Forest Forward Updates on Forest Theater Revitalization

Forest Forward brought its neighbors together last month at its new South Dallas headquarters, a former liquor store directly across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the historic Forest Theater, to share progress on one of the most ambitious revitalization projects in Dallas.

The meeting was intentionally designed for residents rather than press or city officials. Organizers wanted an open channel for community feedback, not a polished presentation for outside audiences.

Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward, opened with a fundraising update. The organization set a $75 million goal back in November 2021 and has raised $35 million to date, drawing on an $8 million contribution from the City of Dallas and $4 million in Housing and Urban Development funding. More than half the goal still needs to be secured, but the project is clearly moving.

The restored Forest Theater will seat 1,000 and function as far more than a concert hall. Wattley told attendees the team is sourcing high-quality equipment to support film screenings and attract film festivals, broadening the venue’s appeal and its calendar. The design also includes a rooftop overlooking downtown Dallas, anchored by a 13,000-square-foot café and a 25,000-square-foot outdoor plaza. The vision is a destination, not just a performance space.

Wattley was direct about where the contracts are going. Nearly $19 million has been awarded to Black-owned firms so far, with 78 percent of the theater project going to minority- and women-owned businesses. When neighbors asked about opportunities for local nonprofits and small businesses once the doors open, Wattley’s answer was specific. “We want to work with the community,” she said. “Everything from catering to balloons, we want to work together and support businesses in the neighborhood.”

Forest Forward also introduced Nijeul X as its new artistic director, a hire that signals the organization is moving from planning mode into programming mode.

Across the street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Arts Academy is undergoing its own transformation. A $20 million bond-funded expansion will add 25,000 square feet to the campus, including four science labs, a piano lab, and a new 2,000-square-foot dance studio. Wattley used the school to frame the broader argument for why this project matters. “Out of the 1,100 students at Booker T., less than 1 percent came from this zip code. That’s not about talent, it’s about access and opportunity,” she said. MLK Arts Academy is the only pre-K through eighth-grade school in Dallas ISD with a dedicated arts focus, and the expansion is designed to deepen that commitment.

The harder questions came from the floor. Residents pressed Forest Forward on displacement. A multi-million dollar investment of this scale will drive up property values at the theater site and push those increases outward through the surrounding blocks. It is a pattern Dallas has watched play out in other neighborhoods, and the people who live near Forest Theater are paying attention.

Ashley Wilson, executive vice president at Forest Forward, addressed those concerns directly, though the full scope of the organization’s anti-displacement strategy will require continued scrutiny as the project advances. The conversation was a reminder that revitalization and displacement are not always separate forces. They often arrive together, and South Dallas residents have seen enough development promises to know the difference between a framework and a guarantee.

That tension is worth taking seriously. The fundraising progress is real. The contract numbers reflect genuine commitment to keeping wealth in the community. The school expansion addresses access in concrete terms. Forest Forward has built credibility through its work so far.

But $35 million raised against a $75 million goal means the hardest fundraising is still ahead. The gap between a community meeting in a converted liquor store and a finished 1,000-seat venue with a rooftop café is still substantial. Wattley and her team have earned trust from their neighbors. The next chapter is earning the rest of the capital, and then delivering on what they have promised this community for years.