An old bread factory in East Dallas that made Preservation Dallas’ list of “Most Endangered Historic Places” is getting a new tenant.
The two-story building at 1401 N. Carroll Ave. was built in 1928 by Dallas architect George Dahl. Mrs. Baird’s Bread Co. moved in the next year and remained until the 1950s. It was the company’s first location outside of Fort Worth.
Now, Casci Plaster is making the former factory its home. The local business that specializes in ornamental plasterwork was founded in 1930 in South Dallas by an Italian immigrant named Giovanni Primo Casci. Examples of the company’s work can be found in the mansions along Swiss Avenue among several other notable streets. Casci Plaster was purchased in 2017 by Highland Park High School graduates Mark Marynick and Porter Fuqua.
“I really hope it becomes a beacon in the neighborhood — clean it up, get some life in there,” Marynick told the Dallas Morning News. “I have always admired the building since I was a kid, so it is a little shocking to now be in the position to help preserve it.”
Earlier this year, the Advocate reported that developer Perry Guest Co. bought the building in 2019 and planned to convert it into apartments. But when COVID-19 emerged, the building near Carroll Avenue and Bryan Street was put on the market.
