Historic Forest Theater in South Dallas To Begin Renovations

Local nonprofit Forest Forward broke ground Thursday on renovations to bring a local cultural mecca back into the limelight.

Adjacent to Interstate 45, at 1918 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., stands a slender yet prominent green tower tipped by a red sphere. Despite its visual prominence and its local cultural importance through the '70s, the Forest Theater has experienced a tumultuous history since its inception 75 years ago in 1949. The venue has sat empty since 2009.

Facing this difficult past, Forest Forward obtained the property in 2017 and has worked since then to launch renovations on the property, which became a reality last week.

“Today’s groundbreaking at the Forest Theater symbolizes community partnership and collaboration at its very best – because when we come together to work toward a common vision, we are unstoppable,” said Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward, at the groundbreaking, according to a news release.

The packed event saw 700 locals turn out and emphatically support the important step in the project. The redevelopment plan drew mostly positive reactions when it was publicly announced in 2021.

Familiar faces who attended the groundbreaking included Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, local U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett and State Senator Royce West.

Many notable performers have appeared at the venue over the years, including Sidney Poitier, Tina Turner and Prince. Forest Theater was also owned for a time by South Dallas local and singer Erykah Badu in 2003, who converted it into an arts center and renamed it the “Black Forest Theater.”

Renovations to Forest Theater will encompass significant growth to the complex. Once complete, the 66,000-square-foot building will have an arts education hub, a 1,000-plus seat performance hall, a 200-seat multi-use studio theater, a recording studio and accompanying amenities including a cafe and a restaurant.

“The renovation of The Forest Theater is more than just revitalizing a historically significant structure," said Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua. "Investing in and highlighting the theater’s historic significance is symbolic of the commitment of so many, to preserving South Dallas’ history while investing in new resources and assets for the community to grow.”

The neighborhood the theater resides in is set to receive a $75.215 million "infusion of resources" according to the news release (the number is a nod to the area’s Zip Code). The Forest Theater project is the first redevelopment phase of a plan to invest in the neighborhood. Other steps in the Forest Forward 75215 Capital Campaign include mixed-use housing and improvements to the Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center to focus on STEAM-based education.

“The Forest Theater is the result of a successful private-public partnership that will serve as a decisive catalyst for not only economic development and growth but arts education and much-needed affordable housing,” Crockett said. “Forest Forward’s remarkable $75 million vision – focused upon an often-forgotten community – has the potential to reimagine and bolster Sunny South Dallas, positively affecting generations to come.”

The groundbreaking on Thursday was accompanied by further good news for the project. It was announced that local billionaire Margot Perot, whose family endowed the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, has donated $1 million to the Forest Forward initiative.

Other major donors that pushed the project over the line in the last couple of years include Communities Foundation of Texas, which donated $5 million, and the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, which donated $4 million.

Construction is expected to be completed by December 2025.