Building
description from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's web
site:
In
November 1979, the citizens of Dallas voted to set
aside 60 acres in downtown Dallas in which to concentrate
the city's arts and cultural treasures. Soon thereafter,
an architectural master plan was developed for the
Dallas Arts District. The Dallas Museum of Art emerged
at one end of the District. The Dallas Theater Center
began operating the Arts District Theater and the
Dallas Symphony Association began the site selection
process for its future home in the hart of the city's
new cultural mecca. In 1980, under the leadership
of Dallas Symphony Association President Robert Decherd,
Morton H. Meyerson, a member of the Board of Governors,
chaired a committee charged with development of a
building program and selection of an architect and
acoustician. Meyerson appointed Stanley Marcus chairman
of the architect selection committee. More than 100
world renowned architects were considered and in December
of 1980, I.M. Pei was awarded the commission. At the
same time, Dr. Eugene Bonelli, dean of the Meadows
School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University
was appointed chairman of the search committee for
an acoustician. In early 1981, the committee selected
Russell Johnson, founder of Artec Consultants, Inc.
to serve as the hall's acoustician and major theatrical
consultant. Work began in earnest. Through the generosity
of the Borden Company, several parcels of land were
donated to the Dallas Symphony Association. The land,
together with other city-owned parcels and the cooperative
efforts of private development companies, made it
possible for Pei's design to be established on a prime
site bounded by Leonard, Flora and Pearl Streets and
Woodall Rodgers Freeway. Under the leadership of Henry
S. Miller, Jr., the most comprehensive capital campaign
ever undertaken by an American arts institution began.
The Cornerstone Campaign ran from January 1983 through
December 1985 and raised more than $50 million, much
of which was dedicated toward construction of the
Symphony Center. In late 1984, the Ross Perot family
gave the Dallas Symphony Association $10 million to
assure that the new hall would meet the international
standards set forth by the architect and acoustician.
In recognition of the gift, the Association gave Mr.
Perot the opportunity to name the facility. He did
so, honoring his friend, business colleague and Chairman
of the building committee, Morton H. Meyerson. An
additional generous gift from the Eugene McDermott
Foundation enabled the completion of the technically
precise and architecturally compelling Eugene McDermott
Concert Hall - the music chamber within the great
hall. Ground was broken in September of 1985 and in
September of 1989, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony
Center opened its doors to international critical
acclaim. It now stands as a tribute to a city that
continues to set standards in musical excellence.
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center rises proudly
in the Dallas Arts District as the architectural and
acoustical benchmark by which concert halls around
the world are judged.
