Meadows Building
A nine-story office building, built in the '50s, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. Located on north side of the PID, on Greenville and 75 Central Expressway, we chose to feature this grand monument for our May feature.
A brief history of the Meadows Building:
Built in 1955, the building is celebrating its 60th year this month. It was built to house the oil and gas company of Algur H. Meadows, the General American Oil Company of Texas. They occupied the upper floors, while the lower floors were 100% pre-leased before the construction was completed. Mr. Meadows gifted the establishment to his company's retirement plan, and in return, they honored him by naming it the Meadows Building. His family and their foundation, The Meadows Foundation formed in 1948, have been and continue to be amazing benefactors to the Dallas community.
The architectural significance:
The architect for the building, J.N. MacCammon, incorporated design elements that Mr. Meadows and his wife Virginia appreciated after spending quite a bit of time in Spain. They fell in love with the architecture and art there, as is reflected in the red brick seen on the building, along with the long balconies that are accessed from individual offices and the marble in the building lobby. The design of the plaza behind the building was heavily influenced by Mrs. Meadows, and was a stylized artist's palette with the design extending onto the roofs of the two wings of the building surrounding it. The art the Meadows collected while in Spain became the beginnings of the collection now housed at the Meadows Museum at SMU. The building has been preserved both on the interior and the exterior to retain that Spanish flair, along with the classic mid-century modern elements of the '50s.
How the UCPID neighborhood has changed since the opening of the Meadows Building:
When the building was built, it was the first high rise outside of the immediate downtown area. Industrial buildings - on a two-lane Greenville Avenue and a four-lane US 75 -surrounded the establishment. This area is now vibrant with businesses both large and small, and holds its own in the city as a must-see destination.
A unique feature or service of the establishment:
Because of its determination to retain the retro-cool elements, the building now has become a haven for creatives. Its suites are filled with architects, designers and other businesses that support their industry - these tenants have sought out and chose to office in a building that makes a creative statement just as they do.