Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

Roman_Patrick wrote:I had dinner at Jaxxon last night at the Discovery District. Very cool vibes, downtown prices (not surprised) and yummy food. Interesting menu choices but all really good. I think this is an awesome addition to downtown. Sat outside at the patio and it was incredible. everyone should give it a try.

Were they doing good business while you were there?

Roman_Patrick wrote:I had dinner at Jaxxon last night at the Discovery District. Very cool vibes, downtown prices (not surprised) and yummy food. Interesting menu choices but all really good. I think this is an awesome addition to downtown. Sat outside at the patio and it was incredible. everyone should give it a try.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm waiting for the entire Discovery District to open, and then I'll plan a day to take some friends down there and hopefully help spread the word about the area.

Jbarn wrote:

Roman_Patrick wrote:I had dinner at Jaxxon last night at the Discovery District. Very cool vibes, downtown prices (not surprised) and yummy food. Interesting menu choices but all really good. I think this is an awesome addition to downtown. Sat outside at the patio and it was incredible. everyone should give it a try.

Were they doing good business while you were there?

Surprisingly yes. I went during a weekday and there were about 15 to 25 people in the patio! Many downtown workers with their computers. I asked our waiter how busy they had been, and she told me that last week was very busy, but business is going down. she thinks its due to the virus. i still went and told her i would definitely go back LOL

Not sure if this is the final placement location (NW corner of Akard & Wood), but noticed Golden Boy is back on site.

I have a feeling this will be vandalized.

I'm glad they're putting him outdoors, but not the best location IMO, on the backside of the development across from a parking lot. When he's been placed outdoors in the past, he's been on a bit of a pedestal (see pics in Basking Ridge NJ). In the age of the selfie, people will be climbing on him sort of like you see with Traveling Man / Waiting On A Train in Deep Ellum.

Guess we'll have to see how they program/lease the area around him.

So, I'll ask. Are we missing a head here?

I think it's behind the wing
If I remember correctly, he leans his head slightly to the right.

That looks like a temporary staging location to me.

It looks to me like he is being installed on the top of some metal beams maybe a patio overhang of some sort? AKa he may not be on the ground level with easy access unless you are at one of the restaurants or something like that. Maybe a part of the AT&T theater part of the project as an entrance beacon of sorts.

In case you didn't know, Golden Boy (Genius of Telegraphy, then Spirit of Communication) used to be featured on the cover of phone books across the country, he was an iconic figure.

Was thinking that downtown Dallas is accumulating more outdoor art; pegasus 1 & 2, pioneer plaza, the eyeball, the globe, golden boy, traveling man and more. Hope it just keeps building.

Progress at the Discovery District as of 4/23/2020

Looking good!

eburress wrote:Looking good!

Yeah it looks quite nice. Lots of security posted up throughout the plaza

Looks almost complete, maybe it will be done by the time everyone goes back.

Oh yeah, I follow them on Instagram, and they've been doing soft promos of upcoming movie screenings for the fall.

The Discovery District opening has been put off, but the article doesn't reveal how much more time before a new opening date.

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/real ... s-delayed/

I wonder if that simply means they are post-poning a 'grand opening' event, or if they plan to just keep the space blocked off? It sounds like the former, but it's hard to really tell.

It sounds like its a combination of things. They, of course, want to do a big formal ribbon-cutting cause they want this space to be a true gathering area for lots of people, and right now even with stuff that's reopening outdoors AT&T doesn't want to appear as flippant with an international pandemic. Politics are very involved with what the Governor is doing by opening things up. One side says things should remain tightly shutdown but everyone else is worried the economy will collapse if we do so we are opening things anyways. At the end of the day, AT&T wants its opening not to be shadowed but 6ft rules and face masks. They want to throw an outdoor movie watching series where people can be seen using the space as intended.

I imagine they will take down the barricades once construction is truly complete but they will discourage people from hanging out too much until they are ready to go back to normal. Move-able furniture will probably be kept inside and very little of the restaurants will open unless they have to.

The finish out of this project is really good. It will definitely be a destination for downtown once everything is up and running. I really like how they made the dead space along Commerce into a large patio.

mdg109 wrote:The finish out of this project is really good. It will definitely be a destination for downtown once everything is up and running. I really like how they made the dead space along Commerce into a large patio.

Looks incredible. Seems like a good date night spot.

Also, I like how the gold communications sculpture is near the older art deco buildings while the new interactive piece spherical piece is near the newer white buildings.

Looks better than I expected.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Also, I like how the gold communications sculpture is near the older art deco buildings while the new interactive piece spherical piece is near the newer white buildings.

There were some comments that the gold statue should have been placed towards the front on elm street, but I think they made a wise placement choice, as this will encourage folks to come further into the development.

This looks incredibly well done, am excited to experience it in person. Someday

Yes, what a great job, and that photo of the Spirit of Communication with the Adolphus in the background is really nice.

If there's consistent programming (once we can leave our houses), this could become a really great hang.

I may have missed it, but wasn't Pegasus City going to open a taproom here as well, or has that been nixed?

