The Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa is pleased to announce the winners of its Memories Campaign contest, which launched in honor of the historic hotel’s 85th birthday.

Previous guests and visitors from all over the country submitted their favorite memories in hopes to win the grand prize package of two nights in a Studio Suite, spa treatment for two, Chef’s six course tasting menu paired with wine, with champagne and strawberries upon arrival.

An abundance of submissions were received, but six memories stood out above the rest and were named as the winners. Each memory was carefully read, analyzed and rated by a panel of judges, each of whom had strong ties to The Stoneleigh’s long history including Candy Evans, D Magazine; Helen Anders, Austin American Statesman; Angus Wynne, The Center for Texas Music; Katherine Seale, Preservation Dallas; and Rob Brinkley, PaperCity Magazine.

From wedding proposals and bustling receptions in the penthouse to drinks in the Lion’s Den and cozy family holiday gatherings at the hotel, the judges had a vast array of memories to choose from.  However, it was Margaret Culbertson’s emotionally touching memory that stole the judges’ hearts and earned her the grand prize. “The memories I have of The Stoneleigh have always held a special place in my heart,” said Margaret, a Dallas resident from Highland Park. “When I received the postcard about the contest, all my childhood memories came flooding back; I knew immediately I had to enter.

Margaret’s memory was appropriately titled “Eloise and the Plaza, Margaret at The Stoneleigh…” as she retold her nostalgic childhood memories spent at the hotel and how she came to know this place as her second home: walking around the hotel at a young age as if it was her own, chatting with all the employees and playing on the infamous Stoneleigh Lions outside.

“Margaret’s Stoneleigh memory had it all: an appreciation of the hotel’s amenities, fond memories of an attentive staff and a strong emotional connection to the place itself; I love that the grown-up woman felt safe and protected, like she did as a young girl, just by placing her hands on The Stoneleigh’s famous lions,” said Rob Brinkley, co-editor of PaperCity magazine. “It gets no better than that.”
In addition to Margaret, the five second-place winners included Dallas residents Ernest Laun, Rhonda Sargent Chambers, John Hall and Pete Oppel, as well as Ken Holthouser of Dania Beach, Florida. Each winner from this group was awarded a one-night stay in a Studio Suite with champagne and strawberries upon arrival. While reading the contest submissions, some judges found their own memories flooding back into their minds, as well – both new and old.

“…memories I have of the Stoneleigh Hotel on Maple are fresh, sweet and fun - not ancient. I remember loving it the first time I laid eyes upon the maroon-y lobby because, I think, it reminded me of an old, grand Chicago hotel, which made me feel at home,” said Candy Evans, D Home Real Estate Editor. “It was great to be a part of The Stoneleigh’s ‘walk down memory lane’.”

Stoneleigh Memories Winning Submissions

1st Place, Margaret Culbertson
Eloise and the Plaza, Margaret at the Stoneleigh…

Or at least that is how it felt to me.

My grandmother owned a dress store in Midland Texas. Four times a year, for 4 days each time, my grandmother and mother would drive to Dallas to go to the Apparel Mart for market . At the age of six months (1962), I too started coming to Dallas. In a very male dominated business at the time, I was the first baby to be at market. My family needed a hotel that would cater to the needs of traveling with an infant and later a small child. The Stoneleigh was the perfect place with its oversized rooms that held my playpen and kitchenettes to warm my bottles and baby food. As the years past I came to know the Stoneleigh as my second home. I knew all the employees and walked around the Stoneleigh if it was my own. I especially loved the lions out front. Living in an adult world at market, I developed quite a vivid imagination. Those lions were my friends. I spent many hours sitting on the lions (I have a picture of this), riding them, believing they were alive. My grandm other, being a business woman and my growing up, we no longer needed the facilities at the Stoneleigh and cheaper hotels/motels were popping up…so she started booking us at the La Quinta and other motels. I was devastated. After a few sad trips, we compromised and I got to go back to my beloved Stoneleigh every so often. My grandmother sold the shop when I was thirteen so our trips to Dallas stopped.

