Big Changes on the Way at Downtown Dallas' Chase Tower

The curb appeal of one of downtown Dallas' iconic skyscrapers is about to get a reboot.New owners of the 55-story Chase Tower on Ross Avenue are planning a major makeover at the entry of the office tower."We have some pretty dramatic changes coming at Chase Tower," said Jonathan Landau, CEO of building owner Fortis Property Group. "We want to deliver something that gives you better access to the building."Fortis Property - which last year paid an estimated $285 million for the 1.3 million square foot high-rise - acquired the building after it had been remodeled inside.Now Landau plans to rework the plaza and entry to make Chase Tower more appealing to visitors, he said."We are going to make the plaza in front an extension of the Arts District," he said. "Right now, it's not very appealing for arrivals. The building has so much to offer by repositioning the plaza and creating an art component."A more open plaza area, landscaping, walkways and a motor drop off at the base of the building are part of the plans for the Ross Avenue side of the tower."Because of the way that plaza is now landscaped, it blocks visual and real access to the front of the building," Landau said. "Our approach is to open it up."It's going to be a pretty dramatic change," he said. "We are going to strip clean the entire plaza and start from scratch."Landau said the fitness center that's now located in the retail rotunda in front of the tower on Ross will be enlarged and relocated to the lower level.The monumental rotunda space will then be repurposed."We plan to bring in a top tier restaurant to the rotunda which it was initially designed for," Landau said. "It's a prime location and absolutely beautiful space."Landau said he's almost done with the designs for the plaza renovations and plans to start construction in the coming months.Dallas architect BOKA Powell is handling the project.Built in 1987, Chase Tower's previous owner Houston-based Hines, spent more than $10 million in upgrades on the high-rise.Major tenants in the tower include Locke Lord LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright, Deloitte & Touche, JPMorgan Chase, Prudential Insurance and Cornerstone Healthcare Group.Fortis Property also owns downtown's 36-story Harwood Center on Bryan Street. The real estate investor is about to build a major parking garage addition to that tower.  Continue reading...