The Cedars Developments
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Love these stories. I'm becoming oddly obsessed with The Cedars.
Re: The Cedars Developments
Those before/after pictures are so drastically different that I can't tell if it's a joke or not..haha. The article says it was supposed to be a "dive bar" so I figured they would have kept the outside of the build looking somewhat similar to the original.
Yes, agreed. Lots of older buildings along mostly smaller, narrow roads could eventually lead to a great pedestrian friendly environment. It's also close, in proximity, to Downtown so if we can improve the connection between the two areas, it'll be a win for both.
lakewoodhobo wrote:Love these stories. I'm becoming oddly obsessed with The Cedars.
Yes, agreed. Lots of older buildings along mostly smaller, narrow roads could eventually lead to a great pedestrian friendly environment. It's also close, in proximity, to Downtown so if we can improve the connection between the two areas, it'll be a win for both.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Between Mike Hoque, Shannon Wynne and now Scott Rohrman, you could see how the Cedars might be the next neighborhood to blow up. We've been saying it for years, but this investment seems to be a turning point.
Long time Deep Ellum investor heads to Dallas' Cedars district for property buys
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/rea ... perty-buys
A company set up by investor Scott Rohrman has quietly purchased more than a dozen properties along Akard Street south of Interstate 30.
Rohrman said he doesn't have specific plans for the properties but believes in the future of the neighborhood on Dallas' near south side.
With widespread construction in Deep Ellum, near East Dallas and Uptown, builders and investors have shifted their attention to the Cedars area which still has blocks and blocks of property to be redeveloped.
Re: The Cedars Developments
back in around 2000 I moved to the newly opened South Side on Lamar to experience the loft life being younger at the time. I always saw so much potential in this entire area and all connected by a DART station in the middle of it all. I hope to enjoy visiting this area and see its potential fully realized someday.
Re: The Cedars Developments
For those who are rolling their eyes at the transition of the Uptown scene to Deep Ellum (ie - myself), it seems the Cedars is being groomed to become the next "hip" area.
I know there's a bunch of stuff there now, but it hasn't reached the tipping point IMO. There's a gap in general retail at the moment, but a lot of the big attractions (South Side Ballroom, Alamo Drafthouse, Four Corners Brewery) are already in place.
I know there's a bunch of stuff there now, but it hasn't reached the tipping point IMO. There's a gap in general retail at the moment, but a lot of the big attractions (South Side Ballroom, Alamo Drafthouse, Four Corners Brewery) are already in place.
Re: The Cedars Developments
^I think The Cedars is more likely to be more like Lower Greenville than Uptown. It's certainly had the attention of the 'creative class' for at least a couple decades. The high-endedness enjoyed by Uptown isn't something that travels well, and The Cedars is far too broke-assed for the that, and hopefully far too artistically grounded for the 30k Millionaires to really feel comfortable. A good creative veil really cannot be penetrated by the pretentious.
The hip of Uptown that struggles to invade Deep Ellum will easily redefine CityPlace East and Mockingbird Lane. Oak Cliff will likely guide the tone of The Cedars.
The hip of Uptown that struggles to invade Deep Ellum will easily redefine CityPlace East and Mockingbird Lane. Oak Cliff will likely guide the tone of The Cedars.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
I can not wait to see what historical building CVS tears down to build a boring pharmacy that would look at home in Garland...
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
Re: The Cedars Developments
cowboyeagle05 wrote:I can not wait to see what historical building CVS tears down to build a boring pharmacy that would look at home in Garland...
While completely unrelated to this area, there was recently a 7-11 and former Black Eyed Pea that was torn down in Far North Dallas to make way for.....a CVS.
The best part, it will sit directly across the street from....a Walgreen's.
Re: The Cedars Developments
exelone31 wrote:For those who are rolling their eyes at the transition of the Uptown scene to Deep Ellum (ie - myself), it seems the Cedars is being groomed to become the next "hip" area.
I know there's a bunch of stuff there now, but it hasn't reached the tipping point IMO. There's a gap in general retail at the moment, but a lot of the big attractions (South Side Ballroom, Alamo Drafthouse, Four Corners Brewery) are already in place.
Absolutely agree with you. For me, the opening of the 'dive bar' Gemini's Twin was kinda a signal that things are happening in the area. Like you said, though, there a bunch of reasons to go to the Cedars, but the area has been relatively dormant during this development cycle.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
tamtagon wrote:The hip of Uptown that struggles to invade Deep Ellum will easily redefine CityPlace East and Mockingbird Lane. Oak Cliff will likely guide the tone of The Cedars.
