Lofts, Art Deco and ultra-modern: the Merc offers something for everyone
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| ROOM WITH A VIEW: This common area pops with color that’s sure to keep smiles on the faces of the Merc’s residents. (ARNOLD WAYNE JONES/Dallas Voice) |
Many downtown dwellers across the country are grateful for the convenience of a shop or cafe across from their building. But only residents of the Mercantile and Wilson buildings in Dallas can boast the entrance to the flagship Neiman Marcus directly across from their front door.
Developer Forest City Enterprises has converted the Mercantile, a 1940s Art Deco office tower and the classically styled hundred-year-old Wilson and added a third building. The newly constructed Element is the first tower built exclusively for apartment rental in Downtown Dallas since Manor House opened in the 1960s.
Eric Hernandez, assistant community director for the project, says the ultra-modern Element complements the lofts of the Wilson while the Art Deco Merc provides something for every taste.
The project is a milestone in the city’s Downtown development plans with an adjacent park opening in November on a site that was recently a blighted city block. The area between the Element and the Dallas Municipal Building is being transformed into open green space including a dog park and an intimate concert area.
Rents for apartments currently available at the Element range from $1,345 for a one bedroom on the second floor to $2,069 for a 13th floor two-bedroom, two-bath corner apartment in this ultra-modern high rise. The signature 15th floor features higher ceilings, better appliances and finer finish out.
The Wilson is one of Dallas’ most historic buildings. Opened in 1904, it was modeled after the Grand Opera House in Paris. The 12-story building was originally the home of the department store, Tiche-Goettinger. When Tiche’s moved to a larger location a few blocks away in 1928, H.L Green’s took the ground floor, which they occupied until 1997. In 1979, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The renovated building features 143 lofts ranging in price from $959 for a 544 square foot studio to $2,240 for a two-bedroom apartment with more than 2,100 square feet.
Much of the building has been left intact. Eagles and ornately carved Ws on the exterior of the building look like masonry but are made of plaster and are well preserved.
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Oversized windows are original. Interior doors are still marked with names of the optometrist or insurance agent who at one time leased an office here. Within one loft, the floors may change from terrazzo to hardwood or concrete, indicating where interior walls have been moved to create the living spaces.
Kitchens and bathrooms are new. Cabinets and appliances have been updated even since the building’s earlier renovation about a dozen years ago. Each unit features either a Jacuzzi tub or walk-in marble shower.
The Merc was built as home to Mercantile Bank, founded by R. L. Thornton who later became mayor of Dallas (and a highway). The company’s long-time advertising campaign featured a one-word slogan, "Momentum," and in the ’80s was sung over video of Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis high-diving.
A spire with clocks facing each direction tops the 31-story tower that has been a Dallas landmark since 1942. At the time it opened, it passed the Magnolia Building as tallest skyscraper west of the Mississippi. Lights above the clocks indicate the weather — green for fair and red for bad — and a neon star moves up and down 45 feet of white, lighted rings indicating warmer or colder temperatures.
Mosaics from the bank’s former boardroom and offices have been rescued and restored. Along with photos of the building and neighborhood from an earlier era, they decorate hallways, staircases and lounges.
Forest City prides itself as a green company.
In addition to rescuing and repurposing older downtown properties, they use recycled materials throughout their projects. Carpets, made from recyclable materials, are laid in squares so that if pieces need to be replaced, only small amounts, rather than entire lengths, are discarded.
Currently available apartments at the Merc rent from $1,059 for 715 square feet to $2,410 for a 1,787 square-foot unit. Two penthouses are listed. Both are two-bedroom with two and a half baths. At 2,571 and 2,620 square feet, they rent for $5,650 and $6,650 per month. The larger one, on the 31st floor includes a glassed-in conservatory and views in all directions.
Hernandez said they have sponsored a number of events in the building celebrating its history. R.L. Thornton’s daughter even pointed out the spot on the 31st floor (now a penthouse) where she was proposed to. Early directors of the bank gathered for a reunion, many wearing their original bank name tags. He said they hope to schedule future events with their neighbor, Neiman’s.
The park between the Element and the old municipal building opens Nov. 20 in conjunction with the Neiman Marcus Christmas lighting, putting the Merc and the Element right in the middle of the festivities. The development on this block, along with the new performing arts center, pushes a revitalized downtown Dallas further east, linking it to a reinvigorated Deep Ellum thanks to DART’s new Green Line.
A two-story building called the Jewel connects the Element and the Merc. The new construction houses common area services and amenities, workout facilities and access to the cabana, salt water pool, outdoor fireplace and hot tub area. Carrying through the art deco theme from The Merc, the floor was patterned after the GE building in New York’s Rockefeller Center, one of the classic skyscrapers of the era.
Forest City also owns a fourth tower on Commerce Street located behind the Element and next to the old Dallas Grand Hotel. As the economy improves, they plan to renovate this ’50s era building into more apartments and incorporate it into this development.
The Merc, The Element and The Wilson Building, 1800 Main St. Mercantileplace.com.
This article appeared in the Defining Homes magazine presented by Dallas Voice on October 9, 2009.