Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Just before the curve of East Clarendon Drive, a historic site approaches a year in the process of being restored.
The 62,000-square-foot space, known as East Dock, will soon be home to a variety of shops, offices and businesses all within the century-old buildings.
“We really worked to prioritize local businesses and our neighbors,” Haley Leavitt of Proxy Properties said. “Every person that we’ve met, we’ve met through weird happenstance.”
Leavitt said that these chance meetings, like running into each other at the pool a couple of times, are what is filling the building.
Some of the confirmed occupants include two athletic spaces that are already operating within East Dock, Abdias Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Archon Fitness & Performance, a weightlifting gym.
For food and drink, Leavitt said Kuluntu Bakery is confirmed to move in along with a smoothie and acai shop. Another food staple in East Dock will be the Latin-American restaurant Barro, which will highlight different countries through food every three months bringing in a Chopped winning chef from Colorado, Leavitt said.
The building has the potential to host a maker space in the 9,000-square-foot section where machinery for creatives could be accessed through a membership for artists. She also said that they hope to prioritize interior tenants to be things that don’t require a lot of public foot traffic, such as office spaces, while keeping retail spaces accessible with a storefront.
By providing those storefronts at East Dock, she said that each business space can feel like they have their own autonomy.
With the upcoming Oak Cliff Art Walk hosted in the space, she said that the opportunity will not only help creatives, but give locals the chance to understand that East Dock is here. The annual October event will be the first time the space is open to the public as businesses and nonprofits continue to move in February through April, with an official completion of the project expected in spring 2026.
East Dock is located at 900 E. Clarendon Drive.
