case. In the early 1900’s, these beasts were sculpted by an Austrian sculptor named Oswald Lassiz. Originally, Lassiz was in Texas to work on statues for Rice University, which was opening in 1912.

Soon after, a railroad pioneer named R.C. Dugg was impressed by Lassiz’s handiwork and asked him to sculpt two large lions for the front of his new mansion. The Texas White Stone lions stood their posts at Dugg’s residence for over 15 years.

During a trip to Houston in the 30’s, the Stoneleigh’s owner at the time “Colonel” Henry Stewart heard these lions now stood guard to a vacant lot. After seeing the sculptures up close, Stewart decided that they would be a nice addition to his hotel, and he sent them on the first freight train up to Dallas. To this day, the lions remain a centerpiece of the Stoneleigh while it continues its complete refurbishment

Here’s a look at the new Stoneleigh billboards located at Cedar Springs and Cole Avenue in Uptown Dallas: