211 North Ervay is a high rise located at 211 North Ervay Street in the City Center District of Dallas, Texas, United States. The building rises and contains 18 floors of office space. The colorful building of modernist design is situated on a prominent city corner and adjacent to Thanks-Giving Square.

History 211 North Ervay was designed by architects Hedrick & Stanley for developer Leo Corrigan as his fourth major downtown office building (after the Corrigan Tower, Burt Tower and Adolphus Tower). The tower was built on a slim corner lot, in width and long, and replaced early commercial structures. Adjacent to the structure was the Palace Theater, one of many on Elm Street's historic Theater Row."Corrigan Announces New 20-Story Building". The Dallas Morning News. May 24, 1957.

The building's facade was covered with continuous glass windows along with alternating azure and aquamarine porcelain spandrels. The colorful design was a popular way to add color to otherwise bland urban skylines of the mid-twentieth century.http://dallaslibrary.org/texas/photogallery/downtownliving/211northervay.htm Dallas Public Library The ground floor, containing the main entrance on Ervay, was covered in granite and recessed to provide extra sidewalk width for street level retail space; the second floor was covered in mosaics. Opened in 1958 as a general office building, it was popular with insurance companies, law firms, and aviation-related companies.

The building was sold in 1971 and 1977; the second sale resulted in a complete remodeling of the lobby, elevators and changes in the exterior facade of the first two levels."211 N. Ervay Building Sold". The Dallas Morning News. August 6, 1971."Group Buys Building at 211 North Ervay". The Dallas Morning News. September 4, 1977. Over successive years occupancy rates slowly declined as modern skyscrapers such as 1700 Pacific, Thanksgiving Tower and Comerica Bank Tower surrounded the building. The building was sold again in 1986, and by 1995 it was completely vacant.Steve Brown. "DOWNTOWN BUILDING ACQUIRED." The Dallas Morning News 21 November 1986, HOME FINAL, BUSINESS: 1D. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010.Steve Brown. "UPSWING IN DOWNTOWN - Low rents draw interest from firms looking to move." The Dallas Morning News 26 September 1995, HOME FINAL, BUSINESS: 1D. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010. Labeled an eyesore, in 2004 Dallas Mayor Laura Miller campaigned to have the building demolished for a downtown park. In response, Preservation Dallas included the building in its inaugural list of Dallas’ Most Endangered Historic Places, citing its importance in the National Register's Dallas Downtown Historic District and an example of the vanishing "cool blue" architecture of the 1950s.STEVE BROWN. "A colorful downtown relic may soon be gone - 211 N. Ervay Building recalls architecture's blue period of '50s, '60s." Dallas Morning News, The (TX) 6 February 2004, SECOND, BUSINESS: 10D. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010.DAVID FLICK. "Razing objections - List of endangered buildings angers city, school officials." Dallas Morning News, The (TX) 21 February 2004, SECOND, METRO: 1B. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010.

In 2005 3J Development purchased the building and planned to convert the building into residential units. The renovation plan, abandoned in 2007, would have altered the facade and removed the distinctive blue panels.STEVE BROWN. "211 N. Ervay is heading out of the blue - California buyer plans new look and role for downtown tower." Dallas Morning News, The (TX) 11 July 2005, SECOND, BUSINESS: 1D. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010.STEVE BROWN. "New developer reviving stalled work on tower - Lockey Capital's plans for 1600 Pacific get OK for HUD funding." Dallas Morning News, The (TX) 8 August 2007, FIRST, BUSINESS: 1D. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010. The structure was one of seven downtown buildings targeted by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert for numerous code and fire hazards in 2009, resulting in a cleanup of the ground floor and updated safety systems.Rudolph Bush. "UPDATE - Downtown revitalization efforts." Dallas Morning News, The (TX) 2 July 2009, CENTRAL, METRO: 6B. NewsBank. Web. 22 January 2010. After failed redevelopment plans, efforts to demolish the building were renewed in 2012 when it was reported the building may be purchased and donated to the City of Dallas.

In May 2014, FORBES Top 10 Business Accelerator Tech Wildcatters announced that it would be leasing 18,000 square feet in the Ervay building.Danielle Abril. "Exclusive: Tech Wildcatters signs a lease for a new home in Dallas." http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/05/06/exclusivetech-wildcatters-signs-a-lease-for-a-new.html

In September 2014, Fort Work announced plans to relocate its coworking home from North Dallas to the Ervay building.Candace Carlisle. "Dallas Fort Work relocating to 211 N. Ervay in downtown Dallas" http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/09/15/dallas-fort-work-relocating-to-211-n-ervay-in.html

In 2023, following purchase by a new owner, it was announced that the building would be converted into 238 residential units while preserving the exterior.

In February 2024, the building sold for $8 million in a foreclosure auction. The new owner has stated that they still plan to convert the building into residential or hospitality.

References

External links

History of 211 North Ervay, Dallas Public Library 2007 Real Estate Listing Photo of structure from Pacific Avenue Photo of structure's Ervay Street frontage