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Every morning when I walk down Flora Street, headed from my parking garage in the Arts District to our building, I pass the site you see above. It’s part of the Trammell Crow Center, right across a breezeway from the Crow Collection of Asian Art. The prime street-level space is leased by PricewaterhouseCoopers. They use it as a classroom. Most mornings, I see eager young accountants lined up at tables with laptops open in front of them. At the front of the room, someone is walking them through a PowerPoint presentation or scribbling on a white board. Same thing at lunch if I head back over to Flora to grab something from one of the food trucks. There they are, in their classroom, learning about EBITDA or whatever.
The world needs accountants. It gives me comfort to know that they’re studying so hard that they’re up and at it before I’ve even left the house. But while the world needs accountants, Flora Street needs street life. This PricewaterhouseCoopers classroom sits on the Nasher’s front doorstep. When people exited the Nasher after seeing the Tony Cragg opening, they likely saw a big, well-lit empty space. Same goes for the Crow Collection. Tonight DJ Spooky will be spinning tunes. People are instructed to “come ready to dance!” And right across the breezeway from these dancers, there will be a big, well-lit empty space.
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ lease is up on that space. It’s a rather large organization. The decision to renew the lease probably won’t be made in Dallas. Which is why Veletta Lill and John Crawford and Trammell S. Crow ought to form a posse, track down the decision maker at PwC, and convince him or her to give up the lease. In place of that classroom, I’d like to see an affordable sushi bar. Let’s call it the Waterhouse. Craig Hall has himself a little development deal going on the Arts District. So does John Sughrue. They’d both love to have a tuna roll and a Sapporo at the Waterhouse.
Let’s make this happen.
7 comments
the best sushi in Dallas is 3 more blocks away at Tei-An. while not dirt cheap, i dont think it’s outrageous when you’re talking about its quality.
affordable sushi doesn’t always work out.
Wasn’t this idea floated at the Arts District forum ya’ll had at your office last year? Lill was pointing the waste of this space then. I think she suggested a Starbucks, though you can get coffee at the DMA or Nasher cafe, and Pearl Cup is right down the street too.
A sushi place wouldn’t be bad
@Gabe: I missed that forum, unfortunately. Could be.
Why would there be a Starbucks in this space when there’s a Starbucks inside the same building facing the indoor lobby? Are we not talking about Trammel Crow Center? Yes, a restaurant would be nice, but the Arts District needs more density. Craig Hall needs to hurry up and build his office tower, and Four Seasons or another luxury hotel brand should open an Arts District hotel. Hopefully the park will attract more housing development, as well.
I didn’t know there was. Good to know. And Lill was talking in generalities, probably about the type of business that could do there. And I’m quoting her from something like 18 months of memory, so maybe I’m way off.
I vote to add Tim Rogers to the posse…let’s make it happen!
Makes me think of the old joke, “How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant industry……”