I've been saying for a while that the Cedars is Oak Cliff's entrance to downtown just like Deep Ellum is the East Dallas entrance. I do hope that development here has more of an Oak Cliff flavor... it's a narrative that supports the existence of a bar named after Lee Harvey Oswald.
DPatel304 wrote:Like you said, though, there a bunch of reasons to go to the Cedars, but the area has been relatively dormant during this development cycle.
I think the good amount of construction activity here has been on the smaller scale, with the exception of the Lorenzo Hotel, but it's easy to overlook because the Cedars is such a large area. There are even some larger projects under construction that aren't getting any attention, like the condos going up across from the Lorenzo.
Re: The Cedars Developments
lakewoodhobo wrote:I think the good amount of construction activity here has been on the smaller scale, with the exception of the Lorenzo Hotel, but it's easy to overlook because the Cedars is such a large area. There are even some larger projects under construction that aren't getting any attention, like the apartments going up across from the Lorenzo.
Yeah, true. I guess it just doesn't get the publicity of a high-rise but every time I go there, I see a lot of new townhomes being built.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
DPatel304 wrote:Sounds like everything is on hold right now, until they can come to some agreement regarding the roads here. Anyone with some insight/thoughts on these changes? I generally don't drive a lot in the urban core, and rarely make it out to the Cedars, so I'm almost always on board for reducing roads and getting rid of one-ways.
This item is finally making it to City Plan Commission this week, with staff recommending approval. Still not sure if there's any chance of it not moving forward or when the full City Council vote would be, but I'm hoping construction on the Ambassador starts shortly thereafter.
Also, Steve Brown reported that Digit 1919 recently sold to a California investor. While that's not entirely newsworthy, it's good to know this developer is cashing in on his investment in the Cedars.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
I just hope when the canyon through here gets redone the switch back way of this connection is fixed. I love getting rid of the one-ways but the street grid has been messed up for so many years in this area based on the highway that it needs some re-simplification cause some times it feels like you are going in circles when you try to get to this part of the Cedars.
Also, hope it makes sense for them to eliminate the parking lot with future redevelopment once a new canyon is built. Might be a better project for after a canyon redo is done though.
Also, hope it makes sense for them to eliminate the parking lot with future redevelopment once a new canyon is built. Might be a better project for after a canyon redo is done though.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
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And of course it wouldn't be April Fool's without a good prank. This was hanging on the fence around land owned by Mark Cuban, so either he is in on the joke or someone is trolling him.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Would be nice to see if Turkish Mike still has something going with the Trump Motel planned around the Butler Bro's building.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
^No, he is done with Dallas at this point.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
Re: The Cedars Developments
What did "Dallas" do to Turkish Mike? My impression was that his schemes were all at best half-baked.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
No comment unless you know of a good happy hour lol
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Huge news.... the Ambassador building went up in flames overnight. Firemen are still on the scene looking for hotspots and keeping traffic/onlookers away. A good part of the structure was destroyed. Too early to know the fate of the apartment conversion project, if it even goes forward at this rate.
https://candysdirt.com/2019/05/28/break ... -engulfed/
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Fire- ... 00241.html
https://candysdirt.com/2019/05/28/break ... -engulfed/
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Fire- ... 00241.html
Re: The Cedars Developments
Looks like it's a total loss.
Re: The Cedars Developments
I was looking forward to the building’s restoration. Now, there’s no telling how long this site will be vacant. I wonder was there anyone in the building that set the fire? I know this isn’t the first time... sounds kinda fishy to me.
Re: The Cedars Developments
This is so sad, was really hoping this would be a cool restoration. I agree with dallaz, this seems pretty strange, just a "random" fire in the middle of the night in an unoccupied building.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
exelone31 wrote:This is so sad, was really hoping this would be a cool restoration. I agree with dallaz, this seems pretty strange, just a "random" fire in the middle of the night in an unoccupied building.
It's probably an electrical fire. I wonder what's next for this project. ..this is a bummer
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Re: The Cedars Developments
This fire could've easily spread to other historic buildings like the Gulf Cone Bldg next door and all of Dallas Heritage Village. As sad as this is, I'm just glad it wasn't worse.
Not to speculate on the cause, but I do remember people complaining on the Cedars Facebook page about odd noises and pops that didn't sound like either fireworks or gunshots. Maybe related, who knows.
Not to speculate on the cause, but I do remember people complaining on the Cedars Facebook page about odd noises and pops that didn't sound like either fireworks or gunshots. Maybe related, who knows.
Re: The Cedars Developments
From tragedy may come opportunity for something new, mixed use and higher density.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
From what I'm hearing, the owner still wants to do something mixed residential/retail/restaurant with the property.
https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/archite ... ore-loseit
https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/archite ... ore-loseit
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Re: The Cedars Developments
The DBJ has this Thursday throwback to March 2016, a look inside the Ambassador:
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news ... toric.html
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news ... toric.html
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Something just seems off about this...
