The former Cabana Hotel will be transformed into a mixed-use housing development. Sycamore Development, in partnership with Hunt Capital Partners, is the developer of the project to convert the hotel.
The development will provide 175 multifamily units, 70 of which will be affordable at a range of income bands from 30% to 80% area median family income (AMFI) for 45 years. The property has sat vacant for over a decade.
The total project cost is over $116 million and is supported by a City of Dallas subsidy of up to $41 million from the Design District Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
The former Cabana Hotel located at 899 North Stemmons Freeway was constructed over six decades ago, was built by Jay Sarno. Sarno was responsible for developing the famous Las Vegas landmarks Caesar’s Palace and Circus Circus.
The building, which once boasted 300 hotel rooms, has welcomed the likes of Richard Nixon, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Beatles, and Norman Mailer. Before being discovered, Raquel Welch famously served drinks as a cocktail waitress at the Cabana.
In its heyday, celebrities like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin visited it. A young Raquel Welch worked as a cocktail waitress in the “Bon Vivant Room.” Many of the historic features will be brought back to life.
At one point, the former hotel was converted into a jail, the Bill Decker Detention Center. While it is now closed, the City previously spent $5 million converting the property into a correctional facility that, when active, housed around 1,000 inmates.
