Forest Theater redevelopment to bring back 'shining bright lights' in South Dallas

Dallas City Council approved a $8 million grant for redevelopment expenses of the historic Forest Theater during its Wednesday meeting — money that will help push the development closer to the finish line.

The community development grant agreement was made with Forest Forward, a South Dallas neighborhood revitalization initiative . The money will reimburse construction and infrastructure expenses for the theater's redevelopment.

President and CEO of Forest Forward Elizabeth Wattley thanked the city council for its support in bringing "those shining bright lights back to sunny South Dallas."

"Not only will this have an impact on the community, as you see the South Dallas residents here today supporting this work," Wattley said during public comment, referencing residents who came to the council meeting in support. "But this will have an impact across the City of Dallas."

Forest Theater opened in 1949 for predominantly middle-class white residents of the area. The construction of U.S. 175 and its offshoot South Central Expressway, now called S.M. Wright Freeway, changed the landscape of the neighborhood to become predominantly Black, Preservation Dallas President Sarah Crain said.

"It becomes a theater for the African American community there, and you actually start creating the most vibrant theater community surrounding Black culture in Dallas," she said.

By the mid-1950s, Forest Theater began serving a middle-class Black audience and eventually brought in artists like Tina Turner, Sidney Poitier, Prince and the Roots.

The economic and entertainment boom lasted about 15 years for the theater and its shopping center, Crain said. Later on it changed into a nightclub and then a church until it closed completely around 2009.

In 2017, the nonprofit Forest Forward was created to revitalize the historic theater and its shopping center.

Wattley told KERA that the $8 million investment by the city was critical in helping to complete the project and was a big statement that Dallas was investing in its southern sector.

"We have the lowest life expectancy of 67 years in all of Dallas County, and I just quite frankly find that unacceptable," Wattley said. "So we are doing generational work to reverse the impacts of intergenerational poverty, and seeing how we can bring healthy, place-based solutions to South Dallas."

And that's exactly what the redesigned Forest Theater space — expected to be complete December 2025 — will provide, Wattley said. The group will offer skills development and workforce training anchored by video production.

"We want to bring that to the community," she said. "We want to employ people and start an economic engine."

The redeveloped Forest Theater will feature a concert hall, roof deck and studio theater. The redesign will also have a 13,000 square-foot creative laboratory that includes a recording studio, resource center, sensory immersion room, and artist classrooms.

Once complete, the Forest Theater will serve as an anchor for other revitalization projects in the area, Wattley said.

The redesign will preserve the theater's iconic green marquee sign that reads "FOREST."

Preserving those historic elements also keeps the history of the area alive and gives the community a sense of place, Crain said — something they can't get anywhere else.

"Whether you're a homeowner or you're a business owner or you're a developer or you're a renter, these are things that are so intrinsic because ultimately, sense of place really gives you a sense of community," Crain said. "That's why I absolutely applaud everything that Forest Forward has done for this iconic Forest Theater, because I worry what would have happened without their involvement."

During Wednesday's council meeting, South Dallas resident Shirley Rhodes spoke in support of the theater's reopening.

As a more-than 50 year resident of South Dallas, she said Forest Theater was where she would spend her Saturday mornings as a child. When she was married, it was the spot her husband enjoyed as well.

"I remember back in the day, back in the early 60s, I remember the lights," Rhodes said. "If you go out of town, those lights will guide you back to Dallas."