In 1987, Jerry Merriman opened Merriman Anderson/Architects (MAA) as a small family business. The firm now comprises over 100 employees between their Dallas, Austin and Charlotte offices with clients on a national and international basis. Services include programming, urban planning, architectural design, space planning, interior architecture/design, graphic design, construction document production, construction observation, 3-D visualization and facilities move coordination. MAA has worked on a wide variety of project types including historic renovations, office space, corporate facilities, hi-density residential, industrial and hospitality, and others.
MAA has been integral in the design of 46 downtown Dallas projects over the past 17 years including the renovation and restoration of more than 20 downtown historic building projects. Their team can be credited with redesigning a large portion of downtown Dallas’ skyline, and their work has helped developers create the resurgence in downtown living and retail growth. MAA’s project portfolio includes the two largest redevelopments in downtown Dallas’ history - the $255 million renovation of The Statler and the $440 million renovation of the 52-story, 1.5 million square-foot former First National Bank tower at 1401 Elm St.
The Statler
The Statler opened in 1956 as a 1001-room hotel, convention center and gathering place for the “Who’s Who” to lodge when visiting downtown Dallas. It was renovated and reimagined as a truly multi-purpose, historic, adaptive reuse project. MAA and the Owner worked with the National Park Service and the Texas Historical Commission to preserve and restore the character-defining features of the historic building, which now features a 159-room Curio Hilton Hotel and 219 luxury rental apartments. Building amenities include a 14,000 square-foot ballroom, 7,000 square-feet of meeting space, six food and beverage venues, two rooftop pool decks, ground floor retail space, and a 250-space interior parking garage.
Design inspiration for The Statler was drawn from the historic building itself, featuring a mid-century modern design. One of the most notable features of the design is a Jack Lubin mural which was uncovered during demolition in the hotel’s original nightclub space, The Empire Room. The 40-foot masterpiece now resides in the lobby standing as an icon of the mid-century art era. The Statler has become a luxury destination in Dallas once again.
1401 Elm
1401 Elm is the largest renovation and abatement project in the state and one of the largest skyscraper conversions in the United States. The 52-story, 1.5 million square-foot historic tower was built in 1965. After renovations are complete, the building will include 318 luxury apartments, a 200-room Thompson Hotel, retail, office space, parking garage, and a wraparound amenity deck with a bar and restaurant, fitness center and outdoor green space. Amenities will include a pool, dog park, dog-grooming facility, exercise room and restaurants.
Dallas High School
In 2018, MAA also completed the oldest building renovation in downtown Dallas, the historic Dallas High School.
Built in 1907, Dallas High School is one of the oldest institutional buildings on the local school district property list and one of the most prominent landmarks in the city. MAA revived this four-story historical building to deliver 82,000 square-feet of office space and 11,00 square-feet of retail space upon completion. Ultimately receiving LEED Gold certification, MAA implemented many sustainable site and material strategies and envelope and energy/water efficiency improvements throughout the building. More than 99% of the existing core and shell were reused, and products were installed that possessed recycled content reducing the amount of construction waste. To improve the environmental health of the building, MAA installed low-emitting materials. Along with The Statler and 1401 Elm, Dallas High School is a quintessential piece of Dallas history.
East Quarter
On the eastern edge of downtown Dallas, is an urban neighborhood that encompasses eight blocks within Dallas’ urban core, called the East Quarter. Within the East Quarter development, a new 17-story tower called 300 Pearl, for which MAA is the architect, will be filling a vacant block. The new high-rise will feature 25,000 square-feet of retail space, 180,000 square-feet of office space, and 336 apartment units. The tower is projected to open in 2021.
Grandscape
Additionally, MAA is currently working on the largest lifestyle retail center in the state of Texas - Grandscape at The Colony. This project comprises over three million square-feet of lifestyle venues and two billion dollars in construction costs. It is currently under construction and will open in several phases with the first slated for Summer 2019. MAA is providing architecture, interior design and master planning services for the multi-faceted lifestyle center. Components include retail, dining, entertainment, residential and hospitality occupying 400 acres. The center will provide a vibrant, family-centered entertainment and dining district for the area with state-of-the-art facilities including unique venues like Andretti’s World, Galaxy Theaters and Scheels, as well as many other lifestyle venues specific to Dallas/Fort Worth and Texas.
At the center of the Grandscape Lifestyle Center, Lanoha Residential at Grandscape will offer 780 upscale apartments with different unit sizes and designs varying from efficiency to multiple variations of one- and two-bedroom units. Utilizing 800,000 square-feet, the residential project consists of two 14-story towers resting on concrete retail podiums to extend over a 3,500-car, seven-story cast-in-place concrete garage. Amenities include two pools, a large amenity deck, club rooms, golf rooms, dog park and a beer garden. Grandscape will be a destination for residents and visitors of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
With a strong portfolio of master planned developments, urban housing, office buildings, corporate facilities, hotels, mixed-use and retail projects, the dynamic team at MAA is committed to understanding the owner’s needs and bringing their vision to life through design excellence, inspired solutions and technical expertise.