We are all familiar with Deep Ellum’s thriving music scene. It’s been the cultural heart of the neighborhood since the 1920s. What is not so well known is that the thriving manufacturing scene was its economic soul and The Continental Gin Company started it all.
Deep Ellum was home to the largest manufacturer of cotton gins in the United States — The Continental Gin Company. The company was created in 1900 when Alabama’s Continental Gin Company absorbed several successful ginning operations and finally ceased operations in 1962. After a couple of reincarnations, the building was being used as artist’s studios when brothers Jordan and Evan August popped in to see a show.
“We saw the building and fell in love with it,” Jordan said. “ I cold-called the former owner. He was from Dallas, and we had both gone to Jesuit. He was at a point in his life where he wanted to sell. The stars just aligned, and we bought in 2017.”
A Family Legacy of Real Estate
The proverbial apples did not fall far from the tree. Jordan and Evan’s dad, Tom, has been in commercial real estate for decades. The brothers also brought unique talents and perspectives to the business.
Evan had been an investment sales broker at CBRE in San Diego and moved to Dallas in 2014. Jordan attended an architecture program at UC Berkley. After moving back home in 2013, he began selling residential real estate, designed and built homes, then worked for private developers, including Mehrdad Moayedi on the Statler Hotel project. Their dad was retiring, and the brothers love real estate and historic properties, so launching August Real Estate Company was another stars-aligning moment.
They immediately got to work restoring brick and the structural floor system and adding passenger elevators and restrooms. The process took about two years and was so successful The Continental Gin Company building won a Preservation Dallas Achievement Award last month.
Deep Ellum’s iconic water tower is a major element at the 1888 Continental Gin Company Building. The renovation cleaned and repaired the building while leaving as many historic elements in place as possible. Restoration required extensive consultation with the Texas Historical Commission and the National Park Service to make the project eligible for historic tax credits. The work included removing non-historic paint, replacing damaged brick, and cleaning and repointing intact historic brick. New construction was removed from the existing walls as much as possible, and original materials were cleaned and preserved. The reimagining of this building ensures its continuing contributions to Deep Ellum’s vitality and growth.
Donovan Westover— Preservation Dallas Events and Development Coordinator
An In-Demand Concept
“In the middle of the restoration, we started talking to Nick Clark and Dawson Williams at Common Desk,” Jordan said. “We did a management agreement. Nick put Fiction Coffee on the first floor, and we were leased out in a few months.”
And yes, this was in the middle of a pandemic in 2020.
“It was actually fantastic timing,” Jordan said. It was evident this type of historic building, with the style and flexible experiential office space, was in demand. “
Take some time out of your day next Tuesday to tour the Continental Gin Company building and see why more and more companies are realizing the value of historic preservation and adaptive reuse.
This event is free for current members of Preservation Dallas and $20 for non-members. If you want to join or renew your Preservation Dallas membership, please visit the Preservation Dallas website or call (214) 821-3290.
Continental Gin Company Building Intown Outing
TUESDAY | June 28
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
3309 Elm Street, Dallas 75226
Register Here
