It's a major part of the Dallas skyline, and the red neon Pegasus atop the Magnolia Hotel is about to undergo a major renovation.
The Dallas Morning News reports that a brilliant neon Pegasus icon was placed on top of the headquarters of the Magnolia Oil Company back in 1934. The red Pegasus stayed lit atop the old Magnolia building until 1999, when the rusty symbol was removed and replaced with a shiny new version that was lit on Jan. 1, 2000. The original Pegasus, however, was hidden away in a storage shed until 2015, when it was renovated and placed in front of the Omni Dallas Hotel downtown.That street-level location makes it more visible up close than the high-flying horse on the roof of the Magnolia Hotel.
Now, the replacement Pegasus needs some repair work of its own.
The derrick that sits atop of the Magnolia Hotel that supports the Pegasus is in need of some structural repairs. Work started Monday at the hotel to start the restoration process. Visitors to downtown Dallas will notice scaffolding on the east corner of the hotel, near Pegasus Plaza. The scaffolding will be encased in eight-foot-tall temporary walls. Physical work on the derrick is expected to start mid-November and should wrap up by April 1, 2022.
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Once the restoration on the derrick is complete, crews will shift their focus to the restoration of the red neon lights that make the Pegasus visible for miles away.
Currently, the city of Dallas does not have any plans to reenable the rotation of the Pegasus.