Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Announce New Property in Dallas

SAN FRANCISCO (June 20, 2018) -- Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today a new venture in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, expanding the brand’s presence in Texas and solidifying its role in revitalizing one of the most historically significant neighborhoods in the region. The Kimpton Pittman Hotel is scheduled to open in mid-2020.

The mixed-use development, called the Epic, is just east of Downtown Dallas, adjacent to the vibrant community of Deep Ellum. The hotel will be close to key business centers, including the Downtown Dallas Central Business District and the Baylor University Medical Center. It will also be near key leisure and entertainment centers including the Dallas Arts District and the four-thousand seat live music and event site, the Bomb Factory. Deep Ellum is home to more than thirty live music venues, making it one of the largest entertainment districts in Dallas.  

The project is an adaptive reuse of the historic Knights of Pythias Temple (subsequently the Union Bankers Trust Building) originally designed in 1916 by architect William Sidney Pittman. The hotel will include 165 guest rooms, more than 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a signature restaurant, bar and lounge, outdoor patio, pool and fitness center.

The Epic development includes The Hamilton, a luxury apartment tower with 310 residences and 290,000 square feet of first-class office space, highlighting the project’s focus on residential and commercial revitalization of the area. Both Westdale and Kimpton have dedicated more than three decades to the historical preservation of celebrated buildings and have collectively taken great care in honoring the original character of a space while transforming it into a stylish boutique hotel and restaurant. Recent projects that showcase Kimpton’s leadership in adaptive reuse include the Gray Hotel in Chicago, Illinois and the Cardinal in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“We’ve been searching for the right opportunity in Dallas,” said Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “Deep Ellum’s vibrant culture, renowned art galleries and incredible concert venues are a perfect match for our unique take on boutique hospitality. We’re excited to showcase our expertise in adaptive reuse projects and look forward to partnering with VineTower and Westdale.”

“Deep Ellum’s energy and creative spirit are the heartbeat of the Epic development,” said Dennis Trimarchi, Managing Principal of Real Estate Development at Westdale. “Through our partnership with Kimpton we will bring best-in-class brands and experiences to this historic area, all while embracing the rich culture of the community every step of the way.”

In keeping true to the building’s history, the design will retain the original Beaux Arts structure and the integrity of the fourth-floor ballroom where celebrated blues musicians such as “Blind Lemon” Jefferson, Robert Johnson and “Lead Belly” Ledbetter performed. Kimpton’s Global Senior Vice President of Design Ave Bradley will spearhead the interior design and architecture for the hotel, in partnership with Busta Studios and Perkins+Will architects.

“We’re honored to have this opportunity to renovate the landmark Union Bankers Trust Building and pay homage to the Golden Era of Dallas,” said Jeff Cohen, Managing Partner at VineTower Deep Ellum, LLC, which is developing the hotel in partnership with Westdale. “Kimpton’s heartfelt and design-centered approach to hospitality will add great value to the hotel and play a critical role in the revitalization of Deep Ellum.”

This hotel will join the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin which opened in November of 2015 and was recently named the best hotel in Texas by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

Renderings of the project can be found here.

ABOUT WESTDALE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT & MANAGEMENT
Westdale is a strategic real estate investment firm that owns, develops and manages commercial projects across the country. Since 1991, Westdale has acquired 200 commercial properties in 30 cities, representing a total capitalization of greater than $4 billion. With in-house property management, leasing and construction services, Westdale’s 1,200 employees effectively drive a leading, top 50 U.S. vertically integrated commercial real estate firm. Westdale is headquartered in Dallas and has offices nationwide. For more information, kindly visit www.westdale.com.

ABOUT VINETOWER DEEP ELLUM, LLC
VineTower Deep Ellum, LLC (“VineTower”) is an affiliate of VineTower Development, LLC - a joint venture between Vines Street Ventures, Inc. and Archtower Capital, LLC.  Headquartered in Dallas, the partnership has a primary focus on the development of design driven hospitality and mixed-use projects in high-barrier domestic urban markets. VineTower develops these properties with institutional partners and is intentionally positioned as a “low volume, high margin” firm in which flexibility, speed and its critical core competences are emphasized. VineTower uses a “best practices” philosophy and believes in both brand and sponsorship as fundamental aspects of development which occupy equal stature with location and design. VineTower’s portfolio includes developments in Nashville, Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.  For more information, please visit www.vinetower.com.

ABOUT KIMPTON HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is the original boutique hotel company, which pioneered the concept of unique, distinctive, design-forward hotels in the United States in 1981. Anchored in one-of-a-kind experiences, Kimpton now operates more than 60 hotels and 80 restaurants, bars and lounges across urban locations, resort destinations and up and coming markets in the United States, Europe, Caribbean and Greater China. Kimpton spaces and experiences center on its guests, offering inspiring design that evokes curiosity to forward-thinking flavors that feed the soul. Every detail is thoughtfully curated and artfully delivered, so that guest experiences remain meaningful, unscripted and ridiculously personal.

Kimpton’s employees, empowered to provide heartfelt service and experiences, have built a highly regarded workplace culture that appears consistently on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list.

In January 2015, Kimpton became part of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) family of hotel brands. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.

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