Dallas' Corrigan Tower is by no means the first old office tower to make the transition to new apartments. But it will be one of the last.

That's because downtown Dallas has run out of old buildings to redo.

Corrigan Tower — at Pacific Avenue and St. Paul Street — until recently was one of the few remaining vacant office high-rises not repurposed for apartments or hotel rooms.

The 18-story mid-century modern tower at 1900 Pacific is now opening its doors with 150 luxury apartments, ground floor retail space and a rooftop pool overlooking the site of downtown's next park.

"It's been about five years that I've been working on it," said John Kirtland, the Dallas musician and music label owner who's spending more than $100 million to redevelop Corrigan Tower and the even older Tower Petroleum building next door.

"I'm super happy about how it's turned out," Kirtland said. "We are putting the finishing touches on the building and I'm getting a lot of feedback from people that come for a look."

Redone from basement to roof deck, the light and dark gray Corrigan Tower was built in 1952 by iconic Dallas real estate tycoon Leo Corrigan.

Patrick Hazard (left), project architect, and John Kirtland, owner and developer, stand outside 1900 Pacific Residences at 1900 Pacific Avenue in downtown Dallas. (Andy Jacobsohn / Staff Photographer)

Corrigan was one of largest property owners in downtown Dallas, owning landmarks including the Adolphus Hotel.

Corrigan Tower cost the unheard of sum of $5 million to build back in the '50s. And for decades it was a popular business address. The tower sat vacant for more than a decade before Kirtland purchased the property. The city of Dallas pledged more than $10 million in incentives to help get the high-rise restored.

"We signed seven leases last week," Kirtland said, and the first residents are moving into Corrigan Tower.

Rents start at near $1,100 a month for the smallest, almost 700-square-foot studio apartment. The largest two-bedroom, two-bath rental unit with more than 1,400 square feet goes for about $2,500.

"We have some pretty big units," said project architect Patrick Hazard with Merriman Anderson/Architects Inc. "The second floor is the amenity area with clubroom, meeting areas for the tenants and the leasing center."

There's a fitness center on the third floor and another small clubroom on the roof just steps away from the pool deck.

"All this space up here was originally mechanical area," Hazard said. "There was a huge boiler in that room."

Most of the traffic for the apartments is coming from people who work or live in downtown or nearby Uptown, said Jessica Glover, who heads the leasing team.

"We did an open house last week, and a lot of people were looking," she said. "Once you get people inside the building, it shows itself."

With the Corrigan Tower almost finished, working continues next door on the 22-story Tower Petroleum Building.

"We'll have it open by the end of the year," Kirtland said. The art deco landmark high-rise is being renovated into a Cambria Suites hotel.

"I've never done a project this size," he said. "I've done a lot of single-family homes and renovated apartment buildings on a smaller scale."

The Corrigan Tower has great views up St. Paul and Live Oak Street.

The big parking lots across the street are the site of the planned Pacific Plaza, a more than 1-acre green space in downtown Dallas.