The Wilson Building rose eight stories in 1904, the tallest structure in Dallas until 1909. Completed in 1904 and patterned after the Palais Garnier in Paris, it was the tallest structure in Dallas from 1904 to 1909 and was considered the premier commercial structure west of the Mississippi. Feel the weight of its E-shaped plan, designed by Sanguinet & Staats of Fort Worth, with rounded corners and intricate stone and brick work that still reward a slow, close look.
This building was built for John B. Wilson (1847–1920), who moved from Canada with his brother Frederick P. Wilson and made a fortune in cattle during the 19th century—Dallas ambitions carved into stone. Inside, the building once housed nine elevators, two dedicated to a department store and seven for office tenants, and boasted luxuries such as a 1,500-foot deep artesian well and two telegraph offices. The Wilson fronts Main Street on the south, Ervay on the east, and Elm on the north, anchoring a block of turn-of-the-century confidence.
Across Main Street stands the flagship Neiman Marcus Building, while the Mercantile National Bank Building rises just beside you.