Before Canton Lofts became the pioneer in Farmers Market District living in the 1990s, the former Olive and Myers Manufacturing building was the center of downtown Dallas’s thriving furniture industry until the 1950s.
Just to orient you, this historic building at 2220 Canton Street is located in the Farmers Market District just past Good Latimer and near enough to Cesar Chavez that you’ll never really go hungry. It’s walking distance to Deep Ellum, the Dallas Farmers Market, and the Central Business District.
Canton Lofts History
Around downtown, 2220 Canton Lofts is referred to as the Olive and Myers Company building. Established in 1899, the booming furniture company quickly expanded from its mattress assembly plant several blocks away and built the five-story brick building in 1925. That October, Olive and Myers placed an ad in the Dallas Morning News with a big hero image of what would become the Canton Lofts.
The reinforced concrete building was “as fireproof as can be built” and boasted 120,000 square feet of plant floor space with the latest machinery in the Southwest. From the roaring ’20s until 1958 when the plant moved to Athens, Texas, the Olive and Myers building was part of a wide swath of furniture manufacturers headquartered in downtown Dallas. In 1956, Olive and Myers sold the building to clothiers Leroy McMullin and Ray Stockton for $500,000 and the Stockton Manufacturing Company enjoyed several fruitful years there.
“The Olive and Myers Building played a significant role in contributing to Dallas’ vast history and has instilled cultural influences throughout the community,” the homeowners association website for Canton Lofts writes.
1990s Redevelopment
It sat vacant for years until Dallas-based Westdale, a national real estate investment and management company, had a vision of making the already-walkable Dallas Farmers Market area a center of downtown living. Westdale purchased the building in 1992 for $600,000 and turned this industrial warehouse into one of the first residential lofts in Dallas.
Westdale didn’t opt to bulldoze this iconic five-story building made of red brick and green glass in favor of new multi-family construction. They worked with Corgan & Associates to rework the industrial space’s guts into 47 lofts with high, exposed ceilings, tall windows, and few interior walls dividing up the space.
Their beautiful work won a Building Design award from the Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It is one of the few remaining examples of factory architecture in downtown Dallas and the property is now listed as a City of Dallas Landmark.
Westdale went on to develop several more buildings in Deep Ellum including the Adam Hats Lofts and the Case Building.
A Rare Double Unit
But this particular loft at 2220 Canton Street No. 408, listed by Linda Lunn of Keller Williams Urban Dallas, is one-of-a-kind. When the developers first listed the lofts for sale, this home’s first owner purchased two units — one above the other, connected by elevator.
The three-bedroom, three-bath home has 3,020 square feet on the building’s top floors. In fact, because it was built originally as two units, it has two entrances and two iron-rail balconies — one on the fourth floor and one on the fifth.
“This is the only unit that was ever sold as a combined unit,” Lunn says. “Internally, it was always known as the million-dollar unit because of its location in the building.”
But the loft didn’t come exactly move-in ready. It had an extreme color scheme with all black walls downstairs and sharply contrasting bright white walls upstairs, Lunn says.
The couple who owns it now — he’s a former executive with CMC and she’s a former executive with Neiman Marcus — stripped and sanded away the years of paint down to the studs to start anew.
They sought the help of a renowned bespoke designer who specializes in creating interior environments with modern furniture designs and wall installations. The result is stunning.
“Everything has been redone,” Lunn says. “They left nothing undone and spared no detail. It’s meticulous and perfect.”
The full renovation features exquisite finishes including brick walls, custom stairway walls, and an impressive floating staircase made of recycled wood and steel.
The space juxtaposes exposed ductwork, unfinished ceilings, and iron industrial windows with premium, modern elements like track lighting, elegant lighting fixtures, modern hardwood floors, and designer appliances.
First Floor Entertaining
Walk into No. 408 and it’s exactly what comes to mind when you think about what a loft should be. The open first floor hosts the kitchen, living area, dining area, and a flexible bedroom space. The chef’s kitchen has an oversized island with dual-sides of storage, a breakfast bar, exposed brick with under-shelf lighting, and stainless steel Kitchenaid appliances.
Peeking behind that custom wall partition by the floating staircase, there’s a large third bedroom with an adorable bath. If you don’t want or need three bedrooms, this space could be used as a striking home office.
The Second Floor Suite
Walk up the floating stairs to your private suite. A building penthouse with an entire continuous wall of windows. It hosts a second large living area with a balcony, a wet bar with wine fridge mini fridge and ice maker, and two bedrooms with en-suite baths.
The primary suite has unique interior clerestory windows that add soft light to the bedroom. The bathroom has a standalone walk-in shower with a shower bench, and dual vanities styled to look like repurposed printers drawers.
An Unparalleled Rooftop Deck
Of course, there’s more to this Farmers Market loft than what’s inside. There’s plenty to love up top, too. A full-featured amenity deck on the roof gives you access to a pool, a covered seating area, plus plenty of room to relax and entertain. And considering the building’s location, the views of the downtown Dallas skyline are worthy of any urban photography buff. It would be an amazing backdrop for pictures.
The building is special.
“The people who love this building truly love it,” Lunn says. “They only leave because of a change of life.” In this case, the owners landed here when they sold their home in Greenway Parks and they’re wistfully leaving to move to their home in the Cape.
“As the owners like to say, ‘We bought a view with a little living space attached,’” Lunn says.
Living here puts you in the center of a thriving and still-growing downtown. There’s the newly-opened Carpenter Park, one of Downtown Dallas’s largest parks, the up-and-coming East Quarter, the AT&T Discovery District, and the highly-anticipated Harwood Park, slated to open in Spring 2023.
Homeowners association fees are $1,452 a month and cover maintenance of the facilities including the rooftop pool deck and the first-floor gym.
Linda Lunn of Keller Williams Urban Dallas has listed 2220 Canton Street No. 408 for $995,000. Give her a shout at [email protected]. For your mortgage needs (and get a jump on getting pre-qualified), reach out to Sara Parker Jones at Willow Bend Mortgage at [email protected].