Jaxon was doing pretty well this weekend. Even with a lot of things shut down, several people were making use of the spread out seating. I really hope it spills over onto Browder Street. I hadn't noticed, but there's a dry cleaners taking a section of the DPL building.

i really hope pegasus brewery is still a go, would really help that last side section.. I went by yesterday and Jaxon was packed on the patio, it looked awesome. This project looks great and the finish out is first class

Have they gotten rid of the Pegasus Ballroom yet? Such a waste of space with what AT&T is trying to do here if they maintain that back retail space as a mostly quiet event space for weddings.

^ I think so. If I'm remembering correctly, I think they were gutting that space. The dry cleaners in the photo above, is on the Jackson Street side of the DPL building.

Went to Jaxon at Lunch today expected almost no one to be down there as it was Monday and hot. There were a few people eating and walking around the Discovery District. I am hopeful that when we can gather in groups again and people are working in offices that this entire area will be a great gathering point in downtown. I think they are supposed to open the food hall and the rest of the public spaces in September.

Went by today and it looked like they were working on pegasus brewery right next door in the power and light building which i think is great. So this looks like a go still

Cbdallas wrote:Went to Jaxon at Lunch today expected almost no one to be down there as it was Monday and hot. There were a few people eating and walking around the Discovery District. I am hopeful that when we can gather in groups again and people are working in offices that this entire area will be a great gathering point in downtown. I think they are supposed to open the food hall and the rest of the public spaces in September.

How did it look in terms of shade out there? It seems like this area should be pretty well covered, so hopefully with some big fans it can still attract folks once we are able to emerge from our hovels.

Thanks for the pictures, the finished product looks amazing! I'm planning on walking over down here over the weekend to check it out myself.

Talk about your soft opening

Went to Jaxon with the fam on a Friday and it was hoppin! Live music and all. Really excited about this area

DPatel304 wrote:Thanks for the pictures, the finished product looks amazing! I'm planning on walking over down here over the weekend to check it out myself.

I went about 2 weeks ago on a friday or saturday night and it was very active. Jaxon was pretty packed and they had a big fan that kept the temps very cool on a humid night. The server was friendly and the food was good. Talked to the security guard and he said the food hall will have about 12-15 stalls. Also inside the building there are virtual reality tours etc. The whole area felt magical at night with all the lights and beauty. I honestly think it will rival Sundance square.

I also saw a video of people getting into fights related to not wearing masks and BLM protestors cause the night time bar scene was pretty strong there at Jaxon's. Mind you what I saw included people getting into the fountains to scream at each other.

Went to Jaxon's a couple weeks back and really liked it, very busy too. Great food and our service was solid. Big space, can't wait to see the food hall and hawthorn and pegasus brewery

This area really turned out nice!
Good work, AT&T. (Although, I did drop you for T-Mobile)













https://youtu.be/pT8E-3-buyw

Unfortunately, Golden Boy was under a shroud.

I love it! It turn out nice, in my opinion!

I love it! It turned out nice, in my opinion.

Looks great.

Guys i drove by this late friday night on my way back to deep ellum, prob around 10:30/11, i could not believe how packed it was with people just walking around and hanging out..

Once Hawthorn, the food hall and pegasus brewery open up with Jaxon, this place could really be great for downtown.

It shows what good public space can do. Mind you this is still a private public space so AT&T could change rules at any time but for now its certainly a very nice addition. One thing that has been somewhat constant is there have been BLM protests on and off here because at night its the only place to find people actually hanging out in large enough groups in Downtown to protest in front of. AT&T seems to not want to be seen as kicking out BLM protests so they seem to allow it for now.

I think its still interesting to see during this time of unrest how much of these protests are continuing to gather in Downtown. While we have proven on this forum many times despite companies like AT&T putting their HQ downtown the CBD is not the center of employment for the metroplex or even the city of Dallas. It merely is the historical center of the city but still when people have something to say they don't march in Highland Park, Addison, Frisco, or even any number of other areas. Is this because the city is only granting permits for protests in the CBD or is there some other draw for this activity besides City Hall?

Spaces like what AT&T has created here are meant to attract people and that means for any number of reasons not just food and drinks. Cities have removed public spaces in the past to deter public gatherings of all kinds. Suburban design tends to deter this kind of public space too. Parks are built but they rarely truly become gather spaces for more than the occasional ball being thrown or kids on a playground. The slow defeat of democracy by removing fundamental spaces for freedom of expression is a real threat and while protests are not meant to be fun they do serve a important part of a democratic government and spaces that permit public expression should be encouraged.

Thanks to AT&T for contributing in some small way to supporting that mission. It will take some time for the space to get the attention it deserves but I have hope that it will make a continuing impact on the overall health of Downtown.

It really is game changer. It turned out so nice and all of the historical architecture around it makes it even better. My friend from CA was very impressed with the Discovery District when we went last month.

This is definitely a focal point for downtown. I was downtown on Saturday night, and was pretty much expecting a ghost town because of the pandemic, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent crowd out and about despite several restaurants still shut down. ATT Discovery District is definitely a pleasant space where people just want to linger at.