Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum

A plan in the works would convert a historic building in downtown Dallas' West End district into a new hotel.

The Sanger Brothers garage at 711 Elm Street was built in 1925 as one of the city's first "high-rise" parking garages.

The 5-story brick building sits across the street from where the Sanger Brothers department store was - now El Centro College.

Irving-based hotel firm Icon Lodging bought the Elm Street building in April and has been working with Dallas' Merriman Anderson Architects to come up with a plan to redevelop the garage.

Merriman Anderson recently made a preliminary presentation to the Dallas Landmark Commission which asked them to go back to the drawing board and rework the hotel proposal.

The initial plan would have added six levels of hotel rooms on top of the old parking structure. But commission members and staff weren't on board with that plan.

Merriman Anderson partner Milton Anderson said his firm plans to keep working on an acceptable redevelopment plan for the property.

"Our client wants to find a way to make this happen," Anderson said. "It's a unique and special building.

"We are working hard with the Landmark Commission and they have been responsive and understanding."

The Sanger Brothers garage was originally designed by Dallas architect J.A. Pitzinger, who also did the original Dr Pepper headquarters on Second Avenue near Fair Park.

With decorative brick and stonework and big metal windows, it's easy to mistake for one of the West End's other office and warehouse buildings.

When Sanger Brothers had the building, it housed "a complete motor department store where every need of the car may be supplied."

Photo's from back in the day show the roof of the garage lined with big Packards and Fords.

Merriman Anderson's plans for the property would convert the top two floors of the original garage into hotel rooms and have the lobby on the ground floor where retail is now located.

Merriman Anderson is one of Dallas' most experienced renovation architects, having handled the redesign of many downtown historic buildings including the Statler Hotel, Lone Star Gas buildings and Tower Petroleum Building.

Meanwhile, the DIA is also working on plans to illuminate the path between the West End and Victory Park. “One connection that has been top of mind is that between the West End and Victory Park and how easy it is to get from one place to the next,” Sanders says. “But people don't realize it, and walking on the underpass is not very welcoming.”

So this summer, the DIA secured a $25,000 grant from Downtown Dallas Inc., a nonprofit advocacy group, to improve the safety on the path with a light installation. The grant will cover a series of lit metal arches that will be programmable and “have lots of opportunities to engage artists,” Sanders says.

DPatel304 wrote:As for the actual underpass, I like the idea of setting up vendors here. I'd take it one step further and put a TON of lights all over the place. Maybe make the ground light up as you walk on it and/or play music with each step, which would be great to attract kids/families. Place tons of lights along the top as well, and maybe even have some sort of light show that goes off at a certain time each night. Dallas is all about putting lights on their buildings, so might as well embrace it and make a touristy attraction out of it.

lakewoodhobo wrote:I still like my Frogtown Plaza idea for the dead plaza just past the arches. Kids and tourists will love it and have no clue that it's a reference to the former red light district.

Frogtown Plaza.jpg

maconahey wrote:I think it's for the Records Building complex renovation project



https://www.dallascounty.org/dcrb/

Compared to other downtown Dallas office projects, the 113-year-old Purse Building at first look doesn't have a lot to offer.

There's no air conditioning, no elevators and the inside is covered in peeling paint. But prospective business tenants that have taken a peek at the West End district landmark are eager to talk about a deal.

"We got interest as soon as we started working on the building," said investor Tanya Ragan, who earlier this year started a fix-up program on the more than century-old Elm Street building. "We've been getting all kinds off nibbles from tenants but we haven't been ready.

"We just finished the inside demo last week."

Upper floors in the six-story historic building at Elm and Record streets are now wide open with wood timber beams, tin ceilings and old plank flooring. Windows on three sides of the building are still covered with dark screens and years of grime.

"Over the next three weeks, the crew will come in and take off all the ugly window shades, paint the trim and clean the windows," Ragan said.

Decades of old partitions, construction materials and fixtures have already been hauled out of the building, which until the early 1990s was used for Dallas County offices. The building has been vacant since then.

"When the county occupied it, they had all these little offices," Ragan said. "It had yucky old carpet and drop-down ceilings.

"We opened it all up," she said. "It's really important to be able to show tenants what this can be."

Ragan's Wildcat Management company will start with restoring the first and second levels of the long, narrow building.

"We want to give prospective tenants an idea of what a space could look like," she said. "What's so cool about the space is every floor looks a little different."

Renovation plans include a rooftop deck and retail on the Elm Street and Pacific Avenue sides of the Purse Building.

"Our concept is to have a fast casual restaurant in the back and retail in the front," Ragan said.

Built in 1905, the Purse Building was originally used as offices and warehouse space for the Parlin and Orendorff Implement Co., which sold agricultural equipment. For decades, the 70,000-square-foot building housed Purse & Co. Wholesale Furniture.

The building is prized by preservationists for its cast-iron front façade and ornate brickwork.

It sits across the street from the Dallas County Records Building complex which is in the midst of a redo.

