Downtown Dallas Campus is a redevelopment of Mercantile Place—including the historic Mercantile National Bank Building—that began in 2005 at the request of Dallas’ Mayor at the time, Laura Miller. Thanks to its stellar track record with historic redevelopment, expertise in placemaking, and capability to tackle multi-building projects, Forest City made the project-winning proposal. In financial partnership with the City of Dallas and by utilizing historic-building tax credits, Forest City created a mixed-use hub that has contributed to placemaking within Dallas and the resurgence of downtown.

The Campus comprises a mix of new buildings and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. The historic buildings include Mercantile Place on Main (now known as The Merc), The Wilson and The Continental, while The Element and 3700M make up the new buildings. The Element and The Merc are connected via a large outdoor space, while The Continental is connected to the complex by an underground bridge. Historic rehabilitation of the Mercantile National Bank Building meant retaining its signature clock and spire atop its 31 stories, paying homage to its origins. As the only skyscraper completed in the United States during World War II, it holds particular significance. Ground-floor retail at Mercantile Place on Main sits below over 200 apartments that overlook Main Street Garden Park. Dallas had dreamed of having a centralized garden that would create the right feeling of placemaking within the city; the resulting Main Street Garden Park is a greenspace that is beloved by the people of Dallas.

Forest City, in thoughtfully redeveloping this landmark area, gave particular attention to the historic fabric of the community and the details within. With an original Neiman Marcus department store as a noteworthy anchor across the street, redeveloping the 20-story Mercantile tower was essential to keeping the area vibrant and up-to-date. Adaptive reuse of such a tall building downtown was extremely difficult, with obstacles in maintaining the historic designation while also creating apartments within. Forest City was ultimately able to resolve the issues, adhering to preservation rules while achieving a high occupancy yield. Because of their seed investment, Forest City opened up new areas of Dallas that have continued to grow and flourish. Forest City was on the leading edge, kickstarting development in an underinvested area, creating what is now a sought-after, high-quality residential downtown.