Although founder Conrad Hilton’s first hotel was the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, the first hotel formally named a Hilton came several years later.
The Dallas Hilton, opened in 1925, had the honor of being the first to officially carry the Hilton name. Conrad’s first new-construction hotel, it was designed from the ground up to be a prominent high rise at the highest point in downtown Dallas.
Conrad built the hotel close to the Dallas Court, targeting business travelers, but also just down from the shopping district of downtown Dallas, in the days when consumers shopped in the downtowns of Americas well before shopping malls were prominent.
Elevators, laundry chutes, air shafts and other non-customer facilities were built along the west side of the building so no guest rooms would face the western sun. The setting sun can be brutal in summertime, especially before air-conditioning was available. Explore these early photos of the property and a full page ad in the Dallas Morning News announcing the Dallas Hilton’s opening reception Aug. 4, 1925.
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