About
Dallas Council 799 was chartered on May 9, 1903 and is the second oldest Council in the state of Texas. Documents from the period indicate that members were accepted as Associate Members, not as Insurance Members. The principal reason given for that designation is that Dallas and the Southwest in general were considered to be prohibited territory for insurance purposes. Whether the reason was gunfire or the image of Texas as the wild and unruly frontier is not clear. In any case, the insurance ban was lifted shortly thereafter and insurance members were accepted.
The first Council Hall was located at 1914 Main Street and occupied the entire third floor of an office building that covered a block of Murphy Street between Main and Elm. The entire space was approximately 50 feet wide by 200 feet deep. The Main Street portion was used for lodge room and recreational purposes. The Elm Street portion was used for meetings and special functions.
In 1915 the Council purchased property at 2520 Ross Avenue. The large residence on the land was remodeled for Council use. The cost of the property and building was approximately $17,000. The United States Government held “soldier classes” at the hall during World War I.
Property at the corner of Ross and Harwood Streets was purchased in 1920 and was home to Council 799 until 1929. In 1930 a meeting hall at 2620 Maple Avenue was purchased.
In 1951, “The Showboat” nightclub, located at 7333 East Northwest Highway, closed because of financial problems. Council 799 offered $30,000 in cash and purchased the 8-acre property and the building. It became the new home of Council 799. Located high on a hill, its colonial style became a Dallas landmark. In 1958 a swimming pool was added which increased the membership in Council 799 considerably. In 1997, the property was purchased by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority for a passenger station for the Light Rail Line to Garland.
In 1998 the Council purchased a two-story former bank building at 10110 Shoreview Road in Dallas and remodeled it for our new Council facility. Our new home was blessed and dedicated on Sunday. May 16,1999.