DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Magnolia Building, right there in Dallas. Now settle in, because this one's got ambition written all over it. We're talking about a building that went up between 1921 and 1922, built for the offices of Magnolia Petroleum Company — the outfit that would later become Mobil Oil.
The man behind the design was Sir Alfred C. Bossom, a noted British architect who lived from 1881 to 1965. And Sir Alfred did not come to play.
The final price tag on this thing? Four million dollars. That was not pocket change.
That was a statement. And Dallas heard it loud and clear. For almost twenty years, this building stood as the tallest structure in the city.
Almost two full decades where you could look up at the Dallas skyline and see exactly where Magnolia Petroleum had planted its flag. The city was growing, flexing, becoming something — and this building reflected every bit of that increasing economic importance. But here's where the story gets its crown.
In 1934, they put a revolving neon sign right up on top of that already-towering building. Not just any sign. The flying red horse — the trademark for Magnolia products.
A red horse, spinning in the Texas sky, glowing against the dark. It became a local landmark, just like that. You can't really invent something like that.
You just have to be bold enough to put a flying red horse on top of the tallest building in town — and then let Dallas do the rest.
What the marker says
Erected in 1921-22, this building housed the offices of Magnolia Petroleum Co., later Mobil Oil Co. It was designed by Sir Alfred C. Bossom (1881 - 1965), noted British architect, and built at a cost of $4 million. The tallest structure in Dallas for almost 20 years, it reflected the city's increasing economic importance. In 1934 a revolving neon sign was placed atop the building. The "flying red horse," trademark for Magnolia products, quickly became a local landmark. RTHL - 1978