With downtown Dallas awash in first-class office space, it might seem odd that businesses are interested in small, aging addresses like the Purse Building. But a growing number of small and mid-sized creative and tech companies are eschewing traditional office environments for new digs in historic properties.

Developers are currently renovating almost a dozen old commercial buildings — originally used for everything from auto dealerships to electrical parts warehouses — on downtown Dallas' east side. Those buildings constructed in the 1920s and 1930s are being converted into new office space.

And Dallas' more than century-old West End district is attracting new office tenants who want to break out of the usual corporate office box.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and retailer Sam's Club have both taken big blocks of West End offices for new innovation operations.

But most of the demand for offices in these one-of-a-kind historic buildings comes from smaller entrepreneurial firms.

"These tenants are looking for authenticism, said Mike Wyatt, executive vice president with commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. "They weave their company into the story of these old buildings.

"The phoenix is rising for these older buildings in the central business district."

Small business that can get lost among the floors and floors of downtown office skyscrapers also see an appeal in the historic buildings where they are more visible, he said.

"There is a sense of branding that can be accomplished when they are a larger tenant in a smaller building," Wyatt said. "They like the history and the culture and the feel of being in a revitalized building."

Tivo_Kenevil wrote:Imagine when the East Quarter renovations are completed. That will arguably be even more impactful than this single project. Glad to see these old buildings get a new life.

cowboyeagle05 wrote:Well the obviously they abandoned the office and residential plan for this site.

A historically recognized building in downtown Dallas is about to hit the limelight. Located at 601 Elm St., the 113-year-old Purse Building has been thoughtfully renovated and is now ready to get the party started.

The building, which was built in 1905 and is a Texas State Archaeological Landmark, has been developed as a high-tech six-story workspace by real estate developer Tanya Ragan, founder of Wildcat Management.

Phase 1 of the restoration has just finished; completion is set for spring 2020. But there's a showroom ready and progress tours are now available to media and prospective tenants.

DPatel304 wrote:Historical building in downtown Dallas West End opens for tenant tours

A historically recognized building in downtown Dallas is about to hit the limelight. Located at 601 Elm St., the 113-year-old Purse Building has been thoughtfully renovated and is now ready to get the party started.

The building, which was built in 1905 and is a Texas State Archaeological Landmark, has been developed as a high-tech six-story workspace by real estate developer Tanya Ragan, founder of Wildcat Management.

Phase 1 of the restoration has just finished; completion is set for spring 2020. But there's a showroom ready and progress tours are now available to media and prospective tenants.

http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city- ... -downtown/

itsjrd1964 wrote:

DPatel304 wrote:Historical building in downtown Dallas West End opens for tenant tours

A historically recognized building in downtown Dallas is about to hit the limelight. Located at 601 Elm St., the 113-year-old Purse Building has been thoughtfully renovated and is now ready to get the party started.

The building, which was built in 1905 and is a Texas State Archaeological Landmark, has been developed as a high-tech six-story workspace by real estate developer Tanya Ragan, founder of Wildcat Management.

Phase 1 of the restoration has just finished; completion is set for spring 2020. But there's a showroom ready and progress tours are now available to media and prospective tenants.

http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city- ... -downtown/

I noticed new signs tacked up on the building's ground level outside facing the DART light rail line. I didn't get a picture or see them close enough to read the whole thing.

CultureMap Dallas
See what all the excitement is about during an open house today from 12-2 pm and 4-6 pm.

lakewoodhobo wrote:Looks like the Brewery Building (703 McKinney Ave) redevelopment is back on. Owners were in front of the Oak Lawn Committee for approval of a landscape plan.

Oak Lawn Committee Revisits The Starck Club, Past Election
https://candysdirt.com/2018/12/05/oak-l ... -7XEAqcHDc

Grand Opening Party for Common Desk - Factory Six03
Thu, February 7, 2019
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST

DPatel304 wrote:

Grand Opening Party for Common Desk - Factory Six03
Thu, February 7, 2019
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/grand-open ... 5175351963

eburress wrote:Do you know if the arch lights will extend all the way through the old Dallas Alley?

Coming soon: Thai restaurant in the West End, from a prominent Dallas restaurant family
Family Thais Asian Bistro will open at 208 N. Market St, Dallas.

lakewoodhobo wrote:

eburress wrote:Do you know if the arch lights will extend all the way through the old Dallas Alley?

Unfortunately Granite Properties removed the arches from their portion of the alley.

Screen Shot 2019-04-24 at 2.46.18 PM.jpg

DPatel304 wrote:

lakewoodhobo wrote:

eburress wrote:Do you know if the arch lights will extend all the way through the old Dallas Alley?

Unfortunately Granite Properties removed the arches from their portion of the alley.

Screen Shot 2019-04-24 at 2.46.18 PM.jpg

Looking at google streetview, it looks like there used to be more of a ramp on to the street, but now it's just a regular curb.

This would be a cool connector to the West End, but, for it to make sense, you'd really have to close down the street entirely there (I'm not sure how feasible that is).