$150M high-rise apartment living opens art deco doors in downtown Fort Worth
July 18,2024
See full Fort Worth Report article by Bob Francis here.
Deco 969, the first modern luxury high-rise apartment building in downtown Fort Worth, officially opened July 17, marking the debut of many major projects underway at the southern end of downtown.
The 27-story building at 969 Commerce St. offers 567,000 square feet, with 302 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, including penthouses on the upper floors. Prices begin at just over $2,000 per month, with six penthouses starting at just over $6,000. There are plenty of luxury amenities, such as an athletic studio, pool, social areas, dog grooming spa, lobby lounge with bar and a bicycle repair shop — along with the de rigueur doorman and concierge.
The building, built and owned by Nashville’s Southern Land Co., was a long time coming, said Tim Downey, Southern Land’s founder and CEO. He has had his eye on Fort Worth for 15 years. About five years ago, he was able to acquire a parking lot between Eighth and Ninth streets from XTO Energy.
The $150 million project was designed by Dallas-based GDA Architects. Deco’s façade reflects the art deco architecture and design on display in other buildings in Fort Worth, Downey said. The tower’s interiors were designed by Dallas-based Faulkner Design Group.
“So far, we’re about 16% leased,” said Downey. “We think that’s pretty good.”
He expects to lease about 18 units per month.
Downey knows that other developers are watching Deco 969 closely.
“We are inundated with developers asking, ‘How’s it going?’” he said. “Every real estate developer in Dallas-Fort Worth is watching what we’re doing.”
Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc., said the building is not just a shiny addition to residential life in downtown but will likely attract others to the city.
“They are setting the standard for residential living,” he said. “If this performs as well as they suspect it will, then we will see more high-rise residential downtown.”
Deco is also bringing a new dining experience to downtown Fort Worth. Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse will fill an 8,500-square-foot space on the first floor early next year.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Location Mentioned: Deco 969