If you know the Longhorn Ballroom, you already know it’s a Dallas icon—built in 1950 for Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, and briefly run by Jack Ruby before owner Dewey Groom turned it into one of the most storied music venues in Texas.

Over the decades, the Longhorn stage was host to artists from across the spectrum—country legends like Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Willie Nelson; R&B greats including James Brown, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and B.B. King; and punk and rock acts like the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Motorhead, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; and Selena performed here, too.

But what you might not know is what’s happening just across the courtyard.

Next to the ballroom is a two-story building that was originally built to house its touring musicians. It’s part of the Longhorn campus—and one story even claims Bob Wills kept his horse, Punkin, there.

A new home for creative and professionals

Now, 75 years later, that building is stepping into a new role—welcoming creative entrepreneurs and professionals.

The Longhorn just completed phase two of its campus revival: a newly renovated 26,000-square-foot space with coworking offices, live-work studios, and room for a few small restaurants. One large space—once a recording studio—is still available and could support audio, film, or post-production work, according to the venue team.

Restored with its 1950s character intact, the two-story multiuse building—now home to creative offices, studios, and restaurant space—is part of the Longhorn Ballroom campus, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Photo: Longhorn Ballroom]

From tour bus stop to creative venue

The building—part of the Longhorn campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023—still looks the part, and its bones are original. But inside, it’s been redesigned for the people who keep creative industries running: entertainment attorneys, artists, startups, producers, and culinary creatives.

One of the first tenants in the new Oficina co-work space is entertainment attorney Decker Sachse.

“As an entertainment attorney, there’s no better place for my practice,” he said in a statement. “It’s a great location with easy access, and my clients love the vibe.”

A three-part revival

This latest completion marks phase two of a three-part revival that began when Edwin Cabaniss, developer and owner of the Kessler Theater, bought the 72-year-old Longhorn Ballroom in 2021, “saving it from disrepair and the threat of demolition,” per a city of Dallas news release at the time.

The full redevelopment, which includes the ballroom, the adjacent creative workspace, and a forthcoming outdoor amphitheater, has been estimated at between $15 million and $20 million, according to reports. In September 2022, the Dallas City Council approved a $4.1 million economic incentive package to support the project.

The 2,000-seat ballroom reopened in March 2023 with a grand opening and concert by Asleep at the Wheel. The adjacent building took an additional two years to complete, with a focus on preserving the structure’s 1950s character.

Developer and Kessler Theater owner Edwin Cabaniss hosted a grand reopening of the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas’ Cedars neighborhood on March 30, 2023—just hours before Asleep at the Wheel took the stage. The event was intended to be the kickoff of a broader plan to transform the corner of Corinth Street and Riverfront Boulevard into a full-fledged music complex. [Photo: City of Dallas Economic Development]

Next up: Shows under the stars

Coming this fall is the third and final phase: the Longhorn Backyard Amphitheater, a 6,500-capacity outdoor venue tucked just one mile south of downtown, along what used to be the original path of the Trinity River.

Before the river was straightened and pushed west for flood control and development, it meandered through what’s now an industrial zone. The Longhorn sits near one of those old bends. The new amphitheater will bring outdoor concerts to a spot where the land still follows the natural contours of the river’s former course

The venue opens with Randy Rogers on Sept. 20 and a few soft-launch events before a full calendar kicks off in spring 2026.

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