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.
