Wolfe eyes office-to-resi for Dallas classic 

A head-turning mid-century modern office tower in Downtown Dallas is being converted into apartments — the latest sign of the city’s office-to-resi craze.

Wolfe Investments, the new owner of the  187,000-square-foot tower at 211 North Ervay, aims to redevelop the bright-blue building into 238 residential units, while also adding amenities such as a fitness center and business lounge, the Dallas Morning News reported. 

A previous Dallas mayor wanted to raze the 26-story building, but preservationists pushed back, saying the 1958-built structure represents an important period of the city’s architectural history. 

“The building’s facade was covered with continuous glass windows along with alternating azure and aquamarine porcelain spandrels,” its Wikipedia entry says. “The colorful design was a popular way to add color to otherwise bland urban skylines of the mid-twentieth century.”

Originally designed by architects Hedrick & Stanley, it is also relevant to the who’s who of Dallas commercial real estate as it was the fourth downtown Dallas building by influential developer Leo F. Corrigan, who built the Adolphus Tower in 1954.

Dallas architect HKS is the designer of the conversion project, and Andres Construction is the general contractor. Wolfe Investments, whose president is Kenny Wolfe, said the redevelopment will take 14-16 months to complete.

Office-to-resi conversions are becoming increasingly common as demand for office space remains low due to remote work trends set in motion by the pandemic. Roughly 1,500 units are expected to be delivered in Dallas over the next two years as a result of such conversions. 

Last year, Woods Capital revealed plans to repurpose the 50-story Santander Tower to create 228 luxury high-rise apartments. Woods is taking a similar approach with the Bryan and Comerica Bank towers, as well. 

Besides that, Bluelofts aims to redevelop about 900,000 square feet across the firm’s various holdings, in Dallas, Fort Worth, Atlanta and Cleveland, and turn them into residences with high-end amenities and ground-floor retail and commercial spaces.

Wolfe’s Dallas-Fort Worth portfolio includes apartments nearby, at 400 North Ervay, which it purchased in 2021. It also purchased the historic Oil & Gas Building in downtown Fort Worth as part of a joint venture with Bluelofts at the end of last year.

—Quinn Donoghue