As the Stoneleigh project continues to progress towards it’s grand re-opening, one of the most important points I’ve learned from the players involved is maintaining the historical integrity of the hotel.  In fact, one of the biggest historical artifacts of the hotel, the old sign, has undergone a complete renovation and will be re-installed soon.  I will try and be there for the sign-lifting event and will snap some photos if I get the chance. 

In the meantime, yesterday I spoke with John Boehnlein, the Senior Development Manager for JaRyCo Development LLC , the company that is on-site working on the project, representing the hotel’s owner, A - P Stoneleigh Hotel LP.  He had some interesting things to share regarding historical elements of the hotel.  Here are a few quotes he shared with me from our conversation:

“We have come across several interesting artifacts along the way, such as the original electric switchgear, that will be on display on the first floor of the hotel.  It’s the main switchgear where all of the electricity was originally sent to and then re-distributed to smaller panels throughout the building.  The switchgear will be a great artifact that can provide a close look into the way the property was run back in the 30’s, when it was originally constructed.”

“Out in the front, we’re basically leaving everything intact, including the old baluster rails, the landscaping, and the lighting in the trees.  We are also renovating the original entrance lit canopies, which will reflect the original shape, color, and size of the canopies when the hotel first opened.  Thus, to complement the new restaurant patio, all of those classic Stoneleigh elements will still shine more than ever.”

“Throughout the whole project we’ve worked hard to preserve all of the historical elements, trying to incorporate as much as we can.  It’s been a challenge, but it’s also been a lot of fun.  At many times, working on the Stoneleigh has felt like an ongoing treasure hunt.”

Today, I had the opportunity to speak with Deborah Forrest of ForrestPerkins, the company that is working on the renovation project at the Stoneleigh.  She had some interesting news to share regarding the vision for the project, art to be featured in the hotel, and details regarding the spa. 

The above images are, from top to bottom, a digital rendering of the hotel’s lobby design and photos of the newly-designed king size bed and restroom.

Here’s a look at the complete interview:

D:  What is the overall vision for the Stoneleigh Hotel renovation project? 

DF:  The main vision is to take an important period in the life of the hotel and really represent that through the interior lobby, ballrooms, and guest rooms.  That particular period being the Art Deco period in the 30’s, a very glamorous time that was an important time for the hotel.  The Stoneleigh had been built in the 20’s, but it had an undergone a renovation in the 1930’s that introduced beautiful Art Deco elements that still exist in the hotel today.  For example, the stair from the lobby up to the second floor, and the details like the columns in the lobby, crown molding, and the way the metalwork is detailed throughout the public areas.  So, we took our cues for the design of the furniture, carpets, and fabrics from that period.   

At the same time, just as the Art Deco period was a very modern way of interpreting the historic qualities of the hotel at the time, it still holds true today.  We are re-creating a period, but we’re also bringing it into the 21^st century, taking a modern approach. 

D:  Based on the extensive list of properties that you’ve worked on in the past, including the Union Station hotel, a historic property in Nashville that your company revitalized, do you bring any inspiration to this project from your previous work? 

DF:  Well, with our projects, the inspiration comes from the building itself, and from the city that the building is in.  For example, with the Stoneleigh, all of the interior architectural inspiration was from the building itself, and the artwork will reflect it’s location with several Texan artists.

D:  Is there going to be a separate gallery near the lobby? 

DF:  The whole hotel is basically a gallery.  Art plays a very important part of the overall sense and sensibility of the hotel.  There will be a combination of historic artifacts and photographs, as well as paintings throughout the hotel that reflect the property itself, as well as Texas.

D:  In regards to the guest rooms, there will be two different design schemes, correct? 

DF:  Yes, each of the schemes have lively and complex combinations of patterns.  One of the schemes is a very sharp scheme of crisp coral red with grey, ivory, and black accents.  The other scheme is a combination of turquoise with a cinnamon brown and ivory.  They will have a very contemporary look, yet still incorporate colors that were popular and would have been appropriate in the 1930’s as well. 

D:  Do you have any details about the Spa that is opening? 

DF:  Yes, the spa is an intimate, very comfortable and beautiful spa that has separate relaxation areas for men and women.  The treatment rooms are comfortable and spacious, and include several private treatment rooms as well as a duet massage room.  The spa is designed to be used mostly by hotel guests and residents in the Stoneleigh Tower Residences.  It will feel very professional, very personal, and very private in the lower level of the hotel.  The spa will be reached by a beautiful stairwell that descends from the hotel lobby.  The convenience of being able to go down from the lobby to get a spa treatment, massage, or a facial will be valuable for hotel guests. 

D:  How will the residents at the Stoneleigh Tower Residences access the spa? 

DF:  There will be a direct connection from the Residences over to the spa via an underground tunnel. 

D:   Having mentioned the details about the historical artifacts of the hotel, have you come across any historical facets of the hotel through the process of the renovation project? 

DF:   Well, the hotel had a number of pieces already in their collection, which include photographs and some artifacts which we will be integrating into the design scheme.   

