A historic theater in South Dallas is being renovated and expanded into a planned education center that stakeholders hope will benefit the community.
The Forest Theater was originally built by Karl Hoblitzelle in 1949 and was primarily geared toward the predominately Jewish community of South Dallas. It later shifted its focus toward the African-American community as the demographics of South Dallas changed throughout the 1950s.
The theater became a staple for Dallas’ African-American residents. The NorthPark Center is now hosting an exhibit to highlight the history of Forest Theater and its contributions to Dallas.
“Giving us an opportunity to tell our story at NorthPark Center is another step in broadening community support across Dallas and bringing this dream to light,” said Matrice Ellis-Kirk, chair of Forest Forward, the nonprofit that purchased the theater in 2017 and hopes to restore it with a new purpose.
“Although the Forest Theater in South Dallas has served as a proud beacon of hope for decades, its history and significance is unknown or often forgotten by many,” said Forest Forward CEO and Founder Elizabeth Wattley.
“Restoring this historic treasure to its full potential as an arts and culture center – and using it as a catalyst to improve education, housing and economic vibrancy – is a good-news story for everyone living in Dallas and North Texas.”
Forest Forward raised $61 million to renovate the theater but hoped to raise at least $75 million.
“The black history in this theater is incredibly rich and iconic,” Wattley told FOX 4 KDFW. “We’ve had legendary performances like B.B. King, Gladys Knight. Even Prince has performed at the Forest Theater.”
“The special thing about this space is it’s a connecting point,” she continued. “So many people have come and have a connection with this building. If these walls could talk, the stories we could hear!”
Forest Forward plans to expand the former theater into an education center that can be utilized by local schools like Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy. Wattley said she hopes the facility will spur economic growth in South Dallas as it will bring jobs and opportunity.
“You can have a podcast room, a design studio, a flex space. We’re adding on a new 200-seat studio theater,” she said. “The concert hall will have 1,000 seats for shows, concerts, and performances. There will be a plaza area and my favorite amenity is the rooftop. It’s the first rooftop in South Dallas where you can see all of Downtown and all of Fair Park.”
Wattley added that she is excited for the theater’s marquis to be lit for the first time in more than 50 years, symbolizing a rekindling of the whole community.
