Building Dallas

Building Dallas #11 How AJ Ramler Is Quietly Transforming the City

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From FBI files to forgotten churches, this episode of Building Dallas uncovers the captivating story of AJ Ramler, founder of Proxy Properties. 

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Discover how one developer is preserving the soul of Oak Cliff through historic restorations, adaptive reuse, and hyper-local community development. Whether it’s converting a 1920s ice house or reviving the mysterious Madison Hotel—once tied to Lee Harvey Oswald—AJ is reshaping the future of North Texas one building at a time. If you're passionate about urban renewal, community-first development, or the real estate stories behind Dallas's cultural rebirth, you don’t want to miss this.

  • (00:00) - Oswald, the FBI, and a Historic Dallas Hotel
  • (00:18) - Welcome to Building Dallas – Intro by Chris
  • (01:00) - Meet AJ Ramler: The Developer Walking Oak Cliff
  • (02:44) - First Deal: House Hacking a Quadplex at Age 22
  • (05:00) - Lessons from Missing Out in Denton
  • (08:15) - Building a Life in Oak Cliff – Volleyball & Community
  • (11:00) - Restoring a 19th Century West Dallas Farmhouse
  • (13:28) - Why We Buy Buildings Nobody Wants
  • (15:00) - How We Decide What a Building Should Become
  • (17:00) - Talking to Neighbors Before Drawing Plans
  • (19:00) - Why Developers Need Community Buy-In
  • (21:00) - 8 Meetings a Day: Understanding What Oak Cliff Wants
  • (24:00) - Monkey Wallpaper, Oswald, and FBI Files?!
  • (26:00) - Reimagining the Madison Hotel for Today’s Needs
  • (28:30) - A 63,000 SqFt Ice House Becomes a Creative Hub
  • (30:00) - Jiu-Jitsu, Coffee Shops, and Mixed-Use Revivals
  • (32:00) - Saving the Historic Jefferson Methodist Church
  • (34:00) - Dallas Parking Reform: What It Means for Developers
  • (38:00) - Oak Cliff Wasn’t Built for Today’s Parking Codes
  • (40:30) - Growth, Trust, and Welcoming New Neighbors
  • (43:00) - Affordable Housing and Market Rate Rehab Projects
  • (47:00) - Big Box Apartments: A Necessary Tradeoff?
  • (49:30) - The Truth About Buying Your First Home
  • (52:00) - $150K Houses Still Exist in Dallas. Here’s the Catch.
  • (56:00) - Why We Don’t Build Outside of Oak Cliff
  • (59:00) - The People Who Taught Me Everything
  • (01:01:00) - McKayla’s Projects in Denton, Lancaster, Glen Rose
  • (01:04:00) - Final Thoughts: “I’ve Never Built for a Roof…”

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