The Deep Ellum Community Center will be celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, shining a spotlight on the neighborhood’s cultural legacy and history.
As a joint initiative of the Deep Ellum Community Association, the Deep Ellum Foundation, and Documentary Arts, the Deep Ellum Community Center (DECC) will serve a double purpose as an incubator for community members to run different projects and as a dynamic gallery for artists to display their work.
Even its location at 2528 Elm St. is steeped in the neighborhood’s history, with the two-story building serving as the City Hotel and Mechanics Hall Saloon since first erected in 1882, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The grand opening on September 30 is scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will feature new exhibits both indoors and outdoors. One such history exhibit will be titled “When You Go Down To Deep Ellum.” It was reportedly inspired by the Jerry Lee Lewis song “Deep Ellum Blues.”
“Unlike many permanent exhibits, this one is organic. Panels will change and evolve as new photos and information emerge,” said Alan Govenar, who curated a number of DECC exhibitions, per the DMN.
The exhibit extolls the neighborhood’s rich musical legacy, demonstrating how gospel, blues, jazz, and Western swing blended together in the bars, theaters, and nightclubs.
The cultural history of Deep Ellum was crafted through a unique mix of the Jewish, Italian, Czech, and African-American communities that settled there once the neighborhood emerged near major railroad intersections in the 1870s.
“Deep Ellum was a crossroads,” Govenar told KERA News.
Over time, the music scene earned a reputation similar to Beale Street in Memphis and New Orleans’ Ninth Ward. Renowned musicians such as the 1920s superstar Blind Lemon Jefferson called Deep Ellum home.
As a nod to the legacy, another of the DECC’s exhibits is a historic recording studio and listening room from the era.
“We’ll have a restored 1930s recording lathe, meaning it’s direct to disc, direct to black lacquer. We also have a completely restored 1930s tube amplifier and a completely restored ribbon microphone from the late 1930s,” Govenar said.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Deep Ellum experienced a revival, becoming a haven for artists, theaters, and musicians due to favorable re-zoning and affordable rents. The district saw the growth of live theaters and became a hub for off-Broadway-style performances.
Real estate investor Scott Rohrman, recognizing the charm of the district’s old buildings, started investing in the area in 2012 and played a pivotal role in revitalizing the neighborhood. He and his partners launched the 42 Murals project to enhance its visual appeal and reduce graffiti.
“They’re going to send me to the loony bin for saying this, but when I walked into a building in Deep Ellum, 95% of them, I could feel their story,” Rohrman told KERA News.
DECC aims to bridge Deep Ellum’s past and future, making the neighborhood a lasting symbol of cultural diversity, musical innovation, and community spirit.
After the grand opening, DECC will be open Thursday to Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.
“History can’t just be a museum piece. We’re engaging people and inviting them to come and share their stories, to take ownership of Deep Ellum and address the social and cultural issues that are relevant to America today,” Govenar said.