D:  When I spoke with Anne Sasso last month, she mentioned that she came across several secret passageways that the original owner had installed in the Penthouse. 

DF:  Yes, it’s fascinating, and that’s been part of the lore of the hotel for many years.  It’s very interesting, because this hotel was owned by private individuals for a number of years, so it’s always been sort of a home away from home, and a home for the owners.  The original owner lived on the top floor, in the Penthouse, and it really was his home.   

D:  I find it interesting that, for example, Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard Rock Café, lived in the Penthouse and he had Led Zeppelin, Dan Akroyd, and Stevie Ray Vaughn up there.  There really have been a lot of different people coming through the Stoneleigh. 

DF:  That penthouse is probably one of the more prominent suites in an urban hotel that I know of, because it’s been used for so many years.  After it was a private residence, it was then a suite for individuals and dignitaries to stay in, and it also has been used for so many years as a wedding venue, meeting, and social space.  The Press Club of Dallas had its meetings there for many years. 

So, many people who live in Dallas, myself included, have been to the Penthouse on numerous occasions for a variety of different types of functions.  So, it’s a very well-known entity for many people in Dallas, and that’s kind of fun because people tend to feel ownership for hotels like this that have been part of there lives here.  I think a lot of people feel a very special place in their hearts for the hotel, and for the Penthouse, for that reason. 

D:  How is the project coming along at the moment?  I understand February is the target date.   

DF:  It’s looking good.  We are installing furniture in all of the guest rooms right now and it’s certainly moving along.  It will really be something when the grand opening takes place in a few months. 

In previous posts, I mentioned that the Stoneleigh will be paying homage to its famous former guests with rooms dedicated in their memory (such rooms previously mentioned were for Judy Garland & Margo Jones and Elvis). Well, I have just caught word of two more rooms that will draw inspiration from those famous faces that once stopped by the Stoneleigh.

First, there will be a room dedicated to Oliver Stone, the famous film director who filmed several films in Dallas, notably Talk Radio, JFK, and Born on the Fourth of July. In fact, during filming of Fourth of July, Stone set-up a production office in the Stoneleigh suite he was staying in. It was his presence (along with his lead role Tom Cruise) that established a strong reputation of the Stoneleigh as being the place to stay in Dallas during motion picture production. Another reason that Hollywood types began to flock to the Stoneleigh was the sense of privacy. Former manager Gary Bruton notes, “People could stay in our hotel and we respected their privacy. We served an enormous number of film and TV productions companies and many celebrities, and we didn’t release this information to our guests.”

Next, a room will be dedicated to Isaac Tigrett, the founder of the Hard Rock Cafe Dallas (and later the House of Blues, the moniker of Dallas’ newest music venue). At age 22, he co-founded the very first Hard Rock in London in 1971, and capitalized on its success by building the first one in the USA, in New York on 1984. It wasn’t long until Isaac arrived in Dallas to build the largest, most ambitious Hard Rock to date. As he launched the new club and began gathering rock n’ roll memorabilia like ZZ Top fuzzy guitars and the 1964 “Best New Artist” Grammy for the Beatles, Tigrett settled into a Stoneleigh penthouse with his wife Maureen Starkey (former wife of Ringo Starr) for two years. Tigrett was known for putting the Stoneleigh on the map with the rock ‘n roll elite, and was known to have guests like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Plant, and ZZ Top cavorting around his Stonleigh penthouse residence.

Thanks to local freelance writer Mary Morris for all the great insider information.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Anne Sasso, the project manager at Forrest Perkins, the architectural & design firm that is renovating the Stoneleigh hotel’s rooms, lobby, grand salon, & spa. She had some cool insider information to share regarding the current refurbishment project. The two images above are peeks at what the new guest room and suite will look like.

Here is the entire interview:

D: Can you provide me a basic rundown of the project? What is the extent of the renovation, and what can we expect for the grand opening?

A: Well, everything is being renovated and refinished. We’re trying to maintain as much of the historical integrity as possible in all the wood paneling, crown molding, and such. Some of the guest rooms have been re-configured to fit with our new fixtures and fittings. The new rooms will have gorgeous marble floors, Kohler fixtures in the bathroom and guest room, plasma screen TVs, and Deborah Forrest’s line of base fabrics. We’ve found a way to integrate it all just right.

The grand salon, which is on the same floor as the Penthouse, is going to represent a private ballroom, like a Versailles in Dallas. It’s very cozy and fully-equipped with multimedia for meetings, galas, and receptions. While the Penthouse takes up about half of the eleventh floor of the Stoneleigh, Forrest Perkins will be the other half, which includes renovating the grand salon and two Murphy bed suites. The grand salon also has the capability of being used along with Carleton Varney’s Penthouse, so if you were to host a large gathering, the Penthouse and grand salon could be used for the same event.

D: When you all were up there working on the grand salon, did you stumble upon anything of interest? I’ve heard that Colonel Stewart, the tenant back in the 30’s, had several secret passageways.

