(The Dallas Examiner) – A major revitalization project is officially underway at the historic Forest Theater. Located in “Sunny South Dallas,” the theater’s history spans 75 years. It is known as a “sister” to the Majestic, Lakewood and Inwood theaters of Dallas, which were all built around the same time. However, Forest is the only one of the four which, soon after construction, had to compete with a major highway that was suddenly built to divide its surrounding neighborhood. The result of this new highway, known as U.S. 175, drastically changed the South Dallas area from predominantly Jewish to predominantly Black.
Since the residential and economic makeup of the area changed, the theater began to cater more toward its Black neighbors. It was then that Forest Theater became a beacon – a place of pride. It became a place for people to gather to watch movies, shows, attend Girl Scout meetings and hold voter registration drives among other things. The goal now is to bring that same beacon back to the South Dallas community.
On April 4, the media was invited to attend a private discussion with Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Theater. The event was a pre-kickoff to the groundbreaking of the renovations of the theater.
“Quite frankly, we’re making history. We’re doing something that a lot of people thought couldn’t be done,” Wattley said.
The planned rehabilitation and expansion of the theater will be an 18-month long construction project, with the expectation of being completed by December 2025. The fundraising goal, $75,215,000, is an ode to the zip code of the neighborhood where the theater sits – 75215. Approximately $20 million of the already raised $75, 215,000 will be dedicated to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy, a Dallas ISD Transformation K-8 school.
Students and teachers at MLK will have a partnership with the theater where their artistic talents will be displayed. For anyone who might be anticipating a visit to the theater, there will be additional parking constructed under I-45. The planned improvements will be catered to all residents of the area and beyond.
“We want to preserve the character and history of the neighborhood and work closely with the community to help bring in assets and resources to help residents thrive,” Wattley said.
The private media event was followed by a groundbreaking block party to celebrate the start of renovations to the theater. The block party was attended by an estimated 800 people and was live-streamed on www.forestforward.org due to limited capacity. Special guests included local artists and elected officials.