SATURDAY | January 22
10 a.m.
1904 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Dallas 75215
Join us as we tour the long shuttered Forest Theater. This is a unique opportunity to see the building before work begins in earnest on its rehabilitation. Hear about the history of the theater from McCoy Collaborative Preservation Architecture while consecutively learning about the future from our hosts Forest Forward. The theater entrance, common areas and massive lobby are replete with original details to see before renovations begin. You do not want to miss this exciting tour!
The Forest Theater, with its distinctive neon emblazoned tower floating over the marquee, and the attached shopping center, opened in 1949. The 1,500 seat theater was part of the Interstate Theatre chain and was designed by
H. F. Pettigrew of Pettigrew and Worley, who also designed the Lakewood and Circle Theaters. It closed just 16 short years after it opened. Subsequent uses for the building were likewise short-lived.
In 1956 the Forest Theater transitioned from a white audience to a venue for African American patrons. The facility reopened as the largest of its type in the South, catering to the incoming population of African American homeowners in the area. The theater provided a large capacity venue for not only films, but also festivals, musical performance and other stage shows, awards and graduation ceremonies. In an era of segregation, the building offered a flexible and well located space for the community’s events.
On Preservation Dallas’ Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2015, the property was purchased by a local philanthropist and donated to CitySquare, a non-profit, based in South Dallas, that is committed to the revitalization of the building and area. Plans have been drawn to restore the exterior and rehabilitate the interior for educational and entertainment purposes. The historic retail component will become a community learning center functioning in collaboration with DISD.
Reservations are required and open to the public. Admission is free for current members of Preservation Dallas and $20 for non-members.
This a pre construction site and no high heels or open toe shoes will be alllowed. Tour attendees will be required to sign a liability waiver form before the tour.
>Masks are required inside the building.
PARKING
Parking is available behind the theater accessed from the S.M. Wright Freeway service road or from South Harwood Street.
Date and time:
Sat, January 22, 2022
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST
Location:
1904 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
1904 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75215