The historic Davis Building in downtown Dallas will be awash in the colors of LGBT Pride this week to mark oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in two marriage equality cases.
The building, at 1309 Main St., is in the midst of a lighting renovation project that includes retrofitting it with LED fixtures. One of the contractors for the project is Wiedamark, a lighting company owned by gay Dallas couple Mark Reed and Dante Walkup.
Reed, a national board member for GetEQUAL, sent over the above rendering of what the rainbow-colored lights will look like on the building’s facade. According to a press release, the building will be lit in rainbow colors from tonight through Saturday. So, after this evening’s rally on Cedar Springs, you may want to go check it out.
Below is the full press release sent out by The Bascom Group, which owns the Davis Building:
Dallas, Texas, March 25, 2013 – The Davis Building, deemed a historic landmark in the heart of Downtown Dallas, will be launching Phase II of its revitalized elaborate lighting design on March 25, 2013. Phase I of the revitalization was launched in November 2012 on the eve of Dallas City Lights, an annual festive gala that brings locals and visitors together in jovial merriment. The Davis Building is proud to launch Phase II on the eve of the US Supreme Court hearing two landmark cases, Prop 8 and Defense of Marriage Act. The building will be illuminated through Saturday night in support of the LGBT movement and in support of marriage equality.
“After we launched Phase I, we reevaluated all of the architectural elements of the Davis Building and realized we have more opportunity to further accentuate the building so we went back to the drawing board. The Light Partners, LLC and Wiedamark, LLC, who we partnered with on this project, completed the design that accomplishes our vision to accentuate the building so elegantly,” commented Jason Hanna, Senior Vice President of The Bascom Group.
The Davis Building currently serves as a luxury high-rise, Class A asset consisting of 183 loft-style apartment units, and 52,000 sq-ft of commercial retail space. With original terrazzo flooring, plaster and brick walls, and 12-20 foot concrete ceilings with exposed ductwork, the architecture is artistically and culturally inspiring. Constructed in 1926 for the Republic National Bank, it was later transformed in 2003 by Hamilton Properties to become one of the most stunning historic landmarks in Dallas.
Over the past 24 months, the Davis Building has been working behind the scenes on revamping the outdated lighting on the exterior of the building from the base to the highest tip of the cupola. Phase I targeted specific points of the original architecture, most notably the cupola, accenting elements of the building that had since faded. Phase II included additional lighting that would stretch the length of the entire façade as well adding another layer of lights along the 17th floor to maximize the impact. The lighting is truly remarkable, bringing life back into a building which preserves such a significant history for Dallas. This modern upgrade will also prove to be a considerable contribution to the progressive revitalization efforts of Downtown Dallas.
About The Bascom Group, LLC: The Bascom Group, LLC (https://www.bascomgroup.com) is a private equity firm specializing in the acquisition, reposition, and disposition of value-added multifamily, non-performing loans and commercial assets as well as other real estate related investments and operating companies. Bascom sources value-added and distressed properties and repositions them by adding extensive capital improvements, improving revenue, and reducing expenses by realizing operational efficiencies through implementation of institutional-quality property management. Bascom has completed over $6.7 billion in multi-family and commercial value-added transactions since 1996 including more than 200 multifamily properties totaling over 58,000 units. Bascom currently ranks among the top 50 multifamily owners in the US. Bascom’s subsidiaries and joint ventures include the Southern California Industrial Fund, Rushmore Properties, Bascom Portfolio Advisors, Shubin Nadal Associates, Spirit Investors, Bascom Northwest Ventures, Bascom Arizona Ventures, and the Realm Group. Bascom’s subsidiaries also include Premier Business Centers, the largest privately held executive suite company in the US.
