Every city has a few things that make visitors stop and ask, “Wait, why is that there?” North Texas has more than its share. Two of the best: a giant eyeball in downtown Dallas, and a laughing donkey carved out of limestone in McKinney.
Both come with a local legend. Only one of them checks out.
The Eye on Main Street
Across Main Street from The Joule hotel, on a patch of lawn at 1601 Main, sits a 30-foot eyeball made of fiberglass, resin, and steel. Blue iris, red blood vessels, staring straight back at you.
It’s called Eye, and Chicago artist Tony Tasset modeled it on his own eye. He created it in 2007, and it was commissioned for the Chicago Loop Alliance’s Art Loop program, debuting in Chicago’s Pritzker Park in 2010. About three years later, it moved to Dallas.
What’s under it is the part most people don’t know. The lot was once home to the Praetorian Building, a 15-story tower that opened in 1909 and that historians call probably Dallas’s first skyscraper. Tim Headington, owner of The Joule, bought it in 2010. The building came down, and the Eye went up in 2013.
The legend
Here’s the story you’ll hear downtown: Headington wanted to put a parking garage on that lot, neighbors objected that it would be an eyesore, and so he gave them one. A 30-foot one.
Is it true? Nobody has confirmed it. The hotel itself calls the Eye one of downtown’s most “rumor-generating” fixtures and doesn’t settle it. And Tasset says the piece ultimately means “whatever you want.”
Verdict: unconfirmed. Excellent story, though. Dallas has collectively decided it means revenge.
The laughing jackass in McKinney
Head up to McKinney and you’ll find the opposite situation: a story that sounds made up and turns out to be on the record.
Outside The Stix Icehouse on Eldorado Parkway, just west of State Highway 5, sits a seated, laughing donkey carved from Indiana limestone. The base says LMAO. And on its backside, carved right into the stone, is a pair of lips.
McKinney artist Jake Dobscha spent about eight months carving it. Former McKinney City Council member Don Day commissioned it and said it cost $22,000.
The story that turned out to be true
Day owns the property. A few years before the statue went up, the city fined him $44,000 for allegedly cutting down trees there without the required approval. Day disputes it and said he paid a fraction of the fine to move on. Mayor George Fuller stood by the fine, saying the city values its trees and Day didn’t follow the approval process.
Then came the donkey. Day was not subtle about why. He has called the statue “a beautiful, whimsical work of art,” and also: “There are some people who probably disagree with me and I thought they ought to have a place to put their lips.”
He added that it’s “sending a message to all levels of government that we’re tired of their stupidity.”
Verdict: documented. Petty, on the record, and hand-carved in limestone.
Why I love these stories
We talk a lot about North Texas in terms of growth, prices, and new construction. But a big part of what makes a place feel like home is the stuff you drive past every day and eventually want to know the story behind. A skyscraper that became a lawn with an eyeball on it. A tree fight that became a roadside attraction.
Got a “why is that there?” of your own? Reply to the newsletter and send it my way.
Know the Neighborhood, Not Just the House
I’m Jamie Marancenbaum, and I help people buy and sell homes across the DFW area. A good move is about more than square footage and comps. It’s about the streets, the schools, what’s being built down the road, and the stories behind the places you drive past every day. That’s what I write about here, and it’s what I bring to every client.
Thinking about buying, selling, or just curious what your home is worth today? Get your free home value at jmarancenbaum.cbapex.com, or reach me anytime at (469) 417-9661 or [email protected].
Jamie Marancenbaum, REALTOR® | Midtown Market Group | Coldwell Banker Apex | Texas License #0645858
18260 Preston Road, Suite 110, Dallas, TX 75252
Richardson | Prestonwood | Far North Dallas | Addison | DFW Area
More than real estate. It’s Home.
