Start in front of Dallas City Hall. Walk two blocks east on Marilla Street, veering slightly northward on Canton, until you’re standing in front of the old J. Desco & Son tile factory. Open the door, step across the threshold, and you’ll be transported hundreds of miles to the south.
The tile factory (business founded in 1907; building completed in 1927) is a cantina now, but its product remains visible throughout the space. Geometric patterns snake in circles on the floor in front of the bar. Hand-painted decorative tiles line the walls, one of which is also embedded with a working fountain. Stained glass windows adorn the bathroom doors. The walls and ceiling in the main room are stuccoed.
It may sound like too much, but so many of the details create an immediate sense of relaxation. The fountain did it for me. The moment I heard it, I felt like I was in a courtyard in San Antonio, where fountains are so common that they may be a civic requirement. Communal spaces like these don’t usually exist any farther north. The magic carries over to the side room, an art gallery of works for sale, separated by a small step and a thin curtain…