What do Doris Day, Raquel Welch, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hoffa, and a jail all have in common? Well, that would be the former Cabana Motor Hotel in Dallas on North Stemmons Freeway in the Design District. The modern and lavishly appointed hotel opened in 1963 and has a history just as fascinating as its avant-garde design. Developer Jay Sarno cut his teeth on two hotel projects before the Cabana in Dallas. In 1958, he opened the first Cabana Hotel in Atlanta, GA, followed by one in Palo Alto, CA. In 1960, he announced plans to expand to Dallas with his largest and most luxurious hotel yet, also to be called Cabana Hotel.
Melvin Grossman, AIA of Miami, FL, designed the 10-story hotel in a striking modern design not seen in Dallas. Construction began in 1961 with investors Doris Day and the Teamsters under the direction of Jimmy Hoffa. Sarno later went on to develop his most well-known projects: Caesar’s Palace and Circus Circus in Las Vegas. The Dallas hotel cost $6 million and had 300 rooms—57 of them suites—and numerous amenities for guests including an outdoor pool, health clubs, restaurants, night clubs, a ballroom, and more. The exterior featured a brise-soleil, which covered the entire upper façade in a latticework pattern of delicate concrete X-shape blocks. In contrast, the lobby was designed with two-story glass