A Historic Oak Cliff Church Is Reborn as a Haven For Artists.
Just up the hill from the zoo on the corner of Morrell and Fernwood avenues stands a structure that has intrigued residents for years. Notable for its conical lighthouse crafted of giraffe stone, what was once the home of the Oak Cliff Assembly of God will soon be a meeting place for another assembly — the young artistic community of southern Dallas.
This city of Dallas landmark was zoned for townhouses when primary owner and developer A.J. Ramler of Proxy Property Management and his wife, Michaella, were invited to attend a Zion service held on the building’s administrative side. As the Ramlers were already immersed in purchasing and updating houses in the neighborhood, adding the assembly to their portfolio seemed a rare opportunity to preserve and build on local history.
Famed for healing and speaking in tongues, the congregation constructed a small frame building on Morrell Street, expanding to its current 1,200-capacity structure in 1942. The church remained in the hands of the Assembly of God until the mid-1960s when the Zion church took it over. While the sanctuary is a natural location for plays, concerts or weddings, the outer wings and hallways of the building could host any number of tenants, from artist studios to bike shops. Proxy has already leased out part of the administrative building — the first to receive a makeover — for co-working spaces. The company’s office manager, Haley Leavitt, says she envisions everything from a ghost kitchen to a micro-tattoo artist colonizing it.
For the participating artists, contributing their talent allows them to have a voice in a neighborhood they love, one which developers often destroy.
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