12 November 13 - 19, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Pei Up To Fix a Dallas Icon RoboCop Peter Weller says Dallas should dig in its pockets to pay to repair City Hall. BY PRESTON BARTA F or many, Dallas City Hall is an ar- chitectural marvel, a civic land- mark, or simply the place you go to get a permit. But for film fans, it’s something more: OCP Head- quarters, the ominous corporate citadel from the 1987 sci-fi classic RoboCop. And for the man inside the RoboCop suit, Peter Weller, the building is not just a backdrop but a cornerstone of modernism that must be saved. The building’s future has recently been put in jeopardy, though. The Dallas City Council was scheduled this week to consider options that include possibly tearing it down or making hundreds of millions in repairs. “It’s criminal to let that building go like that,” Weller tells the Observer, his voice filled with the same passion he brought to the screen. A proud Texas transplant and University of North Texas alumnus, the ac- tor holds a deep-seated appreciation for preserving the state’s cultural identity, whether it’s the historic Fort Worth Stock- yards or the architectural brilliance of I.M. Pei’s brutalist Dallas City Hall.. When Dallas City Hall was completed in 1978, its inverted pyramid design was a bold, futuristic statement. This vision drew direc- tor Paul Verhoeven and the RoboCop pro- duction team to Dallas. They saw the perfect embodiment of a dystopian future. “When I first saw that building, I was stunned,” Weller recalls. “I was not deeply into architecture and architectural history like I am now … but when I saw the building just as an emblem of civic pride and art, I was amazed by it and honored to shoot there.” He remembers the care taken by the city during the 1986 production. “They came out and said, ‘Make sure that nothing explodes underneath those windows!’ We had to fake the demise of ED-209 [RoboCop’s trigger- happy robotic nemesis] because they didn’t want to jeopardize the glass.” This memory makes the current debate over the building’s fate, as it faces extensive and costly repairs to its HVAC, water and other systems, all the more poignant for Weller. Estimates of the cost of repairs range up to $345 million, but the idea that Dallas would consider abandoning or selling the structure is something he finds shameful. “Fort Worth would have never let the in- frastructure of that building go to hell like it has,” he says. “The HVAC system and the water system fading into oblivion makes one think, ‘Who’s minding the store there?’ An HOA in a condo fixes that stuff, man!” Weller’s connection to the building tran- scends nostalgia. Now an art historian who lectures on the Renaissance, his apprecia- tion has only deepened. “That building is a cornerstone of mod- ernism,” he says. “It is a landmark and an emblem used in architectural books around the world. To let the interior go to waste … the Dallas civic responsibility should be spanked.” His argument isn’t just about preserving a film location. It’s a plea to honor the “en- demic statement of mankind’s facility to self- express,” exemplified by architects like Pei. He views City Hall in the same lineage as Pei’s other world-renowned works, including the Louvre Pyramid and the Meyerson Sym- phony Center in Dallas. For Weller, letting it decay is a disservice to art, to history and to the city’s and state’s own cultural courage. “We must save it,” he insists. “A city like Dallas can’t just go, ‘Hey, we’re going to throw up some new metal stuff.’ The soul of Dallas speaks to saving that building!” Weller’s passion for art and history is infectious. He explores these topics host- ing History Channel’s Engineering an Em- pire, authoring a book on Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti for Cam- bridge University Press, sharing insights on his YouTube channel (Weller World) and teaching his upcoming online film course (Guns, Knives and L’Amore), which delves into the artistry of Spaghetti West- erns and Italian Giallo films. So, what’s the solution? For Weller, it’s simple. “If it costs up to $345 million, take the loan out. Dallas has the money. Raise it, spend it. Take the loan out and restore that building.” He points out that the iconic exte- rior is built to last. “The exterior of it is going to last forever. It’s an imbalance. That’s I.M. Pei’s genius. It’s not something that’s going to tip over or erode.” As Weller prepares for his next major role in The Adventures of Cliff Booth, the se- quel to Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood penned by Quentin Tarantino and directed by David Fincher, his thoughts remain with Dallas. His message to the city is clear: Fix the damn building. Honor its legacy. ▼ SEX & DATING SINGLE MEN GETTING SNIPPED. THAT’S HOT. HE’S A 10 BUT HE’S HAD A VASECTOMY, SO NOW HE’S AN 11. BY ALYSSA FIELDS T here are a few sentences that will have a Dallas girl drooling over a man: “I am related to the Crow family, and AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo ▼ Culture Mark Graham/Courtesy of Russel Towery From left to right: Actor Russel Towery, director Paul Verhoeven and Peter Weller. In one of the final scenes, RoboCop destroys ED-209 and then enters OCP headquarters (Dallas City Hall).
