A more than $70 million, 16-story mixed-use community in downtown Dallas welcomed its first residents this week.
Developer Mill Creek Residential has opened Modera St. Paul at 404 South Saint Paul St., which features 333 apartments and 3,600 square feet of street-level retail space.
Apartment units range from studios to three bedrooms, with asking rents between $1,875 and $4,330.
Retail tenants have not been announced, but a restaurant is expected to fill the corner near Wood and Young streets. A second, smaller retail space is located at the intersection of Saint Paul and Young streets, said Michael Blackwell, senior managing director for Mill Creek Residential.
“We’re trying to activate the street along that Saint Paul frontage and create a really interesting sort of visual thing that brings people into the building,” he said.
Blackwell did not say how much his firm spent on developing the tower. However, a 2022 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation showed estimated construction costs of $70 million.
Details in TDLR filings are preliminary and subject to change without notice.
The new tower was built on the site of an old parking lot, and the group is still putting the finishing touches on the property, Blackwell said. Construction began in 2023.
Community elements throughout the property evoke elements of biophilia — a design approach aimed at enhancing the connection between people and nature. Blackwell said the goal is to soften the environment, which is surrounded by the cars and garages of downtown.
There are plants throughout the property, and a table in the front lobby was made from a tree that Mill Creek cut down at one of its other properties in Dallas, he said.
The apartment interiors are more modern and industrial, but still feature elements like rustic wood cabinets and accented green tiles in the showers and backsplashes to carry nature inside, Blackwell said.
Community amenities around the property draw inspiration from Texas filmmaker Wes Anderson, known for his distinctive visual style that features deliberate symmetry and a vibrant color palette.
It’s seen in the arcade room with its peachy creamsicle ceiling, rectangular wall paneling and the brownish orange and gray patterned flooring.
There are elements of Anderson-esque quirkiness in the hidden speakeasy-style karaoke room and the old-school vintage ice cream parlor with a vending machine that connects to the pool courtyard.
Other amenities include a bike repair and storage facility, podcast studio and pet spa. The property’s seventh-floor club level includes a fitness center, yoga studio and an outdoor amenity deck with a resort-style pool.
At the top of the building, there’s an indoor/outdoor sky lounge and roof deck with views of the city.
Blackwell credits Downtown Dallas Inc. and real estate firm Hamilton Partners as key partners on the project. The group also designed the property with one of its key neighbors in mind — the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.
A large mural with flowers and birds faces the church. The imagery is meant to align with the church’s mission and to honor a member at First Presbyterian who recently died. The development team worked closely with them, Blackwell said.
Blackwell said he hopes Modera St. Paul will continue to build on the momentum of recent investments in that eastern portion of downtown.
“It is one of the more risky but fun and interesting (opportunities),” he said.
The project is the second that Mill Creek Residential has opened in recent weeks. The first residents at Modera Trailhead near White Rock Lake moved in earlier this month.
