Matthews Southwest is completing work on the South Side Master Plan, a 45-acre development in downtown Dallas.

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When it came to creating the South Side Master Plan, a 45-acre development in downtown Dallas, Matthews Southwest CEO Jack Matthews had a very clear objective – to “do it right.   

“A lot of pieces that have been done over the years in various different markets had to come together to do this particular plan properly,” he explains.

Matthews might be referring to the Trinity River Project, an unrelated, $2 billion downtown revitalization effort that is spurring Matthew’s 45-acre development by making the land more appealing. Or perhaps he is speaking about what seems like resurgence in public interest since his company brought major entertainment venues, such as the Palladium Ballroom, a 30,000-foot music venue, or Gilleys, a 15,000-foot entertainment complex with restaurants and music venues, to the region.

Or, finally, maybe it was Matthews’ decision to donate 3.25 acres of land to the city of Dallas, on which the Jack Evans police headquarters are located, to ensure the police department’s presence and qualm safety concerns about the area.

“I looked at the land in relationship to downtown, and said, ‘there’s no reason, except people’s perception, why this can’t be a successful area,” Matthews says. “But perception is huge in real estate, so what we did is we worked hard to bring the city police headquarters to the area. It brings in population and perceived safety.”

Currently, 500,000 people a year to come to the area just for the entertainment, Matthews says, and now that area has 1,000 police workers. “We are just expanding the residential component,” he says.
“Really, we’re bringing finance to an area that in the past hasn’t had financing, and we’re building and selling condominiums,” Matthews explains.

Responsible Development
In 1997, Matthews turned former Sears, Roebuck & Co. building into 457 lofts with living quarters and studio space for low-income artists. In addition to low-rent, the tenants were asked to contribute artwork, community service and building beautification on an ongoing basis. Dubbed the South Side on Lamar, the development brought in a large, steady population stream and is part of a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented development.

Matthews is currently working on The Beat, a 10-story, 75-unit condominium project in the heart of the South Side on Lamar. The condominiums at the Beat include 10- and 12-foot ceilings, sealed concrete floors, exposed duct-work, European-style custom cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.
Matthews teamed up with longtime architectural collaborator, Foster + Partners, to make sure the residences are built in a sustainable, responsible way.

The building is within walking distance to entertainment venues, restaurants and retail stores and a Dallas Area Rapid Transit station. “We’re incorporating green elements,” Matthews says. “We studied wind patterns and looked at the building’s natural ventilation. They feature perforated aluminum screens that take away about 50 percent of the sun so tenants can see through their windows and still have privacy on a balcony when the sun’s [the] hottest in Dallas.”

Matthews is looking at building more artist lofts, intermingled with retail and other developments throughout the city for the next seven years.

In addition, the company is currently developing the 1,000-room Convention Center hotel. “We’re trying to develop the absolute best quality living and working area and stay both environmentally and economically green at the same time,” Matthews says.

From Calgary to Dallas
Matthews Southwest is headquartered in Dallas, but does half of its work in Canada, Matthews says. The company is currently working on The Bow in Calgary, which is the biggest office tower under construction in North America. The 58-story skyscraper should open in 2011.

“We call ourselves a small company that does large deals,” he says of his 20-person firm. “We like large, complicated projects that other people don’t like doing. We see an advantage in putting our minds to things that are different.”

That has to do with Matthews own perspective, who grew up working for his father’s construction company in Canada. “I had many opportunities to see everything in construction; all types of different commercial/residential deals that went on,” Matthews recalls. “I was able to transport that knowledge to the development side.”

Matthews founded the company in 1988. Since that time, it has acquired, built and managed single and multi-tenant corporate office, institutional and industrial developments throughout North America, “bring[ing] together financial resources and an experienced management team,” it says.