Magnolia Station Lofts

[columbiasooner]

Contemplating a move to the Magnolia Station Lofts down by the AAC. Anybody have any reviews or insights about it?


http://www.bennettmiller.com/images/MS_External_AAC%20in%20rear.jpg

[Columbus Civil]

Some of the units are really nice, others have a really funky layout with few windows. Other than that, I have heard nothingbad about them. I think Bennett Miller is known for being a good company.

Having said that, I think it's smarter to buy than to rent :D

[columbiasooner]

Yeah, due to my career path, I need to have the flexibility of picking up and moving at the drop of hat.

[ksig121]

I've had a couple of friends who lived there and it is very cool. The only problem that I see is that during events at the AAC, it can be very difficult to get in and out of there.

[columbiasooner]

yeah, I thought about that but I think it may be a benefit because one of the main reasons I don't go to games as much is because I don't want to go down there, park, and then hopefully find some tickets that fit my budget. Plus my move in date would coincide with the U2 concert next month and I think it would be a great place to preparty on the rooftop.

[ksig121]

Good thinking...I am with you on that one. I would actually park at my friend's condo when I would go to Mavs games and walk over. I wouldn't mind the congestion, but I know that some would.

[Lakewooder]

The place has history. My father worked there briefly in the early 1950s for Magnolia, then went to the offices above the flagship service station downtown which was recently the Dallas Observer headquarters, then to the Magnolia building. Before my Daddy died, we went to look at the Magnolia Lofts for a nostalgic outing...

[columbiasooner]

That's really cool. What's going in where the Dallas Observer was?

[jareis77]

I live at Magnolia Station... and I like it a lot. You feel right in the mix of Uptown and Downtown, but it's still its own little oasis. The people that live here are pretty cool, the management is good, no major complaints...

I've lived here for about 14 mos, and have rarely had an issue with traffic due to the AAC. If there is a line, you can usually tell the cops you're going home, and they'll wave you in.

Best parts of living here: Access to Katy Trail, proximity to Uptown & Downtown, not far from the Trinity River Trail (good for biking or running), they let you do pretty much whatever you want to the lofts, the buildings have great history, there's a rooftop deck, a pool, and horseshoes.

Worst parts: I think the AAC garage next door houses the A/C units for the building, so it has fans running 24/7; the pool dirty sometimes; people get a bit rowdy after concerts/events (but usually not sports)... that's about it. Let me know if you have questions.

[columbiasooner]

Thanks for the review. I think we are going to move in. We'd really like one of the lofts by the pool with the patios but none are available. Do you have any preferences for which buildings are better to than others?

[jareis77]

Best buildings... Well, I live in building A, the Warehouse (the big one), and it's pretty cool. We've got the laundry room, and the deck on the roof. That building by the pool probably is the coolest, but I've never seen one of those units up for rent. Those units have a backyard and are two stories. I've heard the other buildings with 2 stories (besides the warehouse) have really high electricity bills because there are lots of windows. The long one between the warehouse and the pool seems cool because it has its own deck out front and there are always people out there hanging out. That's about all I know on the buildings... :cool: (which one are you thinking about?)

[Justin Terveen]

Great spot.. love Bennett Miller and staff... great buildings and history too...

AA killed the view though... Be ready for construction fallout also.. dust.. noise.. etc

[Justin Terveen]

Be ready for construction fallout also.. dust.. noise.. etc

well, not sure if this is an issue now, but it was when AAC was under construction... they were all but giving the units away at one point...

[BigD5349]

Great spot.. love Bennett Miller and staff... great buildings and history too... AA killed the view though...

Guess you mean the AAC parking garage killed the view? I haven't been at Magnolia since before the garage was built.

It does seem like the garage was planned with the least sensitive placement imaginable for the folks at Magnolia.

But I was wondering, for any of you who've been there or live there, is the garage a major distraction for you?

[Justin Terveen]

Guess you mean the AAC parking garage killed the view? I haven't been at Magnolia since before the garage was built.

It does seem like the garage was planned with the least sensitive placement imaginable for the folks at Magnolia.

But I was wondering, for any of you who've been there or live there, is the garage a major distraction for you?


It's been awhile, but if I remember correctly the aa center itself was right smack dab in the way.. from the community rooftop area anyway.. can't speak for other units around the complex.. its a shame tho... it was such a nice view..

[columbiasooner]

We looked at 2 units in building B. Building A looked really cool as well but the one we looked at didn't open up to the outside, and that is very big for us. We both are in and out of the apartment a lot. How big of an issue is the AAC traffic?

[jareis77]

How big of an issue is the AAC traffic?

Not much of an issue, really. The only times it might be bad is right before or after an event, but even then, it's pretty easy to weave your way past the traffic. The cops will shut down a street or two, but if they see you live here, they'll wave you in. The worst is eastbound Harry Hines before a Mavs game, trying to turn onto Payne, but you can just go past it and turn onto Caroline. Last night was my first experience with a Stars game, and it wasnt bad at all... though it was pre-season. The only bad thing about all the Victory development is that all the people it will bring to the neighborhood will mean more traffic, so game nights might be more complicated then. But I think it will be worth it.

[jareis77]

Guess you mean the AAC parking garage killed the view? I haven't been at Magnolia since before the garage was built.

It does seem like the garage was planned with the least sensitive placement imaginable for the folks at Magnolia.

But I was wondering, for any of you who've been there or live there, is the garage a major distraction for you?

Yeah, that garage SUCKS. I've gone up to the top of it (before getting kicked off 2 seconds later) and there is an awesome view of downtown, but we get none of it thanks to the garage. You catch a glimpse of DT when you look down Houston street, but you have to be sitting in the very corner of the deck. Plus the a/c fans on top of the garage are really loud.

[KesslerDude]

The Magnolia Station lofts are cool. I lived in there for 2 years. I highly recommend it.

The 9 or so metal roof lofts are the coolest. Watch out for the old vault building - the utilities there will drive you to the poor house.