When the Dallas County Records Building Complex renovation was announced, CEC knew it was a project we had to win. For us, it was a chance to restore a piece of history.
So many stories are weaved into the complex’ walls: The trial and incarceration of Jack Ruby (who shot and killed the man accused of assassinating John F. Kennedy); extraordinary inmates such as Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde fame); the first female district judge in Texas; repurposed Jim Crow-era relics; and even a Gene Autry song.
“This project presented several challenges for us to overcome: a complete renovation and recombination of three buildings, while preserving the history built inside,” said CEC President Brad Smith. “We were glad to be part of the construction team responsible for this task.”
The Dallas County Records Complex consists of three historic buildings: the old Criminal Courts Building (built in 1915), the Records Building (1928), and the Records Building Annex (1955). Almost one-third of the total area has been decommissioned since 2000, and many of the building’s systems are still original installations – some more than 100 years old and in various stages of deterioration.
“Rats had chewed through wiring, marble wall panels were coming unglued, and the HVAC system was failing,” the Dallas Morning News wrote in 2015. Lead paint and asbestos made many sections unfit for office work.
Restoration begins
It was time to repair this North Texas landmark.
As part of the renovation, the three buildings have been combined into one. During the original construction, each was designed separately, and in different eras. Each facility had its own set of floor heights, office structures, and infrastructures. For the renovation, the design and construction team decided to “re-core the pineapple,” as the architect calls it, consolidating the buildings’ mechanical, data, and electrical infrastructures and elevators in a centralized spine. The new building will have organized ductwork, public space at each level, modern electric conveniences, and an efficient core to power everything.
The new building will be one of the first WELL Certified government projects in Texas. It will be LEED Gold-certified and WELL Silver-certified.
CEC earned the electrical renovation scope, and has been hard at work restoring the buildings to their former glory. To help preserve the historical value, the construction team kept many internal walls and plaster ceilings. CEC worked with a historical group to minimize impact.
As with any renovation, the building slowly reveals its secrets as the project progresses. During the demolition phase, one trade was sanding down a column between the commissioners’ court and the King Courtroom. Hidden behind layers of paint, a sign still said “colored women only.”
“There’s some talk of them preserving it as an educational tool,” Superintendent Andy Nunez said. “On the second level, there’s an old hand-crafted wood bench that’s been there since the 1920s. We even found an old cannonball safe that weighs 15,000 pounds.”
Other stories emerge
- Almost 100 years ago, an inmate tried to break out of jail, grabbing Deputy Willis Champion’s handgun and discharging several rounds. At least one mortally wounded Champion, and two more shot through the air duct. The holes were never resealed until the renovation.
- In the same building, a brass railing was installed shortly after World War II. It is believed, but not verified, that the brass was reforged from a section of the decommissioned USS Texas – the first battleship to be declared a national landmark.
- The jail, which sat atop the courts building, had a baptismal room. Repentant convicts had the chance for heavenly redemption while on death row. The faucets were still operational at the start of the renovation, but the murals were peeling from the wall.
- As segregation became outlawed, relics of the Jim Crow era were discarded, but some were simply painted over. Door signs and water fountains branded for “whites only” were discovered in a 2003 renovation, but additional sign pieces came during CEC’s work. One water fountain was turned into an educational art piece.
Before the renovation revealed its latest secrets, the complex had plenty of stories already known to the public. The most infamous came from the murky details surrounding the John F. Kennedy assassination. As the nation reeled from Kennedy’s death in 1963, Ruby plotted a way to kill Lee Harvey Oswald. On Nov. 24, 1963, police were escorting Oswald from the nearby Dallas Municipal Building to a pretrial hearing for his role in shooting President John. F. Kennedy. Ruby, who somehow navigated his way through a police checkpoint, blended in with a crowd of reporters, then pulled a .38 revolver and shot Oswald – live on national television.
Ruby was incarcerated in the criminal courts building to await his trial. Under 24-hour guard, the man known for promoting and engaging in illegal activities sat for four months. He was tried and convicted downstairs in a second-story courtroom, although the conviction would later be overturned.
Before the retrial, Ruby suddenly died of a pulmonary embolism in the same hospital as Oswald and Kennedy. With conspiracy theories running rampant, Dallas County wanted to sever any ties to the Kennedy assassination. Ruby’s trial would be the last in that courtroom, and the room became a storage room for 50 years.
Back in time
Several more events dot the complex’ rich history:
- 1921: Before the state concentrated its death row inmates to Huntsville, each county was responsible for its own executions. Dallas held its last such act in 1921. The gallows were removed almost 100 years ago, and the area eventually became a prison basketball court. The gallows’ supports were still visible on the floor before the renovation.
- 1935: Sarah T. Hughes became the first female district judge in Texas. When the annex building was completed 20 years later, she would continue her mission of improving prisoner accommodations. When court resumes later this year, the room will be named for her.
- 1948: Matron Kassie Chandler became the first Texas female officer to die in the line of duty. The 68-year-old was bringing an inmate a midnight snack when the inmate attacked her, assuming Chandler had keys to the main gate. Chandler didn’t, and died later that night at the hospital.
The county jail, which occupied the top five floors of the criminal courts building, earned the name “High Five.” Gene Autry famously sang about the jailhouse in his song Dallas County Jail Blues. Several famous inmates spent time there:
- Clyde Barrow: Barrow, along with Bonnie Parker, formed the infamous “Bonnie and Clyde” gang that robbed and murdered their way across the Great Plains. Before he met Parker, he spent time in the building awaiting trial for auto theft.
- Raymond Hamilton: Hamilton was Barrow’s sidekick, but was captured in 1933. Barrow raided Eastham prison farm during the next year to rescue him; however, he left the group after a disagreement and was imprisoned in Dallas for a time.
- Harvey Bailey: Bailey stole more than $1 million in the 1920s ($13.3 million in today’s value), including a heist at the Denver U.S. Mint. He escaped the Dallas jail in 1933 by cutting through his cell bars with a hacksaw, but was recaptured later that night.
- “Pretty Boy” Floyd: A classic old West bank robber, Floyd was suspected of killing at least 10 men. He spent time in the Dallas jail awaiting trial, but eventually was gunned down in an Ohio shootout. He was known for using machine guns in his heists.
- Benny Binion: The largest mob boss in Dallas during the 1940s, he spent several stints in the building’s cells. The gambling icon’s penchant for grandiose gestures landed him in many newspapers. The bootlegger hired a plane to drop a floral wreath at Clyde Barrow’s funeral in 1934.
- Billie Sol Estes: Estes was caught in a 1960s federal fraud scandal involving federal crop subsidies. Connected to Lyndon B. Johnson, he’s best known for deathbed accusations that LBJ ordered nine murders, including the Kennedy assassination.
“I’m a history buff, so I’m glad to preserve the historical value of this project,” Nunez said.
The project was completed in 2021, and a host of Dallas County agencies now call the complex home. With CEC’s help, the Dallas County Records Complex will be ready to make more history during the next century.
To learn more about the project, check out the following links:
- Dallas Morning News feature: http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2015/records-complex/
- DCR project website: https://www.dallascounty.org/dcrb/index.php
The project brought together three buildings built in three different eras. Each had its own floor plans, heights between floors, and mechanical/electrical/plumbing system layouts. All three had to be recombined and reconnected.