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The second coming ofHighland Park VillageWHAT DO TRE WILCOX, STELLA McCARTNEY AND THE LATEST HOLLYWOODBLOCKBUSTER HAVE IN COMMON? THEY’RE ALL PART OF RAY WASHBURNE’S

VISION FOR SHOPPING CENTER AS URBAN TOWN SQUARE. AS DALLAS’ MOST CHI-CHI ENCLAVE TURNS 80,

ITS OWNER IS DIRECTING A VERY STRATEGIC NIP-TUCK.

B Y C H R I S T O P H E R W Y N N | P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J U S T I N C L E M O N S

Ray Washburne stands atop the movie

marquee at Highland Park Village.

It’s a sunny weekday; the breeze

keeps mussing his hair. Shoppers race

by below with bags from Hermes,

Scoop and Jimmy Choo, too busy to look up.

Washburne is used to a commanding view.

He points out where the new live oaks were

planted to help shade the parking lot, and

where the bell tower will rise. “You’ve got to

create a sense of arrival,” he says, more edict

than comment.

Man with a plan:Highland Park Villageowner, general partnerand president RayWashburne

March 2011 | fdluxe.com | 31

Hermès

Rugby’sJasmondHarrison

Scoop

Patrizio

Hot spot Starbucks

Chanel

A freshly tiledfountain nearAvant Garden

A freshly tiledfountain nearAvant Garden

“You’ll see someone in a track suitrunning into Tom Thumb, whilesomebody else in a coat and tie

is coming out of Café Pacific. TheVillage is a story. Everybody’s

got their own story of whythey’re coming here.”

RAY WASHBURNE

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T he center’s owner, still boyishlyhandsome at 50, has just led usupstairs through theconstruction mess of what thismonth becomes the Marquee

Grill & Bar — the game-changingrestaurant headed by former Top Chef starTre Wilcox that adjoins the new VillageTheatre movie house. The business moguldoesn’t appear to notice that his suit isdusty from stepping over a heap of powercords; we’re pretty sure he wouldn’t care.

The man is fanatical about HighlandPark Village. Washburne’s family boughtthe landmark property two years ago for agasp-worthy $170 million. The Wall StreetJournal declared it the largest sum paidthat year for U.S. retail property, and the$680 per-square-foot price is thought to bethe highest ever paid for a piece of Dallasshopping. But Washburne, a former EagleScout who co-founded the MCrowdRestaurant Group (as in Mi Cocina, TacoDiner), isn’t focused on numbers.

He has a vision. “I want this to feel like a town square,” he

says. “Not just for Highland Park, but for allof inner Dallas and our customers comingfrom neighborhoods such as Lakewood,Preston Hollow and Kessler Park.”

Washburne also wants the historicSpanish Mediterranean center to becomeeven more visually dazzling. To that end,he’s assembled a local team, includingarchitect Dale E. Selzer, design firmsOmniplan and Zero3, and the LightingPractice, which did a 2009 high-tech (andenergy-efficient) update to the U.S. Capitoldome. Improvements range fromminuscule (new flowerpots, repainting theparking stripes) to maximal: Constructionbegan last month on a two-story clocktower in the center fountain courtyard. Thetower will house an elevator to whooshshoppers to an extended balcony, enabling

NAMEDROPPING

Coming soonStella! Yes, the biggest nameshifting from whisperedrumor to actual concrete isStella McCartney, scheduledto occupy the former NobleBoutique. (William NobleRare Jewels is staying put.The bauble guru is simplyconsolidating collectionsinto a single showroom.)Stella’s Dallas digs will bethe designer’s fourth shopin the country, followingNew York, LA and LasVegas.More names on the rosterinclude women’s designerTrina Turk, next door toVince, and a pop-up fromItalian fashion house EmilioPucci, going into the formerE. 61st store. Dallas favoriteBilly Reid will relocate fromNorthPark Center into theformer Menchie’s FrozenYogurt space in May.As for rumor control, wecan confirm that a majorItalian luxury name isplanning a two-storyemporium for men’s,women’s and children’sfashion, home furnishingsand glassware near thefountain plaza. Two otherextremely high-profiledesigner names are inconversations to open hereas well. Our lips our sealed(for now).

Construction has begun on a new elevator clock-tower near the Village fountain.

“We want to continue theevolution of Highland ParkVillage while respecting its

history. What works here arebest-in-class retailers that offer

something unique. If you can buyit at 23 other points of sale in

Dallas, it’s probably not for us.”STEPHEN SUMMERS,PARTNER, MANAGING

DIRECTOR AND DIRECTOR OF LEASING

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INSIDER TRADING: HPV INSTITUTIONSVillage Barber Shop

Tucked upstairs by Patrizio, thistime-warped favorite is the best spot toswap stories and bump into Dallaspower players such as Charles Wyly,SMU business school founder Ed Coxand Super Bowl Host Committeepresident Bill Lively. Owner Dale Sinclairhas been snipping locks for the past 30years. “I started right here, and I haven’teven moved spots,” he says. When askedwhat he did prior to barbering, Sinclairanswers: “High school.”

Mi Cocina valet David “Elvis” Ward

You’ve seen him outside Mi Cocina,sporting pork-chop sideburns and avalet-stand boom-box tuned to countryhits. Ward is a 19-year veteran of JackBoles Parking who routinely gets hugsfrom his regulars. (Some keep driving ifhe’s not on duty.) He’s parked the likes ofJerry Jones, Troy Aikman, LarryHagman, George Michaeland U2’s Bono.“I talk to everybody,” Ward says. “I treatthem like family, not customers.” He’shappiest parking classic cars such as arecent 1936 Duesenberg and a black1957 T-Bird with “a whole lotta chrome.”

Deno’s of Highland Park

Deno’s is so delightfully old school, youcan still get a busy signal when you call.The unassuming bag and shoe repairshop has been a Village staple (andsocialite’s best friend) since the ’60s.You can buy ready-made wallets,sterling belt buckles and alligator belts,or repurpose one of your old bags intojust about anything. In the repair shop,you’ll spy everything from $900

Christian Louboutin pumps tosomeone’s beloved house shoes in fora tune-up. Guess that explains theshop’s tagline: “We have seen andfixed just about every problem you canencounter.”

Chanel

Socialite Heidi Dillononce calledHighland Park Village the crossroadsof “Preston Road and Chanel.” Thefabled Parisian luxury boutique is a bigdeal here and will celebrate 25 years at

HPV in September. The Dallas storewas the fourth built in the U.S.,preceded by New York, Beverly Hillsand Palm Beach. Store manager PilarHubbard says the Chanel name evokes

“a life you are either enjoying or aspire toenjoy.” For achievement-obsessedDallas, having Chanel in Highland Parkmeant reaching “the highest rung on avery glitzy ladder.”

Clockwisefrom left:Valet DavidWard mansthe standoutside MiCocina; theChanel store;a repair-in-progress atDeno’s ofHighlandPark; VillageBarber Shopowner DaleSinclair (left)gives a cut

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Showcase Selections by Patricia Meadows