Your Expert Guide

The Cedars: Stunning skyline views and great art just south of downtown Dallas

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Dallas has received numerous accolades for its impressive skyline, and that's what led real estate global advisor JB Hayes to purchase her loft in the Cedars more than seven years ago.

"I love to watch the buildings in the skyline change their colors and messages to support local causes and sports teams," she says. "With the views of downtown, the easy access to all major highways, and its close proximity to downtown, the Dallas Farmers Market, and Deep Ellum, it was a no-brainer! And did I mention the views of the skyline?"

This area of Dallas, which is directly south of downtown and north of the Trinity River, has undergone tremendous growth in recent years — and even more is on tap for the future. "This area will be impacted by multiple projects: the new Convention Center District anchored by the new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, The Ambassador Residences now under construction, and more," Hayes says.

The artist community is another big plus. During the annual Cedars Open Studios Tour held each November, artists open their doors for all to come stop by, shop, and see what this area is about.

Hayes offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in the Cedars. Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
Hayes enjoys meeting new neighbors while frequenting Four Corners Brewing Company, Lee Harvey's, Full City Rooster, Off the Bone Barbeque, and Zalat Pizza. She supports her friends at open mic night at Autonomous Society Brewpub and enjoys craft beer brewed in-house with live music provided by the neighbors.

Baby Back Shak, Opening Bell Coffee, and Johnny's Waffles also make her must-visit list.

She has been raiding the pantry stocked full of local goods at Val's Cheesecakes in the Piggly Wiggly building on Akard and looks forward to their pop-up dinners and events.

To sip and see the Dallas skyline from the Cedars, check out Gallery Rooftop Lounge at Canvas Hotel Dallas or the Vetted Well patio at the Alamo Drafthouse Cedars.

Where to play
A little-known fact, even to most Dallasites: There is an entrance to the Santa Fe Trestle Trail down the street from the historic Longhorn Ballroom, located at the southeast corner of the Cedars. The ballroom first opened in 1950 and has showcased a wide variety of legends, from Willie Nelson to Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and more. Hayes says the Santa Fe Trestle Trail a great place to get outdoors with your pups, friends, and family. She has spotted turtles, butterflies and of course the skyline from the trail.

Speaking of pups, South Side Bark Park is a large green space for Cedars neighbors (and their furry friends) to use. Hayes also likes to create resin art and pottery with Erika Thornton at Artist Till Death Studios.

The Cedars is home to an Alamo Drafthouse location, as well as the popular Gilley's Dallas, but it's also close to AT&T Discovery District, Pioneer Plaza and the Dallas Farmers Market.

A favorite spot of Hayes' is Grey Gardens Florist: "It's my happy place, as flowers make me smile. I love to bring life to open houses with some of their amazing arrangements." Be sure to check out their Saturday “Stem Specials” as they mark down flowers sold by the stem.

Another hidden gem is Cactus Queen DFW, now located on Corinth near Park Ave. Find all sizes and shapes to add some greenery to your life.

Where to live
Here you'll find Victorian-style homes from the early 1900s, repurposed warehouses like South Side on Lamar (which was the Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog merchandise center in a former life), industrial-style lofts like The Beat Lofts and Buzz Lofts, new-construction townhomes likeMirar at the Cedars, and various apartment options, with The Ambassador Residences under construction to open late 2026.

"This area is not cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all," says Hayes. "There is a little bit of everything for all ages and interests."

Those familiar with the Cedars know the Eagle Apartments on South Ervay Street, a structure that was built in 1924 and flaunts a big, red entry door. Hayes has had four sales in the building, two off-market, which is remarkable considering there are only eight units in the building.

Hayes’ most significant Cedars sale was in the summer of 2024. One of the penthouses she listed at The Beat Lofts sold for $220,000 more than any Cedars residential sale documented in MLS.

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JB Hayes lives, works, and plays in the Cedars. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email jhayes@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-334-3977.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

Residents of The Cedars get to enjoy the skyline every day.

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Mixed Use News

Mixed-use East Dock will revive 1915 building in Dallas' Oak Cliff

Courtesy rendering

East Dock

A century-old property in Oak Cliff Dallas is getting a makeover: Called East Dock, it's a former industrial site located at 900 E. Clarendon Dr. that is being restored into a retail and studio space.

The project is being led by Proxy Properties, an Oak Cliff real estate group famous for breathing new life into vacant and often historical buildings. The project is supported by the City of Dallas through their Tax Increment Financing program (TIF), which reinvests property tax revenues on under-performing real estate.

Proxy Properties' prior 50 projects in Oak Cliff include the Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, rebranded as Oak Cliff Assembly, an arts and theatre space with offices and co-work studios; and the Madison Hotel, a building from the 1920s which was restored and opened in 2024.

"For us, it is important to buy buildings that have been vacant for a long time, ignored, or forgotten about," says Proxy founder AJ Ramler. "East Dock fit in that box. It was not contributing to the neighborhood."

East Dock is intriguing both for its history and its location. Built in 1915, it has served over the decades as an ice factory, book manufacturing site, and producer of airplane parts, but has been vacant for more than seven years.

The 62,000-square-foot-retail and studio space is fortuitously located in an area currently under heavy development: near the future Southern Gateway Park and Tenth Street Historical District, and a 7-minute walk from the DART Zoo Station.

Ramler envisions the space as "an 18-hour campus," with coffee and athletic businesses open in the morning, followed by daytime operators such as offices, studios, and restaurants, then bars and entertainment in the evening.

East DockRendering courtesy of JQAQ Atelier, LLC

There's room for at least 15 businesses, with a few already secured including Barro, a Latin-American restaurant and market from Robert Ramirez, part-owner at Nova restaurant in Oak Cliff, who is partnering with chef Eric Spigner to bring Barro to life.

“Our vision is to create a rustic, family-style restaurant with a rotating menu every three months, featuring cuisines from different countries in Latin America," Ramirez says.

In addition to the restaurant, Barro will include a market with fruits & vegetables, imported ceramics, bakeware, and blankets.

Other tenants
Local artisans who've already signed include Brazilian-American artist Daniela Flint, who will open a studio there. "I want to surround myself with my community and can see myself bringing in clients to Barro and other places in East Dock," she says.

Evan L. Court Woodwork, an artisan furniture maker, will take a 3,000-square-foot space and transform it into his personal studio where he’ll be creating custom handcrafted furniture and fine woodworking pieces. The space will have room for multiple projects, as well as an apprenticeship program to train new woodworkers.

And Carlos Araujo Neto is relocating his Jiujitsu studio from nearby Beatrice Street to East Dock. "I liked the idea of having multiple businesses that everyone can have access to and hang out," he says.

There'll be parking for 140 cars. The project will be finished in phases, with the first openings in early fall. They're sharing updates on their construction progress on Instagram.

Rather than work with a broker, Proxy Properties is doing community outreach to find tenants, all from the southern sector: in Oak Cliff, the Cedars, or West Dallas. Soliciting input from the locals is part of their DNA.

“We want the property to serve the community and also represent the community," Ramler says.

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