Andres is helping to alter the character of Downtown Dallas one building a time. Well, make that two at a time.
Since winning widespread praise for its work converting the former Joske’s department store into the Majestic Lofts, Andres has taken to working on two conversions at a time.
On Jackson Street, Andres converted the Dallas Power & Light complex from art deco relic into thriving home for young downtown workers, complete with a very popular night spot that straddles the building’s pool deck. In all, the DP&L buildings accommodate 158 living units.
Immediately across the street, Andres rehabilitated the Interurban Building, constructed around 1916, at the same time. According a report in The Dallas Morning News, the 134 units are leasing to urban professionals and empty nesters. A big draw lies in the 20,000-square-foot Uptown Market, Downtown Dallas’ first grocery store.
"[Living downtown] is now a viable lifestyle," Interurban Property Manager Jeff Benton told the News about the importance of the grocery store. “It really wasn't before. The people who lived downtown were hard core."
Andres’ care and attention to details (e.g., finishing on schedule) impresses developers and has helped the firm become downtown’s leading conversion builder.
“We saw the job that Andres did on the Joske’s conversion and their work at Edgemere,” said Ted Hamilton, of Denver-based Hamilton Properties, the developer of the DP&L project
“Andres offered us an experienced team that is goal oriented and very good at planning and executing,” Hamilton said. “They make sure their projects are built according to plan. Andres is head and shoulders above the competition.”
Hamilton’s next project is to convert the Fidelity Union Life Insurance complex on Thanks-Giving Square into almost 500 apartments. The project, which includes 31-story and 21-story towers built in 1952 and 1959, will cost an estimated $87 million.
After Andres completed the DP&L project ahead of time, Hamilton knew he wanted Andres to take on the new project.
At the same time, Andres will help breathe new life into the west tower of the Republic Bank complex, which also borders on Thanks-Giving Square. When converted, the Republic Residences will offer 229 apartments. Another product of the fifties, the project is being developed by Florida-based Gables, one of the Dallas area's largest apartment landlords. The project is expected to cost $40 million and take 18 months to complete.
Unlike the Majestic, DP&L, and Interurban, apartments at these new projects will be finished like apartments, not lofts.
Downtown Dallas’ population is expected to double in the next couple of years. Andres is proud of the role it is playing in this important development.