John Crawford
Spring has sprung, from Main Street to the Arts District. The trees are budding, birds are singing, and the outdoor patios are packed with people enjoying the sights and sounds of downtown Dallas. There’s a newfound excitement in downtown to celebrate the old buildings and give them new life, without forgetting their past.
We recently heard about the renovation of a historic 1931 gas station at the corner of Ross and Lamar, in the Historic West End. An old friend, Dr. Phil Jackson, is preserving this unique piece of history and putting in a Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, which will open this summer.
Capriotti’s is a 35-year-old institution, headquartered in Las Vegas. The chain has stores on the East and West Coasts, but this is its first introduction to the Texas market (which we now refer to as the “Third Coast”). I had the pleasure of trying a Capriotti’s sandwich the other day; they’re new, different, and delicious—and we can’t wait until the shop opens!
In the same neighborhood, at San Jacinto and Griffin, have you noticed the construction that will bring our sixth 7-Eleven store to the central business district? This one will have a gas station—the first in the CBD in more than 50 years.
You’ve probably heard about the historical Dallas High School, or Crozier Tech. Clyde Jackson (yep, the same person who developed the Plaza of the Americas) has the property under contract and wants to turn the 100-year-old building into new residential project that will add 510 new units to downtown. We hope to hear soon how the numbers pencil out, including the availability of incentives which will be required to make the project a reality.
Speaking of older buildings, about the only thing left in the “old building” category that has not changed hands or doesn’t have a redevelopment plan are the Tower Petroleum and Corrigan buildings at St. Paul and Elm Streets. Get ‘em while they’re still available!
John F. Crawford is president and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc. Contact him at crawford@downtowndallas.org.
4 comments
Tower Building is a stunning Art Deco highrise and I’m shocked that it hasn’t found a buyer willing to transform it into downtown’s newest apartment community.
It’s time to start moving on the 1-way street conversions to 2-way streets… Downtown’s streets are stuck in a different era.
Also: Why have Sheraton and Reunion Tower closed their observation decks to the public? Observation decks are a proven tourist destination and one of the few things unique to Downtown Dallas (you cannot get views like that anywhere else).
Downtown residents know that one of the few impressive things they can show outside visitors (and potential future residents) is a killer view from the rooftop deck of their building. Why not allow them to take those same guests on a tour of Dallas from a 50-story window? It is hard to evangelize about the beauty and history of our neighborhood if we’re not allowed to use these existing observation decks, and DDI should lobby to have these reopened as a marketing tool.
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