HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – The historic Eldorado Ballroom in Houston’s Third Ward will undergo a $9.6 million restoration and expansion led by Project Row Houses in partnership with Hines.
Founded in 1939 by Anna Johnson Dupree and Clarence A. Dupree, the Eldorado—affectionately known as “The Rado”—was one of the nation’s most important venues for Black musicians during the era of segregation.
The rehabilitation project will return the 10,000-square-foot modernist building to active cultural, social, and economic use while preserving its historic character. Although two fires harmed much of the interior, the development team plans to restore and retain original wood paneling, stucco, finishes, and fixtures wherever possible.
The second floor will be restored to feature the original ribbon windows—long spans of glazing that once ran the length of the ballroom along Elgin Street, facing Emancipation Park. The first floor, which originally accommodated retail, will be adapted to house a café, a community market, a nonprofit art gallery, and flexible meeting and community space.
In addition to restoring the historic structure, the project includes a 5,000-square-foot annex to support contemporary functions such as a green room, a preparation suite for brides and grooms, an elevator, and modernized restrooms. Construction was anticipated to be completed in early 2023.
At the height of its popularity in the 1940s and 1950s, the Eldorado Ballroom hosted marquee performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Houston blues legend Lightnin’ Hopkins. After a period of decline, the venue closed in the early 1970s. In 1999 the building was donated to Project Row Houses, and it received a Texas Historical Marker in 2011.
The restoration team includes Stern & Bucek Architects and Forney Construction, working under the leadership of Project Row Houses and Hines.
Funding for the project has been supported by the Project Row Houses board of directors, the Kinder Foundation, Houston Endowment, the Brown Foundation, and a broad group of long-time and newly engaged supporters.
“The Eldorado Ballroom, from the moment its doors opened, has always been the soul of the Third Ward,” said Eureka Gilkey, executive director of Project Row Houses. “We are proud to preserve the venue and ready it to serve again as a center for Black art, culture, and community.”
David Bucek, Principal at Stern & Bucek Architects, noted the rarity of preserving a building like the Eldorado: “The building exudes optimism. It was quality space and it is going to be returning to that, and will allow for generations of residents to be in the space together creating new memories.”
May 5, 2022 — Realty News Report. Copyright 2022.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Project Row Houses
File: Redo at Eldorado Ballroom