When I moved to Dallas (1983), one of my first free moments, I went to the Stoneleigh…my lions looked much smaller than I had remembered and part of one’s nose had been broken off but everything was still there even the swing set that was about a block and a half down the street. A warm feeling came over me, a feeling of home.

After marrying, for one of our early anniversaries, I requested that we spend the night at the Stoneleigh. I was sad to see that this magnificent hotel with all my childhood memories was a bit run down, needing some love, and was so over shadowed by the Crescent. That huge Crescent not only towered over the Stoneleigh but blocked the view of Dallas I had known for so long. I was afraid the Stoneleigh was close to its end. I would drive by occasionally just to see that it was still there. I heard of the hidden passageway tours and so wanted to go, but being a young couple finances dictated our entertainment and I never got the opportunity.

During my divorce in 2000, I need to go somewhere to pull myself together…I headed to the Stoneleigh. I walked around the hotel and the grounds. I placed my hand on the lions, I was back being 5 years old with my grandmother and mother…I felt safe.

A few years ago I heard the Stoneleigh was going to be renovated. I drove by one day and saw the wired fence all around. What was going to happen to my Stoneleigh and the lions…I cried and wished my childhood memories farewell. When the renovation was over, I again drove by to see that my lions had stayed and the exterior still looked the same. I was very glad that they had not torn it down and built something more modern. I have yet to venture inside or see a room. I viewed the pictures online and it looks beautiful, however none of the pictures have the lions, so I fear they were finally removed. I hope to get to go back and stay at the Stoneleigh someday.

Second Place Winners

Ernest Laun

Celebrity, glamour and bit of intrigue: that sums up my memories of The Stoneleigh Hotel. My introduction to The Stoneleigh (and it was always referred to as THE Stoneleigh) was through the Dallas Summer Musicals. As a youngster, I was the office gopher for the Producer, Co-Producer, Executive Production Associate, and secretary. Collectively, that made up the entire administrative staff, so everyone did a little bit of everything.

The Stoneleigh was on the short list of hotels recommended by the Musicals to the out-of-town actors (invariably from New York or Los Angeles). A special rate was offered by the hotel and it became well known to the actors as the place to stay.

The Producer, as a way of extending Texas hospitality, personally greeted every major star at Love Field. In those days, we would drive past the security barricades to a rear entrance off the tarmac. The stars’ arrivals were normally covered by the press and short news conferences were often held in a media room at the terminal. Afterwards, the Producer would drive the stars to the Stoneleigh and I would follow with the luggage (usually quite a bit of luggage).

Carol Burnett, Loren Bacall, Ed Ames, Milton Berle, Juliet Prose, Herschel Bernardie, Gene Kelly, Jim Nabors, John Davidson, and Jack Benny were among the many stars that stayed at the hotel during their appearances at the Musicals. As a kid, and even now, I remember it well. I enjoyed the excitement of unloading the stars’ suitcases and carrying them into the quiet, stately, and extremely well air conditioned lobby. Meanwhile, the Producer would show off the accommodations to each guest.

As for a bit of intrigue, the Stoneleigh provided the Producer with a complimentary suite for once-a-week card games. As part of my duties as office boy, I was given the task of stocking the room with beverages, cards, chips, and to set up the velvet card table (which eventually became permanently stored at the hotel). The gossip around the Music Hall was that the New York and L.A. actors would be invited by the Producer to a friendly card game. On more than one occasion, it was rumored that many an actor would leave town with far less money than what they had when they arrived. Of course, I never got to play, but the stories I heard kept me wide-eyed.

It remains a one-of-a-kind special place. I now understand why it is so appropriate to refer to the hotel in the pejorative and as the sign says: THE Stoneleigh.

