Your First Look at Deco 969 ― A New Sky-High Luxury Community in Downtown Fort Worth

On Wednesday, July 17, Fort Worth welcomed its first residential high-rise in around 30 years to downtown — Deco 969. At the grand opening party, remarks were made by Mayor Mattie Parker, Southern Land Company’s founder and CEO Tim Downey, and others. Guests got to tour the new building (which is located across the street from the upcoming Le Meridien hotel), including its amazing 24th-floor pool deck with the city’s skyline view, and raise a glass to toast its opening.

Deco 969 is Nashville-based Southern Land Company’s (or SLC’s) first foray into the Fort Worth market, and its sparking new, amenity-laden, luxury tower is a first in many other ways as well. It’s the ultimate trial balloon, to see how a luxury residential mixed-use of this caliber will fare in the local market.

A New Landmark in Fort Worth’s Skyline

“I started looking here in ’07 and it took forever to find a site,” Tim Downey told reporters who were on hand.” It was most recently a parking lot that SLC purchased in 2017 from XTO Energy.

“This $150 million investment marks a significant milestone in the urban development of Fort Worth, adding a new landmark to the city’s skyline,” Mayor Mattie Parker said in her remarks. “Deco 969 is the first luxury residential tower to be built in downtown Fort Worth in 30 years, marking the start of what will bring even more residential housing in our urban core.”

The building, which Downey tells PaperCity Fort Worth is already 16 percent leased, runs over $3.25 per square foot. That is a premium in the local real estate market for sure, but Downey thinks Fort Worth is ready for it.

“From a security standpoint having a doorman and concierge is important for urban living,” he says. “We end up with about 60 to 65 percent women tenants. But, the benefit of a building like this is that they attract everybody.”

“We are inundated with developers who are waiting to see if the rents will justify the investment,” Downey says. “Every real estate developer in Dallas and Fort Worth is watching what we do here.”

Thoughtful Design For Luxury Living

The new 27-story Deco 969 adds 302 new residences to downtown ― available in one-, two-, and three-bedroom models, plus six penthouses overlooking it all. It’s named for Fort Worth’s notable and historic Art Deco period buildings — and that style is incorporated throughout.

Downey notes, “The building is concrete so you won’t hear your neighbors knocking about.”

SLC worked in collaboration with Dallas-based GDA Architects. Downey says SLC also has 30 architects of its own on staff (about 20 architects and about 10 landscape architects). “We do a lot of the design, so it’s a very collaborative process,” he says.

After all, Southern Land Company is an award-winning national real estate developer specializing in master-planned, single-family, multifamily, and mixed-use communities.

While the new Deco 969 marks SLC’s first mixed-use community in Fort Worth, it joins the company’s growing portfolio of Texas communities and projects. They have already developed and sold The Lofts at Watters Creek in Allen; Novē at Knox in Dallas; Arthouse in Keller; and Morada in Plano. Still to come is a luxury high-rise to be built in Houston’s Upper Kirby district.

The interiors of Fort Worth’s newest tower were designed by Dallas-based Faulkner Design Group. They reflect a similar “chic vintage aesthetic with gilded details and geometric touches featured throughout the building’s various living and amenity spaces.”

“I hope this building inspires more building and development to come,” Downey adds.

Step Inside Deco 969

Deco 969 is pet-friendly with 19 spacious apartment home floor plans ranging from 684 square feet to 1,582 square feet. Rents start at just over $2,000 per month, while the six penthouses (from 1,157 square feet to 2,793 square feet) start at just over $6,000 per month.

Now, about those elevated amenities. The most notable is the building’s multi-level rooftop deck that includes an outdoor resort-style pool and spa on the 24th floor. It is heated during colder seasons, and comes “complete with a poolside bar and lounge, as well as a 180-inch poolside jumbotron; and a 25th-floor outdoor greenspace with dual-facing firepit.”

The area, which is fitted with luxe loungers, pergolas, and seating areas, is enclosed by glass railings designed so residents can take in the views.

“Also, the 24th-floor Nouveau Sky Lounge offers well-appointed gathering spaces, a fully equipped demonstration kitchen with a wraparound bar, billiards, and incredible views. Additional amenities and services at Deco 969 include a state-of-the-art athletic studio equipped with video-enabled treadmills, Peloton bikes, free weights, and an Echelon mirror; a dedicated dog grooming spa; lobby lounge with social bar; bicycle repair shop; and onsite concierge from 6 am to 10 pm.”

So, you get what you pay for at Deco 969. And, SLC encourages an active community atmosphere in all of its developments.

Opening in early 2025 on the ground level will be Texas’ first location of Oklahoma-based Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse (or B|10).

The modern chophouse will inhabit 8,500 square feet, showcasing hand-cut steaks and seafood grilled over a blend of pecan, oak, and hickory woods — a nod, they say, “to the dynamic flavors that surround Texas cuisine. Hand-rolled sushi will freshen up guests’ offerings, with the whole menu complemented by an impressive wine and cocktail list.”

Southern Land Company is a big fish in the development world, with its current project pipeline valued at $3 billion, so Fort Worth was thrilled to attract its gaze. And, if all goes well, Tim Downey says, he’s not ruling out future projects in town, as Fort Worth remains one of the fastest-growing real estate markets in the country.