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For three decades, the Art Moderne Eldorado Ballroom at the corner of Dowling Street (now Emancipation Avenue) and Elgin Street in Houston was a prominent black music venue during the Jim Crow era. . Considered the center of the black community in Houston’s Third Ward, the institution was founded in 1939 by Anna and Clarence Dupree, the famous Black couple calls Third Ward home. But Radar Table’s impact extends far beyond local communities. It is nationally known as a cultural center for famous blues and jazz musicians, hosting the likes of Duke Ellington, BB King and Ella Fitzgerald.
But El Dorado suffered two major fires; the first in 1941 and the second in 1953, both originating in the upstairs kitchen. Most of the ballroom burned down, losing much of its historic decoration. The next decade brought a unique set of challenges for the venue: as the civil rights movement swept through Houston: tensions with police, desegregation and changes in the music scene led to declining patronage. The Eldorado Ballroom closed in 1972.
But restoration work has been ongoing since the ballroom was donated to Project Row Houses in 1999. Project Row Houses is a Houston-based nonprofit dedicated to enriching the neighborhoods of the historic Third Ward. The organization has a successful portfolio of events, arts programmes, community development programs and historic and cultural preservation initiatives. said Bert Brown III, former Board Chairman of Project Row Houses one The ballroom is a safe space for the community to gather, celebrate and relax. “The people here were dressed in their best clothes,” he recalled. For those in Emancipation Park across the street, the dance hall windows were always open, letting music drift into the park. Restoring this historic space is an ideal project for a nonprofit organization.
To achieve this restoration, Project Row Houses turned to Stern & Bucek Architects, a firm with extensive experience in historic preservation. The firm originally became involved with the Eldorado project through a pro bono accessibility study in 2012, but in 2020, Project Row Houses asked Stern and Bucek Architects to implement their recommendations. Construction will begin in mid-2021 and be completed in May 2023.
I spoke with architects David Bucek and Delaney Harris-Finch about Stern and Bucek’s involvement in the restoration. Harris-Finch began by expressing her respect for the cultural significance of the project: “This venue is responsible for developing the musicians who truly formed the sound of the blues. This space upstairs has a role in what we collectively listen to today and the sound of music today.” place.” Buchek agreed: “What’s special is that a lot of the people who performed here are still around. We were able to meet Jewel Brown, who, As a young girl, auditioned on stage…and later became an internationally famous singer. ” Brown still lives in the Third Ward, witnessing the resurgence of El Dorado.
The architects knew this was going to be more than just an ordinary restoration, so their first priority was to respect the building’s original character. This careful care allowed them to restore it to its original condition.
For the restoration, the team had numerous interior images at their disposal, but only one exterior image from 1948. The job becomes even more complicated when the team discovers that mid-century architectural elements were added to cover up the damage after a fire in the 1950s: Fur rugs, ceilings, drywall and air conditioning systems with large ducts were all introduced during this era. of. When the team began the restoration process, they discovered remnants of the original 1939 wood paneling beneath all the added drywall. “Considering how intense the fire was here, I’m shocked that much of the original building is still intact. We didn’t expect we would find it in,” Bucek said.
Harris-Finch describes the process as “peeling an onion,” pulling back layer after layer to restore the building. The wood was tagged, removed, repaired, and then put back into its original location. The team also analyzed the finishes: “Every color you see is original to 1939, both interior and exterior,” Bucek said. “[It] Takes you back to that period. “
Since the renovation was completed, the Eldorado has once again become a prominent venue in the neighborhood, providing inspiration for musicians such as Solange Knowles, among other community events. The retail space on the ground floor has also been filled: passers-by can grab a coffee at the Rado MKT café or visit an exhibition at the Hogan Brown Gallery. There is also a Project Row Houses community meeting room at street level.
In addition to these historic restorations, the architects also implemented entirely new additions. The new space does not host any new programs, but rather serves as an important part of supporting infrastructure for venues and businesses alike, elegantly meeting modern egress and ADA accessibility requirements. The café has additional storage and dishwashing space as well as a fully glazed meeting room within this new space, and the venue now has two green rooms and its own on-site office.
El Dorado is now more than a stagnant time capsule.Harris-Finch described the building as “not only meeting the basic necessities of daily life; [having] Some huge cultural elements. This dynamic is very special. ” By reviving it, Project Row Houses and Stern & Bucek Architects rediscovered the rich history of the El Dorado Ballroom and the community in which it is located. ‘Rado faced demolition, but through the efforts of the community and many restoration contributors, The heart of District Three is still beating.
Pooja Desai is a writer and designer at Protolab Architects in Texas.
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