Vintage Buildings

Historical building in downtown Dallas' West End opens for tenant tours

The doors are now open for tours.

Photo courtesy of Wildcat

A historically recognized building in downtown Dallas is about to hit the limelight. Located at 601 Elm St., the 113-year-old Purse Building has been thoughtfully renovated and is now ready to get the party started.

The building, which was built in 1905 and is a Texas State Archaeological Landmark, has been developed as a high-tech six-story workspace by real estate developer Tanya Ragan, founder of Wildcat Management.

Phase 1 of the restoration has just finished; completion is set for spring 2020. But there's a showroom ready and progress tours are now available to media and prospective tenants.

Serving as the gateway to the West End Historic District, the six-story building is one of the last undeveloped historic buildings in the West End, facing the Dallas County Founders Park and the Kennedy Memorial, in what might be viewed as the most quintessential-Dallas location downtown.

According to Candy's Dirt, the building was built in 1905 but has been vacant for years, "a ghost of its past" as offices and warehouse space for the Parlin and Orendorff Implement Co., which sold agricultural equipment. The building also housed Purse & Company Wholesale Furniture and was used by Dallas County for office space.

It's called the Purse Building because it still has a "Purse & Co." painted letters on its side.

Phase 1 entailed cleaning out all six floors left behind by the last tenant in the 1980's, including partitions, drop-down ceilings, and old carpet.

The first-level exterior stone and brick and storefront of this Chicago Italianate-style have been cleaned. The original historic paint color has been restored to the large window frames, which allow for a wash of natural light to permeate the building's interior.

"Being able to close Phase 1 and marvel at the original finishings from the late '40s has been a major accomplishment," Ragan says in a release.

The space has high ceilings, heavy timber columns and beams, exposed brick walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and original wood floors that revealing the building's historic character.

The building's century of use and neglect has been documented and is displayed in an installation of 40 photos and ads from the 1940s on a story wall inside the new showroom. Tours are open Tuesday-Friday from 10 am-3 pm.

"We're creating an atmosphere that is a fine balance between paying homage to history and being cutting edge," Ragan says.

downtown urban-renewal

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Dallas' Deep Vellum named one of America’s best indie bookstores

Deep Vellum Books, independent bookstores in Dallas

Deep Vellum Books/Facebook

Dallas' Deep Vellum Bookstore claimed bragging rights as one of the 20 best independent bookstores in America

Dallas' Deep Vellum Bookstore is claiming new bragging rights as one of the 20 best independent bookstores in America, according to a new guide from Condé Nast Traveler.

The list was published in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on April 25 — but every day can be Indie Bookstore Day when you're supporting your local shop rather than a national chain like Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Indie bookstores and physical media have been having a much needed renaissance in today's digital (and AI slop-filled) era. More than 400 new bookshops opened in 2025 alone, the American Booksellers Association reported, and local bookstores are welcome third spaces for many literature loving individuals.

Deep Vellum won the title as the best indie bookstore in the Lone Star State, outshining several other popular Texas booksellers. Located at 3000 Commerce St. in Dallas' Deep Ellum neighborhood, Condé Nast said the bookshop serves as "one of the country’s premier translators of contemporary global literature."

"As esoteric as its collection may seem, the bookstore itself makes exploration approachable," wrote editorial assistant Kat Chen. "Crack into a can of craft beer, gaze at the wall plastered with polaroids of smiling patrons, and tuck into an engrossing read on one of the tweed armchairs."

Deep Vellum was founded by Will Evans in 2013 as a community-focused literary arts center and nonprofit publishing house for diverse international literature, as well as local Dallas writers. The bookstore soon followed in 2015, and operations have now expanded to five publishing imprints that produce half English-original works and half international literature.

This mighty bookshop and publishing house has long proved its staying power even after its federal funding was axed last year. In early April, the organization revealed it would launch its inaugural Deep Vellum Music and Literature Festival from July 10-12, 2026.

"Through literary readings, author panels, spoken word, live music performances, and community activations this festival will bring voices from across Texas and around the world," a press release said.

Until then, Condé Nast provided some recommended reading for Dallas bibliophiles that want to check out some (new-to-you) literary and psychological fiction: Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila (translated by Roland Glasser) and Miss MacIntosh, My Darling by Marguerite Young.

dallas indie bookstore deep ellum bookstores conde nast traveler