Forest Theater is already transforming lives for Dallas ISD kids

The Forest Theater, once the arts and culture anchor of South Dallas, has had so many lives that it’s hard to remember all of them. None have stuck. Plenty of plans over the years to restore this iconic movie theater to its former glory have fizzled out.

But now dirt is being turned at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and S.M. Wright Freeway, and promises are becoming reality. What the nonprofit Forest Forward has in store is exactly the kind of investment that South Dallas needs.

Earlier this month, officials broke ground on the renovation of the Forest Theater, kicking off a period of revitalization for this long-neglected area around Fair Park that will bring more amenities and new homes.

Forest Forward succeeded in raising its initial target of $75.215 million — a nod to the area’s ZIP code. The nonprofit was able to secure money from a variety of sources, including tax credits and funds through the North Central Texas Council of Governments. About a quarter of the funds have come from foundations and individuals, said Elizabeth Wattley, president of Forest Forward.

Wattley said the nonprofit has reached more than 70% of its current funding goal for the theater and is actively seeking additional funds and gifts.

We’re particularly excited about the new opportunities that the theater brings for Dallas ISD students in the neighborhood. The renovated Forest Theater will more than double in size and feature a 1,000-seat concert hall, a 13,000-square-foot arts education center, a rooftop space and a renewed marquee that will be lighted for the first time in more than 50 years, Wattley said.

Already, the revival effort has had a positive effect on the neighboring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy.

Formerly known as the Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center, this was once a struggling campus. The renovation plans for the Forest Theater carved a path for Dallas ISD to turn the school into an arts magnet.

The goal is to help students at the MLK Arts Academy get into DISD’s much-celebrated Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. This year, the arts academy graduated its first eighth-grade class of 24 students, with five of them admitted to Booker T., said MLK principal Romikianta Sneed.

$20 million in Dallas ISD bond dollars is going toward improvements at MLK Arts Academy. That is expected to add 25,000 square feet in new construction and other improvements to the school.

Sneed, the principal, said the Forest Theater will transform lives.

Plans for the area also include a mixed-income housing development and the redevelopment of S.M. Wright Freeway into a boulevard to make the neighborhood walkable.

The Forest Theater and its champions are showing this city just how bright South Dallas shines in the spotlight.

CORRECTION, April 26, 2024: A previous version of this editorial incorrectly stated the source of $20 million in funding for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy.

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