Proxy Properties has taken on the task of restoring the shuttered Oak Cliff United Methodist Church, and things are moving in the right direction.
Proxy is a real estate firm focused on rehabilitating and preserving old sites primarily in Oak Cliff. The group of Dallas investors purchased the Church at Jefferson and Marsalis in March 2023 with plans to renovate the property.
Despite being a historic landmark, the church faced potential destruction in 2021 under the demolition-by-neglect statute in Dallas’ development code due to its disrepair. To make matters worse, it caught fire in January 2022 (the “result of a homeless person starting a warming fire on the second floor too close to combustible materials,” according to Dallas Fire-Rescue).
Recently, the City of Dallas made it a bit easier for Proxy to transform one of our most historic properties as they approved their application to change the zoning from Regional Retail to Mixed Use with Historic District Overlay for the church.
This zoning change will allow for a mix of residential and commercial use, a crucial step in the growth and is promising for the Oak Cliff United Methodist Church and the entire community.
At 45,000 square feet spread between two buildings, Proxy owner AJ Ramler told the Advocate last year that the process of preserving and rebuilding the church is likely to take years.
