December 15, 2006

Lake Cliff Tower ready to shine again

Chris Heinbaugh / WFAA-TV

For years, Lake Cliff Tower has sat empty on the Oak Cliff skyline - a symbol of a neighborhood's decay.

But the Oak Cliff Gateway is bouncing back and the tower's restoration is leading the way.

It's been an icon on the skyline for decades.

But two years ago when developer Steve Everbach showed us the Lake Cliff Tower lobby, it was a tired shadow of itself with crumbling travertine walls.

Today, it's transformed - a mix of modern and antique, a far cry from it's neglected past.

"It was pretty much a gradual deterioration over a period of time when the building wasn't maintained as it should have been," said Everbach, from Evergreen Realty Advisors.

The travertine couldn't be saved... but the mantle was, after scraping 17 layers of paint.

The Tower has taken 18 months to restore.

The entire building was gutted, asbestos removed, along with plenty of junk.

And where there was once only a roof over a garage, now it holds a swimming pool and a fire pit.

In the basement, a billiard room, wine cellar and a theatre.

The transformation upstairs was also dramatic. Walls were moved and space created.

Now, 60 loft-style condos for new residents, some with a perk you don't see often - a toilet with a view.

And that's one thing that hasn't changed with the Tower.

With Lake Cliff on one side, downtown Dallas on the other, the building sells itself, which has to please city leaders.

They gave $4.1 million in tax incentives to keep a symbol of Oak Cliff alive.

"We really feel it's an unpolished gem in the skyline of Dallas," said Everbach.

A gem ready to shine again.

Original article appears in WFAA.