Is Downtown in trouble? (Dallas, Irving: hotel, homes, restaurants)

[Exult.Q36]

Dallas could learn a couple of things from its neighbors in Fort Worth. Downtown Fort Worth is just so much more vibrant than downtown Dallas. These lights represent distinctiveness and attractiveness. Things like this attract people and business.





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[mm4]

Originally Posted by dfwcre8tive

The new Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel will (hopefully) bring more business to the city.

DCC has always been favorably competitive in the large convention market. But that hotel can't be finished fast enough.

Less than 6 years old, this is Boston's convention center, at 516000 sq. ft. of contiguous space. (Dallas has 726726 sq. ft. of contiguous.) Boston recently announced it is expanding that, however. And look at the hotels they've built out immediately adjacent to it already.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by northlakemetro

Yes, Dallas as a whole is known for its strip clubs and shady businesses, the crime, the horrible school districts etc. Make it more family friendly and you will see economic growth. Learn from Chicago and NYC.

Exaggerate much?

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by mm4

That "old hotel" (#5, second from bottom) was the Dallas Hilton, and represents one of the most attractive examples of solid period piece architecture in the city. Better looking, in fact, than ones of similar vintage in New York City that have continued on as the DoubleTree at 51st and Lex. or the Sheraton at 52nd and 7th Ave.

Downtown Dallas is rich with buildings of that era that are irreplaceable. Wallace Harrison's Republic National Bank found new life as Republic Center housing. Welton Becket's Sheraton Dallas had a skin of awesome aquamarine tile panels (almost like the ones in your other pict at #4) where the drab tech gray stuff is now.

What you lose when you start demolishing and resurfacing buildings like that are any sense that the city in question had a reputable, powerhouse past. If everything in a downtown looks brand new, where's the proof of its place in business history half a century ago? And on such a large scale?

George Dahl's First National Bank of Dallas (Elm Place) is a challenge. Money's tight in this day for renovations anywhere; landlords across the country are scrambling for tenants for fallow new construction in various stages of completion. Dallas may have an edge considering its in-migration of Californians and such.

Heck I bet you'd slime the Meadows Building too.


They might not be so business oriented, but they're people, the salient point of activity. People who are downtown occupying in and around those buildings at various points both day and night. A constant people presence translates into demand for services (bodegas, grocers, patisseries, pharmacies, hardware, coffee houses, bike shops, spas, yoga joints, clothiers, bank branches, book stores).

Great post, MM4. Too many people just don't get the importance of preserving and re-purposing older buildings with character.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by dfwcre8tive

As a resident of downtown Dallas, I've seen a number of "obsolete" buildings find new life. During the time I have lived downtown (3+ years), some that come to mind are the Joule Hotel, Mosaic, Mercantile, Citywalk@Akard and Gables Republic. Brand new residential buildings in the CBD include the Element, Third Rail Lofts, One Arts Plaza, West End Station, The Arts Apartments. I've also watched the continued development of the Arts District, watched a lot full of liquor stores and parking garages transform into the active Main Street Garden and noticed the effect of relocated businesses adding to the street life during both day and night.

The new park has pushed redevelopment efforts to the east end of downtown and the Harwood Historic District. UNT is expanding their presence in the Universities Building, and across the street will be the new UNT School of Law in the old Municipal Building. The old Statler Hilton and accompanying Old Dallas Central Library make up the best block of 1950s architecture in the city. Demolishing them would be a shame -- demolition of outdated buildings for "progress" in Dallas usually results in a surface parking lot that hangs around for 20-30 years and adds nothing to street life in downtown.

Tim Headington, developer of the Joule and rescuer of the Mercantile mosaics, now owns several of the empty structures along Main Street (1604 Main, Praetorian Building) and has cleaned up their ground level presence until plans are finalized for redevelopment. The Mercantile Continental, Atmos Complex and other buildings are in the planning stages (but delayed due to the economy).

Sure, Dallas isn't as active as many other cities of the same size, but we're trying to reverse 20-30 years of planning and development mistakes. The Downtown Dallas 360 plan will update and unite all of the previous area plans and provide a map for the future. The economic downtown has allowed the city to plan for smart growth to make the CBD more livable including new streetcars, bicycle lanes and parks. The Elm Street Fire Corridor will help the unoccupied old buildings along Elm. The new Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel will (hopefully) bring more business to the city. The DART D2 line will also serve new areas of downtown.

Overall, I don't think downtown is in trouble at all. While outdated office space is closing and being pulled from the market, creative redevelopment and smart investment by the City is also taking place. The downtown of the future is more of a mixed-use district, which I believe is better than the 9-5 office park it has been for several years.

Excellent post, dfwcre8tive. Thanks for taking the time to provide all of those links.

[xS☺B☺s]

Personally I think demolition is Dallas has been more of a problem than a solution. You can always have something new, but once you demolish something old, your history is erased. I think buildings coexisting from varying eras is beautiful. In great cities, the old and the new are shown to play together quite nicely. Dallas has room enough to keep the old and develop new. Dallas could definitely benefit however from developing a little variety than just glass and steel boxes.

NY


CHI


BOS

[batemanjo9]

I think old crap should be demolished, unless its an official historical site.

[artsyguy]

But what night-life is there to do in Fort Worth? Everything is ultra conservative, cow-boy, rodeo, and uptight white Anglo Texan culture there.

Originally Posted by kdogg817

Dallas could learn a couple of things from its neighbors in Fort Worth. Downtown Fort Worth is just so much more vibrant than downtown Dallas. These lights represent distinctiveness and attractiveness. Things like this attract people and business.





http://media.pegasusnews.com/pegasus...ture7_t450.jpg

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by batemanjo9

I think old crap should be demolished, unless its an official historical site.

Fortunately, not everyone shares your view.

[lh_newbie]

Originally Posted by batemanjo9

I think old crap should be demolished, unless its an official historical site.

I'm channeling my inner Clinton here: define "old crap".