Identical twin sisters who successfully redeveloped several properties in Fort Worth are heading east for a new mixed-use redevelopment heavy on museum-quality art, with a refreshed vibe reminiscent of the Humphrey Bogart era.

M2G Ventures, the development company founded in 2014 by sisters Susan Gruppi and Jessica Miller, announced that the former CAN Academy campus at 4621 Ross Ave will be redeveloped into Bogart on Ross.

“The property will be a stunner,” Miller, who’s M2G Ventures’ co-president, said in a statement. “We are most excited about the museum-quality art that will be found throughout the building, the unique amenities and shared spaces we plan to offer, and the potential for an artist residency program. We named the building Bogart, as the art and vibe will be of Humphrey Bogart’s era.” 

Bogart on Ross is the sisters’ first foray into Dallas, building on their success in Tarrant County.

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“The Dallas market is competitive, and we were fortunate to acquire an asset with good bones and in a great location with this recent acquisition,” Gruppi, M2G Ventures other co-president, said in a statement. “We are excited to bring Bogart to the Old East Dallas submarket as we feel confident with the plans we have developed for repurposing, branding, and storytelling. It will be a project that is set apart from what is available in Old East Dallas and urban Dallas overall.” 

In Fort Worth, M2G Ventures renovated the former O.B. Macaroni Co. building on Vickery Street in 2017 into a vibrant retail and office hub that is home to such businesses as Craftwork Coffee, W Durable Goods, MELT Ice Creams, and others. 

The sisters’ Foundry District is a rehabbed six-acre industrial development that’s part of the Fort Worth Cultural District, adjacent to 7th Street and the Museum District. It is home to a mix of local retailers and restaurants, modern creative offices, and unique, alternative event venues.

Bogart on Ross is M2G Ventures’ first foray into Dallas. [Rendering: Courtesy MODUS Architecture]

Design will bring “balance” to Bogart on Ross’ Brutalist architecture

In Dallas, M2G Ventures is working with Dallas-based MODUS Architecture to bring a colorful new life to the Bogart on Ross project. Construction will be complete by the end of the first quarter in 2020.

M2G said the design “will bring balance” to the Brutalist architecture of the three-story, 50,675 square-foot building. The building will undergo a complete exterior refreshing that will include more windows, lighting, painted façade, ivy and greenery, and a new-look main entry. New ground-level storefronts, with an adjacent patio, will accommodate a cafe.

And, an outdoor grove and community space will feature a sculpture garden with new hard- and soft-scape, including a retaining wall offering a haven from busy Ross Avenue. M2G said that office employees will have access to the area via a green-space entry in the rear of the building.

In the future, tenants will see a dramatic first floor lobby, high ceilings, smooth concrete floors, new stairway treatments, new lighting, common restrooms on every floor, tenant storefronts, a second-floor balcony, an improved parking lot, and restricted/gated employee parking. 

The project will feature top amenities throughout, including an energy room with onsite Pelotons and showers, an employee lounge where collaboration over coffee or wine can occur, and a Zen library where tenants can have what M2G calls ‘heads down’ space. 

JLL will handle leasing of Bogart on Ross and Fort Worth-based Essl & Associates will hand project management.

“The ownership’s forward-thinking design plans for this incredible redevelopment take the typical creative office a step further,” JLL Senior Vice President Chris Doggett said.

Spaces available for lease will range in size from 3,000 to 9,000 square feet.

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