South Dallas’ historic Forest Theater is back in the spotlight following a $83 million restoration and expansion project.

A rendering of the newly renovated Forest Theater. [Image: Forest Forward]

A communitywide “homecoming” event this weekend, the Grand Return, will herald a new era for the theater, which initially opened 77 years ago. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the theater, located at 1920 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. More than 2,500 attendees are expected.

The event is now at capacity, but people without tickets can join a waiting list.

The celebration will include live entertainment, a Vendor Village showcasing local businesses, food trucks and tours of the restored theater. The event will culminate with the ceremonial relighting of the theater’s iconic tower and marquee for the first time in more than 50 years.

Forest Forward, the South Dallas nonprofit that manages the theater, said the Grand Return represents “a defining moment” for its Light the Tower fundraising campaign.

Rekindling ‘greatest memories’

For generations, South Dallas residents gathered and celebrated at the theater, which shut down 18 years ago.

“People are so excited to be able to renew some of their greatest memories of spending time at the theater,” Elizabeth Wattley, CEO of Forest Forward, told Dallas Innovates.

Since opening in 1949, the theater has mirrored the evolution of South Dallas. The venue became one of Dallas’ top destinations for live entertainment, hosting legendary performers like Prince, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Ike and Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and South Dallas native Erykah Badu before closing in 2008.

Its reopening represents both the preservation of an important cultural institution and a significant investment in South Dallas.

‘Blood, sweat and tears’ restoration

Bringing the building back to life was no easy task. 

Elizabeth Wattley is CEO of Forest Forward. [Photo: Forest Forward]

“It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Wattley said, “and it was not a solo project. It required the coming together of all the right people from different areas across the city to see the value and importance of bringing Forest Theater back to life.”

“The project was a full gut, almost down to the studs, while keeping the historic features and getting historical approval for everything,” she said. “We had to do a lot of asbestos abatement and demolition to get it cleaned up.”

The newly expanded Forest Theater includes a 1,000-capacity concert hall, 200-seat black-box theater, 13,000-square-foot creative education lab, recording and podcast studios, rooftop gathering space, classrooms for artists and community meeting areas. Forest Forward recently opened a Starbucks that employs 11 people.

“We already have people who have never stopped in South Dallas stopping now to get coffee,” Wattley said. “The hope is more businesses will soon join Starbucks, bringing with them a new vibrancy to the Fair Park neighborhood.”

Forest Forward is working on a number of events, including art walks and a murder mystery event, to be held at the restored theater.

A South Dallas anchor

Forest Theater is the cultural anchor of Forest Forward’s broader neighborhood revitalization strategy.

The nonprofit focuses on community revitalization in South Dallas using the Purpose-Built Communities model, with the historic Forest Theater as the centerpiece. The organization wants the restoration and expansion of the Forest Theater to help nurture a healthy, thriving South Dallas.

“Our hope is that this project will attract businesses up and down the boulevard and bring resources to the area,” Wattley said. “We want to bring vibrancy and activity to the neighborhood. And we still need the support of everyone who has been engaged in this as we go forward, because this is just the beginning.”