Restaurants, Retail, Living Space, and More Part of Near Southside's PS1200 Project

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There's not anything quite like it in the Near Southside: eight Quonset huts (you know, those steel, semi-cylindrical structures similar to those used by the military during World War II) standing in a row, surrounded by restaurants, shops, offices, and a public park.

That's PS1200, a project currently under construction at 1200 Sixth Ave. and expected to open in October. The development spans a total of 22,500 square feet, anchored by eight residential units (the Quonset huts), with 5,500 square feet of office space and three retail locations. The folks behind Spiral Diner across the street are also bringing in two vegan concepts, a restaurant called Maiden and a dessert shop, Dreamboat Donuts.

Spearheading the project are Detroit-based real estate development company Prince Concepts, architecture firm Marlon Blackwell Architects, and landscape architect Julie Bargmann of D.I.R.T studio, as well as Studio Outside.

Prince Concepts' president Philip Kafka hails from the Lone Star State.

“I am excited to bring the Prince Concepts’ development philosophy and placemaking to my home state of Texas,” Kafka said in a statement. “PS1200 marks our third development project that employs the Quonset hut as a tool to offer elevated quality space, and it synthesizes the most successful elements of all our previous Detroit-based projects. PS1200 thoughtfully combines public green space, inspired dwellings, commerce, and office space — providing a place where the Fort Worth community can live, work, gather, and intersect to experience urbanism, architecture, and landscape." 

Prince Concepts already has two existing Quonset hut developments similar to PS1200 — Caterpillar and True North, both in Core City, Detroit. According to Prince Concepts, Quonset huts can "reduce cost and offer significant investment into landscape and high quality indoor and outdoor spaces."

The first of the two projects, True North, has raked in a few accolades, including 2017’s Multi-Family development of the year by The Architect’s Newspaper and a Progressive Architecture award. True North was also one of six finalists for the prestigious Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize and one of just two finalists from the U.S., the other being the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History Washington D.C.

“PS1200 embodies the benefits of contemporary city life — working, living, and relaxing in one beautiful, convenient, and central location,” Marlon Blackwell, founder and principal of Marlon Blackwell Architects, said in a statement. “Consistent with several of Prince Concepts’ past projects, we designed PS1200 using Quonset huts, a utilitarian structure. In doing so, we aspired to elevate something prosaic and humble into something noble, while invoking the rhythm and iconic shapes of the Kimbell Art Museum.”

---FOO BAR