Rhonda Sargent Chambers

Just as the Holiday Season began in the year 2001, our new home flooded every floor, through and through. Everything being damaged and much work to be done for repairing the house; my family and I were relocated to a hotel room at the Stoneleigh Hotel. Saddened that we would not spend our first Thanksgiving at our new house, we quickly found an adventure on our hands as we had two baby boys ages 3 months and 24 months. With a little kitchenette full of baby bottles and diapers; the closet was equipped with two cribs kindly furnished by the staff at the hotel.
We then quickly became spoiled with having valet service and kind staff members helping us to our room with loads of groceries on a daily basis. Such wonderful service was about to come to an end….or so we thought. After one month at the hotel, we learned that the damage and repairs to our house were so extensive that we would be spending Christmas at the Stoneleigh! Turning lemons into lemonade was our new mantra! Looking back on this time is now heartwarming and momentous. The Christmas tree in the hotel lobby was the biggest most beautiful tree my babies had ever seen. At night, we would all sneak downstairs in our PJ’s to sit under the tree and look up at the big bright white lights.
My two year son said that the shining star on the top of the tree was “a guiding light”. One night we decided to put on our “photo op” matching pajamas (against Daddy’s wishes) and we all ran down to have our Holiday Family Picture taken at the big bright tree. The front desk staff snapped away at what will now be our exciting adventure at our home away from home. It was crowded in that little room but boy did we have the time of our lives! We were camping in style at the Stonleigh!
 

Ken Holthouser

My office was on Cedar Springs and I spent alot of time at the Den(which it was called in those days). Joe Miller was the Bar Manager and George was the Bartender. Many famous people stayed there in those days. I stopped in one day after work around 6 pm and the bar telephone rang and George (the Black Bartender) answered the phone and I was standing right there and he asked me if I knew a Shirley Jones and I told him she was eating in the dining room. Well he yelled at the top of his lungs “Shirley Jones telephone”.I told him she was the Shirley Jones who was on the Partridge Family and was in town performing. He said well with a name like Shirley Jones she didn’t sound like a movie star.

John Hall

My “Stoneleigh Memory” is really a collection of memories. From May until October 1989, I lived at the Stoneleigh Hotel while going through my divorce. During the five months of my Stoneleigh stay I formed friendships with several other divorcing and divorced men who also called the hotel home–a group that came to be known as the “Stoneleigh Hearts Club.” Many an evening was spent commiserating with fellow Club members at the legendary Stoneleigh Den, and many relationship and other issues were solved over breakfast at Ewald’s. Dr. Phil himself would have proud of the support group we became. I will always cherish the time I lived with room service, fresh linens, and all the amenities the Stoneleigh has to offer. And I am be proud to be a founding member of the “Stoneleigh Hearts Club.”

Pete Oppel

As entertainment editor of the Dallas Morning News, I regularly reviewed productions of the Dallas Summer Musicals and became good friends with producer Tom Hughes. Tom would bring Broadway musicals to Dallas each summer, but he confided in me once that his real dream was to produce a musical that would have its premiere in Dallas and then migrate to Broadway. He searched and searched and searched for a vehicle to produce until he finally found one that he was convinced was a sure hit.
The production was a musical version of “Gone With the Wind.” I went to the premiere and, to call it a disaster, would be too kind. I knew in my heart that Tom’s dream was not going to come true. I was devastated.
I left the Music Hall that evening and went straight to the Den at the Stoneleigh to seek solace from my favorite bartender, Joe Miller, who was the maestro there at the time. I ordered one of Joe’s impeccable Manhattans and downed it quickly. I ordered another and began to unload on Joe about how badly I felt about Tom Hughes. I ordered another Manhattan and downed it as my soliloquy expanded to other world affairs.
I don’t recall how many Manhattans I drank that night. I do remember, however, how smoothly they went down. I also remember not feeling the least bit inebriated. However, that was the only time in my life, which has now stretched into its 66th year, that I woke up the next morning without any idea of where I was, how I got there, or who the woman was still sleeping next to me.