A: I did get a chance to poke my head in to the Penthouse, and I came across several small doors that opened up to small rooms & hallways. As construction has continued, we are making a point to leave all of those old characteristics of the hotel in place.

As far as the renovation of the guest rooms is concerned, we’ll be making it a point to maintain these unique details about the hotel, while adding a few touches along the way. For example, with the guest rooms, we’ve added a few details such as crown molding & appropriate trim that will update the architectural design of the rooms to a more contemporary look.

D: Cool, I did have a chance to look at the suite that you all finished with the rotating TV in the middle.

A: Yes, well that suite’s design will stay the same, except that we will be incorporating the woods that are visible in the red & grey scheme. The color palette (greens, teals, whites) will stay the same. We’ll re-distribute the colors, but both rooms will have now those beautiful Crotch Mahogany wood furnishings. The basic furniture types will stay the same, and we’ll have that center unit that will rotate 180 degrees. We’ll have a big wood-framed sofa, which is a double-sleeper. Plus, there will be huge closets that I would give anything for.

D: After looking over the Forrest Perkins portfolio, I noticed that there are a lot of other hotels that your company has worked on like the Hermitage in Nashville and the Washington Plaza in D.C. Do any of those past hotel projects bring any inspiration to the Stoneleigh re-furbishment?

A: It’s funny that you ask. I’m leaving tomorrow to go to Union Station, a Nashville hotel that my previous project manager and I worked from start to finish. It’s actually just right up the road from the Hermitage. Union Station was a historical property that had some wonderful elements that were fun to maintain and bring attention to.

As far as inspiration for that project, we were able to step outside the box without making it solely a traditional property. We had the unique opportunity to maintain those key traditional & architectural elements while all the while bringing the hotel up to speed with a modern, contemporary design.

As we approached Union Station, we knew how important it is to maintain those architectural elements. Yet, those details were so traditional, and the question was how could you mix the old with new? So, it has been nice to have that previous experience with restoring a historical property.

D: It will be interesting to see how the Stoneleigh’s new face-lift will incorporate the old and the new.

A: I’m excited. A friend of mine, Richard Potter, used to live in the Penthouse back in the 80’s, and his family used to own a local metal shop, Potter’s Metal Arts. They were responsible for all the original metalwork in the hotel. I’ve met him in the last couple of years since I’ve moved to Dallas, and I had the opportunity to set him up for restoring and re-finishing the existing metalwork in the hotel, such as the banisters in the lobby stairs. His grandfather worked on the original Stoneleigh Hotel project, so it will be another great chance to incorporate the original design with the modern re-working.

D: It sounds like there are a lot of different people coming together to put this project together.

A: Yes, Forrest Perkins will be renovating the entire hotel, except for the Penthouse, which will be Carleton Varney’s project. Also, GDA, our architectural associate, will be covering two of the historical suites. The restaurant and bar will be produced by the Plan B group. We worked together with Plan B to integrate our designs together for the first floor. It’s been a lot of fun. Challenging, but fun.

D: How far along is the project at the moment?

A: All of the areas have been specified in design. We are in the midst of purchasing and moving all of the room elements on-site, and making them ready to be installed. Guest rooms are near-completion. We are expected to be finished by December 1.

D: Is the Spa opening up a little later?

A: The spa should be on target for December 1, and currently they are constructing the tunnel that will connect the hotel to the Residences. Last I heard, they were pouring the cover for it, so that might delay it slightly. As long as the tunnel construction is completed, the Spa will be set to open with the hotel.

D: There are a few other new hotels in the Dallas market, what is going to make the Stoneleigh stand out from the Ritz-Carleton, the W, the Zaza, The Palomar?

A: We’re not even in the same playing field, because we are bringing something so much more unique and exciting to the table. It has been absolutely incredible working on this project. For example, I run into so many people who ask about the Stoneleigh all the time, and I always hear a great story. Stories of people that visited when they were little, those that stopped by when they first moved to Dallas, those that always stayed there when they visited Dallas, or even people that lived there for a time. We have so many loyal followers, and now that we’ve updated it, we’re bringing in a whole new crew too.

It’s awesome to be able to work on a property that is such a great city landmark, and it’ll been fun to be able to make an impression.

Here’s a look at two more renderings of the new Penthouse, the first is a preview of the Drawing Room, while the second is of the Dining Room.

I had the opportunity to get an insider’s view of the the Stoneleigh Penthouse recently by speaking directly with the man behind the project, Carleton Varney. The project is steadily underway and it sounds like it’s going to pay an honest tribute to the original designer, Dorothy Draper, while still maintaining a modern look and feel.

As Varney puts it himself:

“The vision for the Penthouse is a really a Draper vision, because it harkens back to the time when the world was a world of glamour. Dorothy Draper’s kind of look is far more electrically colorful, and so to the Stoneleigh we are bringing back all of those brilliant reds, that black and gold look she was famous for, that kind of Baroque style, the Thomas Jefferson aqua blue and the use of beautiful, elegant fabrics, and glamour.”

Here is the entire interview: