Monumental Changes

BY NICK SOWELL

We are quickly approaching the date of the building’s grand opening; I was not here from the inception, however, I have witnessed monumental changes just within the last month or so. I am very excited to see the address 511 illuminated with the neon gas here in a little over a week’s time. Obviously it will take some time, but once the office spaces on the second floor have been leased, the retail has been leased, and all residences have been rented this will be a busy building to say the very least.

I am pleased to see downtown being built up. I’ve always told people that downtown needed a face-lift, making it much more vibrant and attractive to call downtown Dallas home. Although, it is tough to compete with the Uptown area since so much money and time has been put into building that area up, we are just a hop-skip-and- a-jump away, just over the bridge from that area.

I recently saw the pictures of this building prior to it being taken over by Central Dallas CDC and Central Dallas Ministries and renovated. I was shocked at what terrible condition the building was in and how the building has progressed and morphed into what is now a suitable and very nice location to both work and live. Okay, so there have possibly been a few days of Polar Bear weather in the Central Dallas CDC office space, but that was a tiny glitch on the radar when taken into consideration the dedicated, brilliant work that has been performed here at 511 N. Akard St. to make a miracle come true.