A skater along Main Street in Deep Ellum

Deep Ellum (a corruption of "deep Elm Street") is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas (USA). It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 (unsigned I-345) freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets. The neighborhood is north of Exposition Park and south of Bryan Place. (See Deep Ellum Blues for maps.) Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (603x800, 153 KB) A man with a skateboard in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (603x800, 153 KB) A man with a skateboard in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this... Pedestrians along Stone Street. ... East Dallas comprises many communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas, (USA). ... Dallas redirects here. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ... Interstate 45 (I-45) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. ... U.S. Route 75 is a north-south U.S. Highway. ... Interstate 345 is the former designation of what is now the northernmost section of Interstate 45 between I-30 (R.L. Thornton) and Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway). ... A long exposure of Main Street. ... Exposition Park (or Expo Park) is a neighborhood in south Dallas, Texas (USA). ... Bryan Place is a neighborhood in East Dallas, Texas (USA). ...

History

Industrial beginnings

An outdoor barber shop, Fybr, in Deep Ellum

The area got its start in 1884 when Robert S. Munger built his first factory, for the Munger Improved Cotton Machine Company, in what is now Deep Ellum. In 1913, Henry Ford opened an assembly plant here to supplement the manufacture of the Ford Model T at the Detroit plant. In 1916, the first building built for and by blacks in Dallas—The Grand Temple of the Black Knights of Pythias—was built in Deep Ellum.^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (600x800, 175 KB) An outdoor barber shop in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (600x800, 175 KB) An outdoor barber shop in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. ... Detroit redirects here. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Jazz and blues

Starting in 1920 and crescendoing into the 1930s, Deep Ellum became distinguished as a prime jazz and blues hotspot in the South. Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played in Deep Ellum clubs like The Harlem and The Palace. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Blues music redirects here. ... Historic Southern United States. ... Blind Lemon Jefferson (October 26, 1894 – December 1929) was an influential blues singer and guitarist from Texas. ... Robert Johnson, born Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. ... Leadbelly, also known as Lead Belly (born Huddie William Ledbetter; January 20, 1889 (although this is debatable) - December 6, 1949), was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

In 1937, a columnist described Deep Ellum as:

At the time, you could find gun and locksmith shops, clothing stores, the Cotton Club, tattoo studios, barber-shops, pawn shops, drugstores, tea rooms, loan offices, domino halls, pool halls, and walk-up hotels. On its sidewalks you could find pigeon droppers, reefer men, craps shooters, card sharps, and sellers of cocaine and marijuana.^[2] Sometime around World War I, Leadbelly and Blind Lemon Jefferson got together and began composing folk tunes, with Dallas often in the lyrics. In a song called "Ella Speed": Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the video game. ... Locksmithing is the science and art of making and defeating locks. ... For other uses, see Tattoo (disambiguation). ... Modern pawnbroker storefront A Pawnbroker is a person who offers loans to individuals who use their personal property as collateral. ... For other uses, see Pharmacy (disambiguation). ... For tea rooms used in Japanese tea ceremony, see Japanese tea house The gallery in The Willow Tearooms. ... Domino redirects here. ... A pool halll is a place where people get together for playing pool, snooker or billiards. ... For other uses, see Hotel (disambiguation). ... Reefer may refer to: Reefer (ship), a refrigerated watercraft Reefer (railroad), a refrigerated railroad wagon Reefing jacket (or reefer), a type of warm jacket designed for use by midshipmen reefing sails Reefer, a midshipman engaged in sail reefing Reefer, a synonym for cannabis or spliff (a cannabis cigarette) Reefer, an... Craps (previously known as crabs[1]) is a casino dice game. ... The Cardsharps, c. ... For other uses, see Cocaine (disambiguation). ... Cannabis, also known as marijuana[1] or ganja (Hindi: गांजा),[2] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Leadbelly, also known as Lead Belly (born Huddie William Ledbetter; January 20, 1889 (although this is debatable) - December 6, 1949), was an American folk and blues musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing, his virtuosity on the twelve string guitar, and the rich songbook of folk standards he introduced. ... Blind Lemon Jefferson (October 26, 1894 – December 1929) was an influential blues singer and guitarist from Texas. ...

Another song about Deep Ellum, "Deep Ellum Blues", included:

Expanded scene

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Deep Ellum was largely a warehouse and industrial district which started to attract artists to the cheap loft space that was available. One of the first was a 1982 "nightclub" called Studio D on Main Street featuring local punk bands like Stick Men With Ray Guns and The Hugh Beaumont Experience. In fact, the "club" was nothing more than an empty warehouse equipped with a drum riser, and a card table by the door to collect the $2 cover charge and home to empressario Frank Campagna. However, such an unassuming environment was the perfect place for the early punk bands, and many national acts played here, including The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and The Meat Puppets. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Old warehouses in Amsterdam Inside Green Logistics Co. ... Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries. ... The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ... Look up Loft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The Hugh Beaumont Experience was a punk rock band from Fort Worth, Texas. ... This page is about the band; see Kennedy family for the political dynasty, or The Kennedy Curse, which inspired the name Dead Kennedys The Dead Kennedys, from San Francisco, California are widely considered to be one of the greatest punk rock bands of all time. ... Black Flag was a hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes. ... The Meat Puppets formed as a three-piece band in Scottsdale, Arizona in January 1980, originally calling themselves the Bastions Of Immaturity. ...

