Sinclair Building (Fort Worth) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sinclair Building |
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| Former names | Dulaney Building |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Zigzag Moderne |
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
| Address | 512 Main Street |
| Coordinates | 32°45′13″N 97°19′49″W / 32.753687°N 97.330354°W |
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Sinclair Building
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| NRHP reference No. | 91001913 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 1992 |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 16 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Wiley G. Clarkson |
The Sinclair Building is a tall building in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. It was first called the Dulaney Building. This sixteen-story tower is 200 feet (about 61 meters) tall. It is famous for its special design style called Zigzag Moderne. The building is near other cool Art Deco buildings like the Kress Building and Blackstone Hotel.
The Sinclair Building opened in 1930. For many years, it was used as office space. In 2013, a group bought the building to turn it into a hotel. Today, it is a fancy hotel run by the Marriott company.
Building History
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In 1929, a rich Texas oilman named Richard Otto Dulaney had a big idea. He wanted to build a modern, million-dollar building. It would be a place for the growing oil business. Dulaney even won the land for the building in a poker game! He won it from a famous lawyer named Khleber Miller Van Zandt.
Dulaney tore down the old building at 512 Main Street. Then, he built the amazing Sinclair Building. A well-known Fort Worth architect, Wiley G. Clarkson, designed it. He wanted the building to look very tall. He used dark green panels that seemed to reach up to the sky. The building also had designs inspired by old Central and South American art. These designs were popular in the 1920s.
Before the building was even finished in 1930, a company called Sinclair Oil Company rented most of it. They needed offices to sell their oil products. Their business covered Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The building had cool new features for its time. It had air conditioning that could be set for different areas. It also had fast elevators and special wiring for phones and telegraphs.
Restoring the Building
By the late 1980s, the Sinclair Building was not in good shape. It was owned by a few different people who did not take good care of it. But then, downtown Fort Worth started to become popular again. Rent outside the city center was getting expensive. So, people became interested in the Sinclair Building once more.
In 1988, a company called Reaut Corporation bought the building. They worked hard to bring back its original Zigzag design. They found old plans and even original parts hidden behind newer walls. This helped Reaut make the building look like it did when it was first built. By 1991, most of the offices were rented again. This was a big improvement from 1988.
In 1992, the National Register of Historic Places said the building was very important to history. The Tarrant County Historical Commission also put up a Texas Historical Marker for the Sinclair Building in 1994.
A Modern Hotel
In 2013, a group of investors bought the building. They wanted to turn it into a fancy hotel. The hotel finally opened in 2019. It is now part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.
The renovation was done by Forrest Perkins and Merriman Architects. They made sure to keep the building's cool Art Deco style. But they also made it very energy-efficient. The Sinclair Building has always been known for new technology. So, the renovated hotel continued this tradition. It is the first hotel where all the inside electricity, like lights and mini-bars, runs only on Ethernet (POE). This is a very modern way to power things!
See also
In Spanish: Sinclair Building (Fort Worth) para niños
