Henderson Avenue Development Goes Vertical, Romy to Anchor First of Three Restaurants

Cranes are rising on Henderson Avenue as Dallas’ long-anticipated mixed-use redevelopment hits a visible milestone. One year after breaking ground, the Dallas-based development firm Ignite-Rebees has started vertical construction on the 161,000-square-foot project in East Dallas.

Henderson Avenue’s redevelopment spans a quarter-mile stretch and will include ten architecturally distinct buildings, 75,000 square feet of retail, 74,000 square feet of office, and 12,000 square feet of restaurants. The buildings will be dedicated to three restaurants, retail, and what the developer calls “hotelized” offices with ground-floor retail and dining.

The first building to rise, at 2050 N. Henderson Avenue, is one of four comprising Henderson East, a three-story office hub that’s a mix between workplace and hospitality. With stalled return-to-office plans, companies are turning to highly amenitized office settings to lure employees back. Hotelized offices are a trend that incorporates the luxury of high-end hotels with resort-like outdoor terraces, wellness spaces, and restaurant-catered dining as high-end amenities. Henderson’s office tenants will enjoy on-site food and beverage service from Romy, the first restaurant announced for the project.

Named for Rebees Managing Partner Taryn Anderson’s eldest daughter, Romy will operate as an elevated bakery-café by day and a modern American restaurant by night. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Romy will offer house-made pastries and seasonal dishes by morning, then transition to handmade pastas, wood-roasted meats, and a thoughtful wine program in the evening. Romy, slated to open in November or December 2026.

“Henderson Avenue was where I first learned how restaurants could reshape and define a neighborhood,” Rebees founder and managing partner Triston Simon said in a release. “Romy represents both a return and an evolution — a more mature, soulful expression of dining that reflects how we envision Henderson’s future restaurant culture.”

Taryn Anderson emphasized the project’s continuity with Henderson Avenue’s culinary past.

“When we built restaurants on Henderson, it was a true dining destination driven by talented chefs and real hospitality,” Anderson said in a release. “We’re bringing that spirit back — a return to craft, connection, and food with heart.”

In addition to serving the public, Romy will handle food and beverage for the Henderson East office tenants — offering meal delivery, catering, and curated in-office dining, part of the development’s goal to blur the lines between work, hospitality, and community.

“Henderson East will function less like an office building and more like a private club with a palpable sense of community and high-end hotel-quality amenities,” Simon said. “Romy’s role is to make coming to the office a joy and a source of pride.”

The project will feature landscaped walkways, public courtyards, subgrade parking for 500 cars, new street paving, decorative crosswalks, and buried utility lines. Designed by Good Fulton & Farrell with interiors by SET Studio, the project is scheduled for completion in November 2026.