Ambassador Hotel Rises From the Ashes, Construction Underway on $60M Apartment Project
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We love a good comeback story, and it’s even better when it involves much-needed housing in a historic Dallas neighborhood. Developers with Austin-based OHT Partners have their eyes set on such a success story as they rebuild the former Ambassador Hotel on South Ervay Street into a $60 million apartment project.
Neighbors are keeping a close eye on construction and it seems everyone is rooting for a beautiful addition to the historic Cedars neighborhood.
William Baker, co-founder of JonesBaker design firm, said the project is looking good.
“It’s under construction, and OHT is the developer,” Baker told CandysDirt.com. “They built a nice-looking project on the site of the old Office Depot next to the Melrose Hotel on Oaklawn Avenue. It’s got a four-story parking garage. Two levels are underground. The other two floors are wrapped by the new construction. There’s a historic overlay on the site of the old Ambassador Hotel so they had to maintain that footprint and build something of a similar scale on that portion.”
Neighbors say it looks like a rooftop pool is under construction. Plans call for 299 apartments and the project next to Old City Park is slated to open in 2025.
A marketing representative for OHT Partners confirmed that the project manager is Ben Howard but declined to answer our questions about the project.
“The OHT team isn’t ready to share anything new about this project yet,” OHT spokeswoman Marian Rigby said. “We’re happy to reach back out with the information as soon as it’s available.”
OHT has built rental communities in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, the Dallas Morning News reported last year. Dallas architect Corgan is designing the development, which will total more than 320,000 square feet.
“OHT Partners purchased the Cedars neighborhood property from Jim Lake Cos., which bought the building in 2015 with plans to turn it into apartments,” the DMN article states. “The developer was working out details of the project when the late-night fire hit. J. Scott Lake and Jake Milner of Davidson & Bogel Real Estate LLC brokered the land sale.”
History of the Ambassador Hotel
The Ambassador Hotel was vacant when it burned in a 2019 fire, but it had quite a storied history.
“Originally opened in 1904 as the Majestic Hotel, the Ambassador hosted dignitaries including Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson,” Steve Brown of The Dallas Morning News wrote in May 2023. “The hotel was one of the most prominent buildings in Dallas’ Cedars neighborhood. The district south of downtown is seeing a resurgence with several new townhome and apartment projects on the way.”
The City of Dallas also recognized the importance of the local landmark.
“A four-alarm fire burned down the historic Ambassador Hotel overnight, destroying a vestige of Dallas’ past,” states a 2019 post from the City of Dallas’ website. “A staple of Dallas’ Cedars neighborhood, the hotel was reputed to have played host to celebrities, dignitaries, and even three U.S. presidents. Originally called the Majestic Hotel and later the Park Hotel, the building was constructed in 1904 and was the oldest remaining large luxury hotel in Dallas. Built originally as a red brick Sullivanesque Style structure, the hotel was renovated and renamed in 1932 into the beloved white stucco Spanish Revival Style hotel that was a familiar landmark to downtown residents and those traveling along I-30.”
