Ambassador Hotel
historic place
The Ambassador Hotel in Dallas, Texas, began its life in 1904 as the Majestic Hotel. Designed by architect E. H. Silven, it opened in 1905 as a five-story Sullivanesque-style building. It was known as a premier luxury hotel, hosting figures like Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. In 1907, the hotel was sold and renamed the Park Hotel. It became the Ambassador Hotel in 1932, undergoing significant renovations that transformed its exterior to a Spanish Colonial Revival style. During Prohibition, its basement reportedly served as a speakeasy and a headquarters for the Dallas mafia. The building received designation as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965 and a Dallas Historic Landmark in 1982. After various uses, including apartments and a retirement hotel, the Ambassador Hotel was severely damaged by fire in 2019. This site represents a significant piece of Dallas's early 20th-century hospitality and architectural history.