The long-neglected Kalita Humphreys Theater at Turtle Creek Conservancy will soon undergo a $7.63 million renovation, but a master plan submitted by the Dallas Theater Center called about $300 million more than that.
Kalita Humphreys, the only theater built by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has seen considerable damage over the years.
Hoping to refurbish it, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) filed a renovation proposal with the City that targets not only the theater but also the surrounding Dean Park, at a price tag of $308 million.
As reported in The Dallas Express, the City Council was taken aback by the price tag and scope of the plans, which aimed to build a connection to the Katy Trail, erect four new buildings, courtyards, plazas, walkways, a restaurant, and a café, construct a 380-space underground parking garage, and more.
Council Member Adam Bazaldua went as far as to refer to it as a “vanity project,” according to The Dallas Morning News. Meanwhile, Council Member Omar Narvaez called it a “bait and switch” in which the taxpayer would be “left holding the bag.”
Council Member Paula Blackmon expressed a desire to see it restored to its original design.
“I don’t want to be the city that tore down a Frank Lloyd Wright,” she said, per the DMN.
Nonetheless, it was unanimously felt across the City Council that $308 million was excessive.
“The DTC was charged not only to restore the Kalita, but also to solve an equity plan,” explained Ann Abernathy, founder of a nonprofit that advocates for the theater, according to the DMN. “And the equity plan meant that they had to provide all these times and spaces for all these groups that also wanted to use the Kalita.”
Yet while the DTC is “eager to partner with the city staff to collaboratively identify a reduction in the total program for the site,” as suggested by Executive Director Kevin Moriarty to the DMN, the master plan appears to be permanently stalled, leaving the future of the 64-year-old theater uncertain.
Instead, the Office of Arts and Culture aims to spend taxpayer dollars addressing a few of the theater’s immediate needs, including an HVAC system replacement, seating upgrades, and fountain repairs.
Its 2024 bond request designates $7.63 million to this endeavor, according to the DMN. This is far short of the $52 million initially called for in the DTC’s master plan to renovate the building alone.
As recently reported in The Dallas Express, the future of several historic single-screen movie theaters in Fort Worth has similarly been questioned.
While the high renovation costs have led to some, like the Berry Theater, being torn down, others, like the Poly and Grand theaters, have been simply abandoned. Yet private restoration initiatives have seen the New Isis and Haltom theaters revitalized and given new purpose as entertainment and musical venues.