Re: The Cedars Developments
joshua.dodd wrote:Something just seems off about this...
^This x 1,000
Re: The Cedars Developments
exelone31 wrote:joshua.dodd wrote:Something just seems off about this...
^This x 1,000
Yep.
Re: The Cedars Developments
/\ Not only this, they (Jim Lake's company) have requested to 'annex' St Paul between I30 and Ervay so they have direct access to Dallas Heritage Village??
I want to say that just got approved last week.
Please confirm if you have any info.
Would that still happen even after the Ambassador is gone?
That sure makes this a very valuable piece of land, one would say more so as an empty plot..
I want to say that just got approved last week.
Please confirm if you have any info.
Would that still happen even after the Ambassador is gone?
That sure makes this a very valuable piece of land, one would say more so as an empty plot..
Re: The Cedars Developments
This is turning into an epic conspiracy. Maybe it just burned down because it was old, had old wiring and 114 year old wood.
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Tnexster wrote:This is turning into an epic conspiracy. Maybe it just burned down because it was old, had old wiring and 114 year old wood.
Maybe a homeless guy set it on fire cuz they used to live in the ambassador... Has it been labeled as arson? ... I doubt jim lake had anything to do with it. I read on Reddit he was in tears as it burned.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Conspiracy theorists abound.
Why anyone would think Jim Lake wanted the Ambassador destroyed is beyond me.
Have faith, people, that true accidents happen and not everyone is evil.
Why anyone would think Jim Lake wanted the Ambassador destroyed is beyond me.
Have faith, people, that true accidents happen and not everyone is evil.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
From https://www.dallasnews.com/news/fire-1/ ... royed-fire
Tuesday afternoon, officers took a man into custody in handcuffs from an unoccupied building across the street from the Ambassador. Police said the arrest was not related to the fire.
According to media reports, witnesses said the man had broken into the hotel Monday and was told to leave. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said the cause of the destructive blaze has not been determined and no arrests have been made in connection with the fire.
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Hannibal Lecter wrote:From https://www.dallasnews.com/news/fire-1/ ... royed-fireTuesday afternoon, officers took a man into custody in handcuffs from an unoccupied building across the street from the Ambassador. Police said the arrest was not related to the fire.
According to media reports, witnesses said the man had broken into the hotel Monday and was told to leave. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said the cause of the destructive blaze has not been determined and no arrests have been made in connection with the fire.
My theory is cathing fire!! (Pun intended)
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Jim wanted Ervay behind the Ambassador for more space for a private drive/parking for the property plus the city wants to simplify the weird criss-cross one-way streets in this area eventually so that's why it was granted so "quickly" even though he has been running over plans with the city for months now.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
Re: The Cedars Developments
You have a 115 year old building, you don't try to secure it?
Pay a little to have a grounds keeper?
A 115 year old building, probably the most valuable in the Cedars, is gone.
It does not have to criminal, it does not have to be intentional, but is negligence acceptable?
Similar crap happened with the Hamiltons with the Lorenzo pre-renovation, want to to take your time? secure your damn property.
Pay a little to have a grounds keeper?
A 115 year old building, probably the most valuable in the Cedars, is gone.
It does not have to criminal, it does not have to be intentional, but is negligence acceptable?
Similar crap happened with the Hamiltons with the Lorenzo pre-renovation, want to to take your time? secure your damn property.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Just because someone trespassed doesn't mean they don't have security just means someone snuck by. I fail to see where he properly secured the property to reasonable levels.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
Re: The Cedars Developments
May be we will find out, may be we won't, who knows. I live in the Cedars and I can tell you this building was not secure enough if at all.
Also going back to the city "simplifying" the cluster of streets by adding St Paul to the Ambassador land...Makes NO sense to me. If this was such a problem, why not grant the land to Heritage Village, would have accomplished the same 'solution' but wouldn't grant the land to a developer. Setting the wrong precedence here.
http://www.dallasheritagevillage.org/about
Please look at the map, would have made more sense to add to DHV.
Also going back to the city "simplifying" the cluster of streets by adding St Paul to the Ambassador land...Makes NO sense to me. If this was such a problem, why not grant the land to Heritage Village, would have accomplished the same 'solution' but wouldn't grant the land to a developer. Setting the wrong precedence here.
http://www.dallasheritagevillage.org/about
Please look at the map, would have made more sense to add to DHV.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
DBadger wrote:If this was such a problem, why not grant the land to Heritage Village, would have accomplished the same 'solution' but wouldn't grant the land to a developer. Setting the wrong precedence here.
http://www.dallasheritagevillage.org/about
Please look at the map, would have made more sense to add to DHV.
