It’s not clear exactly when the Knox/Henderson area became a double-name district, but it dates back to at least 1985, when this magazine published “A Walking Tour of Knox/Henderson.” Even then, each side of Central had its own distinct vibe—Knox skewed more upscale, Henderson more bohemian. Very few of the named businesses will ring a bell to newer Dallasites (apart from Weir’s or maybe Highland Park Cafeteria), but the pedestrian-friendly area still has “some of the hottest real estate in the city” and is “the closest thing to a European street that Dallas has to offer.”
Both Knox and Henderson have lived several lives since the 1980s, and each is currently poised to enter a new, transformative phase. We’ve been tracking the changes over on Henderson, where the Tristan Simon-led Rebees is helping lead a notable (and construction-heavy) revival. Now we’re taking stock of where things currently stand on Knox.
Like Henderson, Knox experienced its first renaissance a few decades back, when it became known as a “Furniture Row” in the 1990s. This latest revival kicked off in 2018, when MSD Capital began acquiring Knox area buildings, becoming the neighborhood’s biggest landlord. In late 2020, Highland Park Village Associates was brought on to handle retail leasing. That, coupled with the Weir’s Plaza redevelopment and the 2023 announcement that Auberge would open its first hotel property in Dallas (called The Knox), helped attract the current wave of luxury tenants.
The Big Project: The Knox, Auberge Collection
It’s been a long time coming (most of which felt like it was spent digging a huge hole across from Le Bilboquet), but The Knox is nearly upon us. It marks the first Dallas property for Auberge, the ultra-luxe hospitality group whose portfolio includes the Commodore Perry in Austin, Bowie House in Fort Worth, Hotel Jerome in Aspen, and Auberge du Soleil in Napa. The hotel is part of a larger mixed-use project that’s designed to directly connect the Katy Trail to Knox with a pedestrian passage and a half-acre park…