DALLAS — The long-awaited plans for the revitalization of The Forest Theater were revealed Friday to a crowd of supporters at the historic venue in South Dallas. City and community leaders discussed plans to bring back to life what was once dubbed the hub of South Dallas culture.

What You Need To Know

  • The Forest Theater opened in 1949 to a segregated crowd and, seven years later, reopened as a negro theater

  • The doors of The Forest Theater shuttered in 1965 and in the following years, the building occasionally reopened for periods of time only to close again

  • Forest Forward has raised at least $25 million to go towards the project and has asked the community to help donate to their next goal of acquiring $75,215

“Nothing will look the same as it is now, but everything will look the same as it was before,” said Forest Forward CEO Elizabeth Wattley in a video shared on The Forest’s social media pages. “This is a historic restoration.”

The Forest Theater was the brainchild of Karl Hoblitzelle, who also developed the Majestic, Lakewood and Inwood Theaters. Built in 1949  on Forest Avenue, The Forest Theater opened to a crowd of thousands serving what was once a predominantly white neighborhood. But, seven years later, in 1956, it was designated as a “negro” theater.

The changes in the South Dallas neighborhood took place in part due to disinvestment in the community, the construction of the S.M. Wright Freeway and what many at the time described as white flight. Additionally, redlining and segregated housing policies changed the once Jewish neighborhood into a majority Black community, according to historians.

“The theater holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts, one, because it was originally a segregated community and theater where you didn’t feel welcome,” said Wattley. “And so, once the transition and the demographic of the neighborhood changed, the only way the theater could survive was to cater to the African-American community.”

 

Go back in time with us to discover the history of The Forest, the neighborhood, and more. Hear from multiple community...

Posted by The Forest on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

 

In its heyday, the theater was also used as a night club, event space and meeting place, and saw big names such as B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner and Prince on its stage. However, the theater proper closed its doors in 1965. For a time, it went through phases of what officials called “repeated unsuccessful efforts” to operate and sustain the venue. South Dallas’ own Erykah Badu, Grammy award-winning singer, leased the space from 2002 to 2008 with the hopes of restoring it back to its peak.

A few years later, in 2017, CitySquare purchased the building that now sits on Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd. and initially made plans to reopen the theater in time for its 70th Anniversary in 2019.

But that did not take place, and future dates to reopen were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic that put a halt on things in the beginning of 2020. Today, Forest Forward’s vision, a nonprofit overseeing the revival efforts, centers on “respecting, uplifting and cultivating the Black community through collaboration.”

“When we first acquired the building, one of the things that I knew was really important was community engagement, hearing voices, hearing what people wanted this to be for their community and how could it serve as an asset,” said Wattley.

During the #TheForestReveal event, officials announced they’d raised $25 million for the restoration project. A call to the community to help secure another $75.215 million —  South Dallas’ zip code — was also made.

The more than 45,000 square foot space will include a concert hall, creative laboratory, roof deck and Black Box Theater drawing inspiration from New Orleans’ Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, a performance, education and community venue, according to its website.

By special request from residents, the space will house another eatery, the details about which have yet to be released. The multipurpose hub will serve as a place where creativity, business, education and entertainment will collide.

“We set about looking at this project from a holistic point-of-view and we saw it as a potential not just to restore a building, but to restore a community as a catalyst that can spark all kinds of development--- not just this one block or this one neighborhood,” said Hilari Jones, HKS Architects vice president and project designer. “But, the entire community of South Dallas.”

For those interested in making their own content, design studios and editing bays with 3D-printing machines will be available for use. Musical artists and podcast hosts can also create music and bring their audience to watch their live tapings. 

The project’s plan also includes providing mixed-income housing options to existing and new residents. Through a partnership with the Dallas Independent School District, students will learn outside of the classroom at The Forest Theater.

In the community rooms, which will also serve as meeting spaces, they’ll get the opportunity to attend speaking engagements and seminars. Students will also learn about CGI technology, sound production and animation in films.

“If we put the right things into these students, it’s going to be amazing what they’re going to deliver and they’ll have an equal life’s chance in this community and I want them to stay in this community,” said Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa. “I want them to stay in South Dallas and so, if we do this right, we have a chance to pull this off.”

In a three-part video shared to its social media, The Forest shared the renderings of the finished project. See the images below: