THE MAN BEHIND TRAVIS WALK

LET’S FACE IT: Dallas is not known as a “walking” kind of town. You see people on the streets of downtown only during office hours: when the sun goes down, the people disappear. The same holds true for most of the rest of the city. Dallasites drive miles to reach a mall, park in the asphalt ocean surrounding the mall, and then walk in air-conditioned comfort to their hearts’ content-or until their feet give out.

The other alternative to the mall seems to be the strip center. Again, no walking. You drive your car to a parking space as close to the shop of your choice as possible. You hop out, dash in, dash out, and drive off.

Somewhere along the line the idea seems to have grown up that Dallasites like it this way. That they can’t stand to be too far from their cars, don’t want to hoof it for even short distances, prefer not to interact with other people or saunter in a more human-scale environment, have no desire to linger in a distinctive ambience.

Not so. Dallasites like these things as much as anyone else. The climate of Dallas makes the city a good place for walking, tailor-made for an out-of-doors shopping environment. And a number of Dallas developers are attempting to redesign parts of Dallas on the bet that Dallasites, like other humans, really do want to stroll about, and that given a suitable environment they will flock to the streets-even if they have to drive to mat environment to start with.

One such walking area rapidly taking shape and growing in popularity is an area in and around the intersection of Knox Street and Travis Avenue. For some time now that area has been home to some very good restaurants and intriguing architecture. The area also has an interesting mix of residential, commercial, and retail. For the most part this mixture has occurred through a natural, unplanned process, lending that random feel that people seem to prefer. Yet the growth of the Knox/Travis hub has not been entirely by accident, and il’s becoming a full-fledged walking center because of careful planning.

The mind behind much of the slow evolution of Knox/Travis, and the man behind the next big step, is Chip McCarthy, one of the city’s lesser-known developers. In late April, McCarthy’s three-story Travis Walk opened with 115,000 square feet of commercial and retail space right in the midst of the shops, restaurants, and condominiums that currently dot the area.

McCarthy arrived in Dallas from New York in 1977. A graduate of Brown University, McCarthy invested in Dallas real estate and developed condominiums that were to win national design awards.

As a member of the International Council of New York’s Modern Museum, Chip has long been fascinated by art and architecture. He understands that cities require time to develop distinctive neighborhood patterns. “You just don’t decide one day that this look or that look is the Dallas style and then go build your city,” he says. “The development of a distinctive city takes time. It has to evolve; a natural process has to take place.”

McCarthy believes that such developments require developers committed to quality architecture; that, too, he says, will come with time. Gazing out the window of his conference room overlooking McKinney Avenue, McCarthy says, “A development has to make economic sense, and at times when land values are soaring, selling property often makes far more sense than developing it.” He continues: “If you are going to develop it, usually the structure that makes most economic sense is an office building, especially one with minimal frills.”

But as escalating land values level off, McCarthy says opportunities arise for developers to take a longer view and look for other uses for their land. He also believes that as a city evolves, developers get a better sense of what fits, a better sense of the style of architecture that will add a distinctive flare to an area of town. McCarthy is convinced that the Knox/Travis area can and will be such an area.

One reason for his optimism is that the area is literally a promenade for Highland Park. A relatively young, very affluent group of people live within a couple of miles of McCarthy’s Travis Walk development. The financial profile of the nearby neighborhood has already made several of the area’s restaurants among the most profitable in the city. On The Border, located just two blocks from Travis Walk, is the top-grossing restaurant in town. The Hoffbrau, maybe three blocks away, is the largest purveyor of steaks in Dallas. And the cash register tallies at Highland Park’s other retail center, Highland Park Village, are among the highest per capita in the nation.

The project that McCarthy believes will lure pedestrian shoppers and Highland Park denizens reflects his ideas on design. “I basically like things simple, not ex-(ravagant. You can have style, you can be distinctive without looking freakish. Unfortunately many efforts at developments like Travis Walk wind up too out of step, too extreme, and just don’t wear well,” says McCarthy.

Like the Quadrangle, Travis Walk will not impose on its surroundings, though during its construction many feared that it would. In its grey concrete phase the Travis Walk complex seemed to tower over its neighbors, seemingly ready to roll onto Travis Steet with a thud. But as the finishing touches have been added, McCarthy’s ideas on design have begun to take hold. “I believe a building should draw people in, therefore it should have setbacks, not embellishments,” he says. The European flavor of Travis Walk is understated. Travis Walk will feature free underground parking with plenty of natural light The concept is that anything that draws people to the area, and allows them to walk, will be good for Travis Walk.



BY AND LARGE, most of Travis Walk’s neighbors have accepted the project. Some fear too many walkers will overwhelm the small area. Others believe the traffic flow alone, already high, will doom any hope of a real pedestrian area. In today’s overbuilt market, Travis Walk- despite its location in one of Dallas’ few walkable districts-is still a gamble. As fashion-conscious as Dallas is, there’s plenty of high-end retail around, and many a reduced cash flow. And it’s possible that Dallasites will view Travis Walk not as a delightful strolling area but as a commercial intrusion. The real question for Travis Walk is this: have Dallasites forgotten how to walk, or have they just been waiting for a place to walk?