The Dallas County Records Complex consists of three historic buildings: the Old Criminal Courts Building (built in 1915), the Records Building (built in 1928) and the Records Building Annex (built in 1955). The preservation and renovation celebrate the historic landmark’s distinctive architecture, while modernizing it for efficiency. As part of the renovation, the three buildings were connected into one. Each building had different floorplates that did not originally touch. Some of the upper floors were removed and completely reinstalled so the new floorplates were level across all three structures.
In a move dubbed “re-coring the pineapple,” the
design and construction team consolidated the buildings’ mechanical, data, and electrical infrastructures and elevators in a centralized spine. The building is 320,000-SF, about 40,000 more square feet than its previous setup.