The National – 1401 Elm, Dallas
Date: 2020
Project type: Historical Adaptive Reuse
Owner/Developer: Todd Interests
GC: Andres Construction
Design Team:
Merriman Anderson Architects
About Project
Today, The National building is a result of the largest-ever historical adaptive reuse renovation in North Texas.
Built in 1965 and originally known as the First National Bank tower, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
Completed in late 2020, it now includes large retail spaces, the Thompson Dallas Hotel, luxury residences, four restaurants, a rooftop pool, and many other amenities.
Kemna Tile was engaged to consult on the best ways to approach restoring a 50-year-old building that had stood vacant since 2010.
The experienced professional crews at Kemna Tile carefully began the massive amount of regenerative work on the terrazzo , granite, and marble walls, floors and countertops.
A delicate combination of incorporating existing surfaces with stored and new materials was required to maintain the beautiful visual integrity of the finishes.
Two years of intensive restoration and improvement work by Kemna Tile brought the public areas of this landmark building back to life, looking fresh and new once again.
Summary
Every type of building restoration work presents an enormous amount of challenges – it is much more difficult than new construction.
When you want to bring an old, neglected former icon of a building into the 21st century, and make it into the sparkling high end showpiece it is today, it takes an extreme effort coupled with integrity, experience, and dedication. Calling on Kemna Tile is the smart move.