Black Forest Theatre
1920 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75215
1920 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75215
4 people
favorited this theater
The Forest Theatre opened in 1947, with 1,400 seats. In around 2000, it was being leased and hopefully rescued by recording artist Eryka Badu. It has a unique and magnificent towering vertical sign with lots of neon and the classic ball on the top, but sadly has been dark for many years.
The Forest Theatre is a remarkable example of the time when a builder would see how well something could be constructed rather than how quick. It needs work but is a survivor. The Forest Theatre is located in Dallas at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 45.
Contributed by
Don Lewis
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Recent comments (view all 18 comments)
It looks to me like it is being actively used for performances:
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/venue/140028/
Here is a 1957 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/83vuxo
An old movie theater ad from 1949 for the New Forest Theatre which later became the Forest and as of 3/20/09 is still standing. This unique theater building with its towering vertical sign is worth takeing a look if anyone out there happens to be in the Dallas area.
This is a recent photo. Still looks empty.
This illustrated article about Interstate’s new Forest Theatre appeared in Boxoffice of December 3, 1949. The architects were Pettigrew & Worley.
RE: Richard Keiffer’s 2005 comments, above. The Forest was neither the largest neighborhood house in Texas, nor was it the last theatre built by Interstate Theatres, in Texas OR in Dallas – don’t know your source but Interstate built many new theatres in Dallas and other locations after 1947, including the Medallion, Cameo, and Westwood, all in the late 1960’s. In fact, the Medallion was intended as the first of a new generation of prestige first-run venues intended to replace the old downtown venues (Majestic, Tower, and Palace) which were already slated for closing. There was to be a new single-screen Palace near LBJ and Montfort but the trend away from single-screens to multiscreens put the kabosh on those plans.
The building appears to house a health clinic now.
April 2011
Described in this 1949 trade article: boxoffice
I guess that the name Black Forest had a racial connotation, but it seems a dumb choice in light of the legendary Black Forest mountain region in Germany and such edibles as Black Forest cake and Black Forest ham. Does it really have a history as the Black Forest Theatre? I think it should be listed as just Forest Theatre.
Does anyone here have more information about the Forest Theater( the name of the owner…) I am working on a documentary related to this theater and any info would much appreciated.. my email is .. Thx for your help
Seating capacity needs to be corrected from 478 (ridiculously low for a late 1940’s neighborhood house in Dallas) to the 1480 figure quoted in the July 4, 1949 boxoffice 1949 magazine article recently posted by Tinseltoes.