How much did it cost Jim Lake Co. to get this abandonment passed, and how much of the conversion are they responsible for funding once construction starts? It's an honest question because I'm sure there were costs involved and DHV would not be able to cover that.
On a related note, DVH does have a small parking lot for staff members that's only accessible from the section of St. Paul to be abandoned. I wonder if they negotiated with Jim Lake to retain access.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
April 4, 2019 the hotel was given national landmark status by being added to the National Register of Historic Places.
"To love ..(a).. city and to have a part in its advancement and improvement is the highest priority and duty of a citizen."
Daniel Burnham, 1909
Daniel Burnham, 1909
- Hannibal Lecter
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Re: The Cedars Developments
DBadger wrote:You have a 115 year old building, you don't try to secure it?
Pay a little to have a grounds keeper?
A 115 year old building, probably the most valuable in the Cedars, is gone.
It does not have to criminal, it does not have to be intentional, but is negligence acceptable?
Similar crap happened with the Hamiltons with the Lorenzo pre-renovation, want to to take your time? secure your damn property.
If you had bothered to read the news stories before pointing fingers you would know that they had an onsite caretaker who barely escaped with his life. His trailer with everything he owned was crushed when a wall collapsed on it.
Last edited by Hannibal Lecter on 01 Jun 2019 11:41, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
Also, the land was because Jim needed it to make his project work not because the city wanted to simplify the intersection. I am simply suggesting the city was willing to remove the street to get the development off the ground. Not really any shady business here he asked for the street to be removed to create a private drive so his plans for the AMbassador would move forward as he proposed. All of this was done months ago in planning commission meetings and historical landmark requests.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”
Re: The Cedars Developments
Here's what happens after the burning of the Ambassador Hotel left a hole in Dallas' skyline
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/comm ... as-skyline
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/comm ... as-skyline
Lake now says he will rebuild, using as many of the leftover bricks as possible — remnants not just of the Ambassador but of the Park Hotel built in 1904, whose bones were obscured by the Ambassador's off-white facade. Lake said he cannot imagine the new thing looking just like the old; he frets about planting a "fake" atop the remnants of the original, like some sad replica.
"But I do think we'll take elements of what was there, particularly the brand and architectural style," he said — referring, in part, to that faded red "AMBASSADOR" sign that welcomed visitors to the Cedars. "Right now we're working with contractors and going through the process on who we will select and what we're going to do."
Re: The Cedars Developments
I wonder what they'll end up doing on the site, and if they'll still get the go-ahead for the annexing of St Paul right there.
Still really bummed about this, but hoping that they are able to salvage any remains and put up a something good in its place.
Still really bummed about this, but hoping that they are able to salvage any remains and put up a something good in its place.
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Re: The Cedars Developments
I hope the street abandonment goes through regardless, assuming that the same agenda item includes converting S. Ervay to two-way.
As for the new Ambassador, I wonder if Jim Lake will reconsider the hotel use now that he has a clean slate. A mixed-use Ambassador Hotel & Residences might get funding before another single-use apartment building at this point.
As for the new Ambassador, I wonder if Jim Lake will reconsider the hotel use now that he has a clean slate. A mixed-use Ambassador Hotel & Residences might get funding before another single-use apartment building at this point.
Re: The Cedars Developments
lakewoodhobo wrote:I hope the street abandonment goes through regardless, assuming that the same agenda item includes converting S. Ervay to two-way.
As for the new Ambassador, I wonder if Jim Lake will reconsider the hotel use now that he has a clean slate. A mixed-use Ambassador Hotel & Residences might get funding before another single-use apartment building at this point.
How is the Lorenzo doing? If well, that would suggest a new hotel could be viable here. On the other hand the Trump hotel deal fell through. That could indicate the opposite.
Re: The Cedars Developments
willyk wrote:How is the Lorenzo doing? If well, that would suggest a new hotel could be viable here. On the other hand the Trump hotel deal fell through. That could indicate the opposite.
Eh, I wouldn't read too much into the Trump hotel deal. Wasn't that a Mike Sarimsakci venture?
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Re: The Cedars Developments
willyk wrote:How is the Lorenzo doing? If well, that would suggest a new hotel could be viable here. On the other hand the Trump hotel deal fell through. That could indicate the opposite.
I'm sure any investor would look at that, but Jim Lake did say he had been approached about turning the Ambassador into a hotel before he decided on micro-apartments. And when you consider that most of the surrounding hotels except the Marriott Courtyard are converted buildings, then a new-construction boutique hotel stands out.
There's also a lot of momentum and growth in the non-traditional hotel and short-term rental space, as well all know, and Jim Lake could capitalize on that.