Historic West End Warehouse Transformed Into a New-Age Workplace: Hip Facelift Makes It a Millennial’s Playland

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spotted the trio of rooftop water tanks while driving past the West End on Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The iconic metal cylinders are a beacon of Downtown Dallas, but they perch on a building that has been long forgotten.

The 114-year-old warehouse was once home to Brown Cracker & Candy Co., Sunshine Biscuit Company, a furniture distributor, and, most recently, the West End Marketplace. Now, after sitting vacant for over a decade, the storied building is getting a fifth life.

Granite Properties, commercial real estate, investment, development and management company, just completed an extensive two-year restoration and redevelopment of the warehouse. Dubbed Factory Six03, it has been molded into a new-age workspace with historic character, aimed at creatives and a younger generation of professionals.

From the outside, the office building may not look all that much different than it did two years ago. The new, manicured outdoor plaza (by landscape architect Mesa Design Group) is the only telltale sign of redevelopment. However, the old warehouse has been turned upside down since Granite purchased it in 2015.

Working with Dallas-based architect GFF, historic preservation architect Architexas, and general contractor DPR Construction, the company has added new stories, underground parking, and terraces to the building, and modernized the interior. In addition to essential updates – like new plumbing, new elevators, and new HVAC – Factory Six03 has been given a hip facelift.

The glass atrium which cuts through the center of the building (an ‘80s addition) has been revamped. About 10 local artists have been commissioned to create Dallas-centric art, including a mobile hanging from the top of the atrium, colorful murals, paintings and sculptures. The first floor is now a large lobby and hangout area, complete with a café. The new eighth floor is the crowning jewel: a tenant lounge decked out with modern furniture, a kitchen, conference room, sitting areas, and, most importantly, a huge outdoor patio with unbeatable views of the Dallas skyline (seriously, you get all the skyscrapers on one side and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on the other).

Granite did, however, keep many of the original pieces intact, like the timelessly trendy exposed brick, a two-story biscuit oven (perhaps the most unique feature), a one-ton scale, hardwood floors, and newly-restored, metal-framed windows. The aforementioned water tanks have also been refurbished to look more historically accurate.

It’s a building aimed at millennials (and the companies trying to recruit them), using a few of their favorite things: industrial design, pop art, informal workspaces and rooftop patios.

“Factory Six03 is a game changer. Granite’s redevelopment of the historic warehouse will bring new life into the West End, further establishing the area as Dallas’ innovation district,” Mayor Rawlings said in a statement. “Exciting workspaces like Factory Six03 will attract more companies, innovative people and bright, young talent to Dallas and support our overall economic success.”