With Forest Forward, New Life Comes to a Legendary Stage in South Dallas

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South Dallas
Image courtesy of Forest Forward

“South Dallas is back, baby!”

I wish I could take credit for that quote, but they are the words of South Dallas resident Donald Payton. He was speaking about the restoration of the Forest Theater on the brilliant video produced for the non-profit, Forest Forward. His excitement is contagious.

There is nothing more impressive than the revitalization of a neighborhood. It’s even more exhilarating when you have a historic building as an anchor.

South Dallas

This Saturday, Preservation Dallas is hosting one of their InTown Outings to see the theater and understand what’s happening in the community. There was so much interest that they had to close registration, but Executive Director David Preziosi gave me some insights on this iconic building that will once again be central to the life of Dallas.

The Forest Theater was on Preservation Dallas’ Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2015 as it was threatened with demolition for a gas station. At that time, the theater was not protected, and luckily that deal fell through. After that threat, the Landmark Designation process was started for the Forest and will hopefully be completed this year. 

The Forest Theater is one of the few remaining historic suburban theaters left in Dallas and very important to the African American history of Dallas. It was designed by Pettigrew-Morley and Company, the same architects as the Lakewood Theater, and opened in 1949. The 1400 seat venue served the prominently Jewish clientele of that area of South Dallas. As the population changed and became predominantly African American, the theater reopened in 1956 as a venue exclusively for African Americans. It was the largest of its type in the South at the time.   

The 1956 grand opening of the Forest Theater in South Dallas, courtesy of the Dallas Public Library Archives. The photo on the right was taken in 2018, courtesy of The City of Dallas Historic Preservation Section

The grand reopening in 1956 was quite the event with community leaders making speeches and performances by the Booker T. Washington band and the Lincoln High School choir. It was truly a center for the community, offering films and festivals, musical performances, stage shows, and graduation ceremonies. Remember, this was the era of segregation, so the Forest Theater became a focal point for community activity. In the 1960s, it was an essential stop for performers from Gladys Knight and the Pips to Ike and Tina Turner.


 
Forest Theater
Photograph courtesy of Preservation Dallas.
South Dallas
Photograph courtesy of Preservation Dallas.

As the economic divide grew, the historic theater fell into a state of neglect.

“Over time, the impact of the highway, redlining, and economic disadvantages towards the neighborhood crippled the longevity of the theater’s success,” Forest Forward President and CEO Elizabeth Wattley said.

Wattley has a special connection to this theater. She grew up in the Cedar Crest neighborhood, and all of her childhood activities were centered in South Dallas.

“Everyone in this community has a pre-existing relationship with this building,” Wattley said. “We all want to see it come back to life.”

South Dallas
Image courtesy of Forest Forward

Wattley was the Executive Director at City Square, the largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing in the City of Dallas, when they heard about the opportunity to purchase the Forest Theater. “Forest Forward was incubated at City Square in 2017, and we have been on our own since 2020,” Wattley said. The vision is to use the restoration and expansion of the historic theater to create a renaissance in South Dallas.

Forest Forward is a nonprofit organization that partners with the community to drive equitable development economic mobility and improve outcomes for children, residents, and families of the South Dallas community. The transformational infusion of $75.215 million into the heart of zip code 75215 will ignite healthy neighborhood revitalization and create a new vibrant core for the City of Dallas.

South Dallas
Photo courtesy of Michael Cagle
South Dallas
Forest Theater
Photo courtesy of Preservation Dallas
Photo courtesy of Preservation Dallas

The theater will be connected with the newly formed DISD Martin Luther King Arts Academy.

“Our partnership with the school district creates sustainability,” Wattley said. “It now serves from Pre-K to 8th grade. We can bring resources to children all the way through middle school, and then they can apply to Booker T. It’s a design pathway to make students competitive. The number of students at Booker T. from our zip code is less than two percent right now.”

Forest Forward
South Dallas
Elizabeth Wattley
Images of renderings courtesy of Forest Forward

Of course, the age-old question of gentrification is top-of-mind for everyone, but Forest Forward is doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work to preserve affordability.

“We can get this right if everyone understands the mission of keeping the residents as a priority,” Wattley said. “There is a rich history at the Forest Theater and a lot to be told. We need an establishment like this to come back to life for all of Dallas. “

South Dallas
Martin Luther King, Jr. Arts Academy,
South Dallas,
Forest Forward
South Dallas

The goal is for the marquee to be illuminated for the first time in over 50 years at the 75th anniversary of the Forest Theater in 2024.

“It will be a key symbol of rejuvenation, restoration, and excitement,” Wattley said.

Mr. Payton, you nailed it. South Dallas is back, baby!

Karen is a senior columnist at Candy’s Media and has been writing stories since she could hold a crayon. She is a globe-trotting, history-loving eternal optimist who would find it impossible to live well without dogs, Tex-Mex, and dark chocolate. She covers luxury properties and historic preservation for Candys Dirt.

5 Comments

  1. Melvina Rushing on January 20, 2022 at 6:56 am

    I Pray I’m Still Living To See The Re~Birth, Of The Forest Theater. History Should Never Die. Thanks To All! Sunny South Dallas Shall Shine Again.

  2. Barbara Reeves on January 21, 2022 at 12:18 pm

    Must be same buyer as the Inwood….don’t they look alike inside??

    • Karen Eubank on January 21, 2022 at 12:56 pm

      Hi Barbara,
      Not the same buyer, but most likely the same builder if that was a typo.
      Both the Lakewood and Forest were by Pettigrew-Morley and Company, architects. I believe the Inwood was by the same team. Hopefully the restoration will include a return to the fabulous interior design we see in the black and white original photo. The Lakewood Theater did a great job keeping the original art intact, which you can see today if you head over there and bowl a game at Bowlskis!

  3. USN Veteran on January 21, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    ONE QUESTION, is the Forest Theater actually Black Owned?

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