As the UNT Dallas College of Law opened the doors to its new home, Texas state Sen. Royce West recalled praying on an airplane a few years ago for occasions such as Thursday's ceremonical event. Sen. West beamed with pride at the magnificence of the law facility, which has undergone a $71 million top-to-bottom renovation.

The building in downtown Dallas, where President John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was detained and later shot and killed by Jack Ruby, is now the site of the only public law school in Dallas.

“106 South Harwood is one of the most famous addresses in the city and, oddly enough, that grand municipal edifice was created as a new standard in architecture and a beacon for justice, with the explicit promise of turning the sometimes slow wheels of justice forward,” Sen. West said.  “In many ways, the building has lived up to its design, and in other ways etched its place in history.”

Sen. West was emotional after the ribbon-cutting ceremony as he's witnessed his dreams come true.

“We hail it as a new beginning for the historical landmark and for the UNT Dallas College of Law, which proudly accepts the baton to continue shining brightly as a beacon of justice for all,” Sen. West said as he received a round of applause from the nearly 100 who attended the ceremony.