508 Park Avenue is located two blocks east of Dallas’ City Hall. It was built in 1929 as the Warner
Brothers Film Exchange and served the movie theater district on Elm Street. Designed in the Zig-Zag
Moderne style that was popular at that time, 508 Park Avenue is one of the best and one of the few
examples of this style of architecture remaining in Dallas today.
On a historical and cultural level, the building is significant for its unique musical heritage – it was
associated with many giants in the industry for several decades. By 1937 Brunswick Records was
leasing space from Warner Brothers for their regional distribution center; it was there that Mississippi
Bluesman Robert Johnson (1911-1938) reportedly made his last recording.
In 2009, Glazer's Distributors -- owners of 508 Park Avenue, filed with the city a permit that would allow them to tear down one of the most historic structures in the city of Dallas. The building is among some three dozen singled out by Mayor Tom Leppert and City Attorney Tom Perkins, who are trying to bring vacant downtown buildings up to code.
info from Preservation Dallas and The Dallas Observer
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