Hotel Next to SMU Slated for Major Changes — Renovation and Rebranding to Transform Lumen

The Lumen Hotel, the long-standing boutique hotel right next to Southern Methodist University, is about to undergo a major transformation. Acquired by Chicago-based Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners, the hotel at 6101 Hillcrest Avenue will be renovated and renamed Graduate Dallas.

Since 1963, The Lumen has been serving SMU, University Park and Highland Park. Plans call for the four-story hotel to re-emerge as a hotspot for visitors of Dallas, with its proximity to George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Dallas Love Field airport, downtown Dallas and Baylor University Medical Center. The Graduate is scheduled to debut in the spring of 2020.

The Lumen started out in the 1960s as a motel. It was then transformed into a mid-century retreat with a four-star restaurant, The Front Room Tavern, and rooftop pool. As part of the Graduate Hotels collection, the new hotel will have 95 guest rooms, a communal lobby, Poindexter coffee shop, a new restaurant and bar, rooftop lounge, and upgraded pool courtyard.

There are currently 14 Graduate Hotels across the United States that are located in some of America’s most dynamic university-anchored cities. Many more locations are on the way including Nashville, Fayetteville (North Carolina), Cincinnati and New Haven (Connecticut). Graduate Dallas will be the first in Texas.

“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of the Lumen Hotel,” Tim Ryan, AJ Capital’s senior vice president of acquisitions says in a statement. “This storied property is uniquely positioned to serve the SMU campus community, Park Cities and greater Dallas for generations to come.”

The hotel will continue to run as The Lumen while the renovations take place.