CAN YOU NAME THAT BUILDING?

It’s easy to spot an out-of-towner visiting downtown Dallas: His head is thrown back, his eyes are fixed heavenward and his jaw is hanging open in awe. Usually, he’s saying something like, “I’ve never seen so much construction in all my life!” or “That must be the world’s biggest hole in the ground!”

On the other hand, it’s just as easy to spot someone who works downtown: He seldom gawks at the cranes that loom overhead, and he masterfully dodges the streets blocked off by the downtown construction. But now and then, it’s nice to take note of what’s overhead and underfoot. What new buildings will adorn the downtown skyline in 1985, and who will occupy them?

Nineteen buildings are currently under construction in Dallas’ 998-acre Central Business District (bounded by Woodall Rodgers Freeway, Stemmons Freeway, R.L. Thornton Freeway and Central Expressway). Today, A133,000 people work in the area; by 1985, that number should increase to 150,000.

Besides the 19 buildings currently under construction in the CBD, there are plans for more. Eight additional structures will be started this year, including three public areas: the Akard/Pacific pedestrian way, the Dallas Concert Hall and the Young/ Wood couplet, a park built in conjunction with the Higgin-botham-Bailey project. A major office tower project (the Campeau/Criswell Development) will also begin construction this year. The tower will be 1.2 million square feet in its first phase and, when fully leased, it will hold more than 4,000 employees-which will push it into the big leagues of office towers. There will be five additional renovation projects in the CBD this year, including Higginbotham-Bai-ley, 2121 Main and the Old City Jail.

Once 1983 is behind us, there will be no slowing down, as there are 23 buildings planned for construction beginning after this year. At this point, it looks like the Harwood, TriLand and Tish-man projects in the Arts District will be well on their way. Old City Park and the Farmers Market should get new faces soon and another public area, The Waterwalk, may become a reality soon after. Three major office projects to watch for are the Cadillac Fairview Elm/Main Development, the Trammell Crow/ West End Development and the San Jacinto East Project. By the time all current construction plans are completed, there will be 10 buildings in the CBD with more than 7 million square feet of space.

Wake up! Downtown is changing before your eyes. If you’ve been paying attention to what’s going on around you, you should be able to name all 19 of the new buildings currently under construction in the CBD. Test your downtown savvy; the answers are on the next page.