As West Dallas' Iconic Belmont Hotel Grows Sad and Shabby, a Push to Make It as Historic Landmark

The reviews are in. And they are not good."To say we were disappointed is an understatement," Yelped one Logan H. of Colorado last September, after coming to Dallas for his grandmother's funeral. "This stay just made a very difficult weekend of grieving even worse." Amy M. of Houston had this to say on Jan. 6: "This place makes Motel 6 look good." And back in August, one Mike K. TripAdvised that "the presupposed 'nostalgic' feel of last-rate is [closer] to a discount run-down motel on a deserted road in a place you never want to visit. HORRIBLE." It only gets worse from there.That's the Belmont Hotel these visitors and locals are bad-mouthing. Yes, the Charles Dilbeck-designed "Motel With The Sky-View of Dallas" perched upon a West Dallas hilltop in 1946 and renovated several times since. Hard to believe the destination could ever be considered a dump. It's harder still to stomach, given how iconic and treasured the old motor court became after developer Monte Anderson's acclaimed 2005 makeover.For a good — no, make that a great — decade, the Belmont was the hot hang for out-of-towners, daytrippers and staycationers. Smoke for eats, Bar Belmont for drinks, poolside for summertime songs performed by musicians ascendant and transcendent. But Smoke was extinguished in December. Bar Belmont is now just a patio and place to sit. And KXT's Barefoot at the Belmont concert series ran off shortly after Anderson sold the hotel in 2015 to Dallas investors who promised in a press release to "further enhance the property while remaining committed to preserving and improving the hotel's core character."  Continue reading...