An extensive renovation to the 2.1-million-square-foot Dallas Convention Center was completed in 2012. New areas include a lounge at the east entrance of the building, as well as a new 19,000-square-foot ballroom in the D mezzanine, with an adjacent glassed overhang multimedia conference room.
Photo: Urban Fabric Photography
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, scheduled to open in the spring of 2013, is being constructed across a 24–acre site on the campus of Southern Methodist University. The centerpiece of the complex is a 226,500-square-foot building, designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern, that will hold the George W. Bush Presidential Library. A 15-acre park with several green spaces surrounds the library, which will have several venue options for events.
Photo: Courtesy of The George W. Bush Presidential Center
Open since November in a former truck-repair shop adjacent to West Dallas’s new Trinity Grove development, Four Corners Brewery brews its own four year-round ales and an array of seasonal beer. The brewery is available for private events as well as tours.
Photo: Courtesy of Four Corners Brewery
The 1.5-acre Belo Garden opened downtown in May. The former parking lot is now a tree-lined green space, with a fountain plaza surrounded by several grassy knolls. Hardwood benches in the plaza seat 60, and there are 11 tables set throughout the grove area. The entire park can be reserved for private events.
Photo: Courtesy of Belo Garden
A soaring new addition to the Dallas Arts District, City Performance Hall opened in September. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the glass-fronted building includes a 750-seat proscenium theater flanked by two multipurpose performance spaces seating 200 people each. The expansive front lobby holds 200 for a reception.
Photo: Justin Terveen
Open since December, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a dramatic, $185 million showpiece just north of downtown Dallas. Event spaces include a 297-seat theater, a 500-person glass-enclosed lobby surrounding a Malawisauras dinosaur, and the gems and minerals hall, which seats 140. The entire museum holds 2,300 on four levels.
Photo: Mark Knight Photography
New entertainment and dining development Trinity Groves, set at the foot of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on Dallas’s west side, unveiled a culinary event space, 3015 at Trinity Groves, in October. The facility is designed to host cooking classes, meetings, and Iron Chef-style teambuilding events, with a total capacity of 500.
Photo: Courtesy of 3015 at Trinity Groves
