This year, as fans across the globe honor Elvis for the 30th Anniversary of his passing, it would only be fitting that the Stoneleigh commemorate the King, a former guest, in its own way.  When the doors open later this year, one of the Stoneleigh’s new perks will be a tribute room dedicated to Elvis, which will feature an assortment of memorabilia from the singer’s heyday.

Elvis first made an appearance at the Stoneleigh back in 1956 when he was in town for a one-night show at the Texas State Fair.  As this article by Mary Morris points out, the King escaped his throngs of screaming fans by ducking out in his suite at the Stoneleigh, of which he and his entourage had allegedly rented out two whole floors to ensure privacy.  Yet, Elvis wasn’t always in town for music; he was also noted to show up at the Shanghai Jimmy’s Chili Rice Parlor in downtown Dallas.  His dish of choice?  The No. 9 Tub with all the fixings: chili, onions, rice, cheese, celery, and relish!

Back in 1941, the Stoneleigh became the new home to one of Dallas’ first radio stations, KSKY. Broadcasting from the eleventh floor, the “Station in the Sky” enjoyed a skyline view and used the broadcast tagline: “KSKY- atop beautiful Hotel Stoneleigh overlooking downtown Dallas.”

When it first started, the station principally played Big Band music, with newscasts on the hour. However, as the station grew in popularity, the program became more diverse, including a Latin music show put on by El Fenix Restaurants, a rhythm & blues show known as In the Groove, farm news, and several religious programs.

Over time, the station focused on a more religious format, and by the 60’s, KSKY had become a full-time Christian radio station. Thanks to it’s 10,000-watt daytime signal, listeners could tune in from nine surrounding states. After moving out of the Stoneleigh in 1982, KSKY has since converted to a talk-format, where news, politics, culture, & lifestyle topics are discussed daily, including a nighttime broadcast by Dennis Miller.

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.

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

Another feature of the new Stoneleigh that will soon be unveiled are its new “tribute rooms”. These rooms will stand out from the other new guestrooms in that they will feature authentic memorabilia from famous tenants of the Stoneleigh’s past. For example, there will be one room dedicated to Margo Jones, a famous pioneer of Texas theater, and another room paying homage to the famous actress & singer, Judy Garland. Stay tuned for more details on additional tribute rooms in development.