This Dallas District Is Brimming with Hidden Treasures — Featuring a New Luxury Hotel

As a fourth-generation Dallas native, my recent home visit revealed the delightful surprises of the Harwood District. Driving by the Rolex building brought back vibrant childhood memories, but it wasn’t until this year that I discovered this area is a treasure trove. Its prime location provides easy walking access to the city’s largest entertainment venues, top museums, and most popular trails.

One key piece of advice for visitors to Dallas-Ft. Worth: be prepared to spend a lot of time in your car. In these expansive cities, it's uncommon to find a central area where you can completely escape highway traffic and nightlife hustle.

Harwood District is a unique gem, designed with intention. Owned by Harwood International, a family-run real estate and development firm, it aims to craft innovative experiences. Spanning 19 blocks, the district showcases architecture by renowned designers like Kengo Kuma, houses prestigious office clients such as Rolex, and boasts an expanding array of dining and beverage options. A highlight is La Rue Perdue, a charming cobblestone street reminiscent of Europe, featuring a pub, pizzeria, and small market within mere steps of each other. This delightful alley captures the essence of sidewalk cafes in Paris, offering a truly unique atmosphere in Dallas.

Harwood's Saint Ann restaurant is housed in a historic landmark, St. Ann's School, which was the first school for Hispanic children in Dallas, established in 1927 during the era when the surrounding area was known as Little Mexico, Dallas’s first Mexican neighborhood. Preserving this piece of history was a wise choice by Harwood. The restaurant features the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection on its second floor. The Barbier-Muellers, the husband-and-wife team behind Harwood International, own the largest private samurai collection outside of Japan. This remarkable collection can be viewed for free with a timed entry pass and serves as a delightful surprise for visitors. Within a half-mile walk from the museum, you can find the Nasher Sculpture Center, The Dallas Museum of Art, and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. As someone who appreciates the arts, I was familiar with these museums but had never encountered The Samurai Collection, which reminded me that there’s always something new to discover in well-known places.

Among Dallas's standout attractions is Klyde Warren Park, which spans a highway and provides a pedestrian link between uptown and downtown. Interestingly, Harwood established a park above concrete long before Klyde Warren Park was conceived, back in the early 1990s. Marie Gabrielle Gardens is nestled between two office buildings and above a parking garage, transporting visitors to a dreamlike Parisian garden. The gardens feature neatly lined trees along a gravel path, complemented by serene water elements. It’s a picture-perfect retreat, rivaled only by the Dallas Arboretum for its immaculate landscaping. While visitors can explore the gardens freely during the day via accessible stairs, it is not classified as a public park.

If Harwood is a district full of hidden treasures, the shining gem is the recently opened Hôtel Swexan. This hotel artfully blends Swiss sophistication with Texan warmth, drawing inspiration from Gabriel’s Swiss lineage and Ann’s Texan background. The design-centric hotel reflects the couple's travels and is overseen by exceptional talent. General manager Julian Payne brings a dedication to outstanding service along with over 30 years of experience managing prestigious boutique and five-star hotels, including The Ritz London, Hotel de Crillon in Paris, and various Mandarin Oriental locations.

As you step inside, you’re welcomed with warm Texas smiles and elegant, understated European-inspired interiors. The hotel boasts 134 rooms spread across 20 floors, creating a home-like atmosphere with generously sized rooms that include floor-to-ceiling windows. Our accommodations were filled with thoughtful personal touches that made us feel right at home. The spacious marble bathroom in our corner king suite was luxurious, featuring Le Labo amenities and a large bathtub with a ceiling water fill, offering a stunning view of the city. The rooftop pool is an ideal spot to soak up the sun, complete with plush loungers and private cabanas. The eighth-floor gym is another well-designed feature, offering a spacious, earth-toned environment equipped with premium gear, along with a cold plunge, steam rooms, saunas, and an outdoor terrace for yoga sessions.

Hôtel Swexan features five distinct dining and drinking venues, ensuring guests have ample choices without needing to leave the property. The standout is Stillwell’s, a tribute to Texas ranching icon Hallie Stillwell, which stands out in Dallas's established steakhouse scene. Stillwell’s embodies a mid-century ranch aesthetic with warm interiors and a unique beef program known as HWD. This program sources beef from the family’s Akaushi cattle ranch located on the Texas-Oklahoma border, focusing on utilizing every part of the animal for creating leather goods and various beef products. Additionally, Stillwell’s boasts an exceptional wine selection curated by female Master Sommelier Barbara Werley.

Hôtel Swexan boasts a design by the esteemed architect Kengo Kuma, a favorite of Harwood. Kuma describes the building's facade as akin to a finely tailored suit: 'It combines the precise and crisp Swiss aesthetic with a relaxed and robust Texan spirit. This suit is designed to harmonize with the spaces and the rich diversity within, offering a welcoming experience filled with unexpected details and movement. The exterior sets the tone, evolving throughout the day as the light changes from morning to evening.' His philosophy resonates with the broader vision of the Harwood District in which it resides.