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Texas
Neighborhoods: Number 000003
Dallas'
"Deep Ellum"
Historical District
A Dallas Counterpart
to Memphis' Beale Street
Dallas, Texas
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T & P Ghost Sign
in the Deep Ellum District
near downtown Dallas
Photo Courtesy Stephen Johnson, May 2007 |
Once
known as "Central Track," for it proximity to the downtown depot of
the Houston and Texas Central Railroad tracks, the name Ellum was
the local pronounciation for Elm (Street).
The neighborhood, which was settled after the Civil War by emancipated
slaves, was once considered far from downtown Dallas.
The district was once the headquarters for company that manufactured
cotton gins (1880s) and later, around 1913, the Ford Motor Company
opened the Southwestern Ford Assembly Plant.
In 1916, the Grand Temple of the Black Knights of Pythias was built,
which is considered by many to be the first Black professional building
in Dallas. Black dentists, doctors and lawyers rented office space
here and the building housed the offices of the Express - a weekly
newspaper for Dallas' Black community. A rooftop ballroom hosted dances
and various gatherings.
By the 1920s Deep Ellum was established as a shopping and entertainment
section for Black Dallasites. Cafes, and nightclubs outnumbered pawn
shops 2 to 1.
Legendary Blues artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, "Leadbelly" and
"Lightnin'" Hopkins played in the dives and speakeasys of Deep Ellum
before they became nationally known.
Innocent domino palors were, more often than not, fronts for gambling
houses and the section had it's own red-light district, cementing
it's reputation as an unsavory place.
Dring WWII with so many men in the service, Deep Ellum entered into
a downward spiral. Postwar prosperity enabled many people (legit and
otherwise) who had dreamed of getting out of Deep Ellum to finally
escape. The railroad pulled up its rails and demolished the depot
and the final blow came when the streetcar service was discontinued
in the mid 1950s.
The Uptown Improvement League was formed to breathe life back into
the area, but in the late 1960s, heart of Deep Elm (the 2400 Block)
was covered by an elevated expressway. Deep Ellum was in an economic
coma throughout the 1970s.
In 1983 a plan was unveiled to redevelop the area, taking atvantage
of the neighborhood's "naughty reputation" to attract a "Bohemian"
atmosphere of nightclubs, cafes, and galleries. Long vacant buildings
were renovated to become upscale boutiques for a large and appreciative
audience. |
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Old Gulf Oil
Service Station
3400 Commerce Street
(Deep Ellum Historical District), Dallas, TX
Photo Courtesy Stephen Johnson, May 2007 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
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