While Studio D certainly represented the punk rock audience, the first live music venue to feature a broad cross section of musicians, visual artists, performance artists and theatre performers was the Theatre Gallery. This venue hosted live shows by Bad Brains, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 10,000 Maniacs, Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, Decadent Dub Team, Flaming Lips, End Over End (Band) (who was the first local band to perform at TG as "The End"), Three On a Hill and Shallow Reign. The house sound man was Jim Heath (also known as The Reverend Horton Heat). TG also featured art openings by painters/visual artists Ron English, Jeff Robinson, Bill Haveron, Matt Miller, Greg Contestible and Richard Hoefle. The club's owner Russ Hobbs became a born-again Christian and TG booking agent Jeff Liles went on release a number of spoken-word records under the name "cottonmouth, texas". Bad Brains are an American punk rock band, originally formed in Washington, D.C. in 1979 . ... This article is about the rock band called Hüsker Dü. For other uses, see Husker Du. ... For other uses, see The Replacements (disambiguation). ... Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... 10,000 Maniacs is a United States-based alternative rock band, formed in 1981 and active with various line-ups since that time. ... Edie Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer. ... The Flaming Lips is an American rock band with psychedelic influences, formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by Mark Coyne, Wayne Coyne and Michael Ivins. ... The Reverend Horton Heat is both a three-piece psychobilly/rockabilly band from Dallas, Texas and the stage name of its singer/songwriter, Jim Heath (born in 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas). ...

Another milestone was passed when some guys started having regular parties with DJs at the old Clearview Louver Window building. The multi-room environment with different DJs and bands was very successful. Following an exposé in Spin, the club was evicted from the building, but Clearview moved to another location in Deep Ellum (taking the old building's neon sign). It closed December 31, 2006. Other early- to mid-1980s nightspots were the 500 Café, Empire, Video Bar, and Club Dada. Spin is a music magazine that reports on all the music that rocks. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At this point, with the closure of Dallas' other two punk-rock clubs (DJ's and the Hot Klub), Deep Ellum became the de-facto home of the area's bourgeoning punk scene. Not yet promoted by associations or the city, the area had still acquired considerable "buzz" on the streets, and had become another primary live-music destination, in addition to the traditional Lower Greenville area.

In the late 1980s, due to increasing problems, and pressure from newly-formed local business groups like the Deep Ellum Association, the city of Dallas began upgrading roads, lighting, and parking along Main, Elm, and Commerce streets. Up until this time, the streets had been rather neglected, and there was little lighting, leaving the whole neighborhood dark, and dangerous-seeming. Although purists decried the loss of original atmosphere, the newly-lit streets did lead to lower crime, and it was at this point that the area really began to take off commercially.

Entertainment district

The 1990s were a high point for Deep Ellum as Dallas' liveliest entertainment district. By 1991, Deep Ellum had 57 bars and nightclubs. There were restaurants, tattoo parlors, other diverse retail shops, and an increasing amount of high-rent residential loft space. Notable businesses of the 1990s included Trees (Closed late 2005), 2826, Club Dada (closed & reopened 2006), The Angry Dog (a restaurant, still in business), Monica's Aca y Alla (a restaurant, still in business),Looker Hair Group (a salon), Galaxy Club (closed early 2007), the Green Room and Tarantino's (both restaurants closed September 2006), and The Red Blood Club (closed & reopened 2007). Bars or bars can mean: The plural of bar. ... A nightclub (often dance club or club, particularly in the UK) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ... A typical restaurant in uptown Manhattan A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to be consumed on the premises. ... For other uses, see Tattoo (disambiguation). ... Look up Loft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Restaurant (disambiguation). ... A typical restaurant in uptown Manhattan A restaurant is an establishment that serves prepared food and beverages to be consumed on the premises. ...

One interesting story involves Russell Hobbs, the former owner of Theater Gallery and the Prophet Bar, who, in early 1988, converted to Christianity, closed his clubs, and opened The Door (in May 1998, still in business), a Christian oriented venue which remains popular with young people and many high profile MTV bands and lesser-known touring bands. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ...

Another interesting story is how Monica's Aca y Alla came about. Eduardo Greene divorced his wife and had a highly publicised sex-change and reopened Eduardo's Aca y Alla under her new name. Monica's Aca y Alla helped revive Deep Ellum in the '90s with this trendy hotspot.

Life in Deep Ellum (www.lifeindeepellum.com) opened in January 2007 as a cultural center for the community of Deep Ellum and has breathed new life into the area. The 23,000sf venue features Mokah Coffee Bar; the Live@Mokah concert venue (www.liveatmokah.com) and Mokah Art, one of the area's largest gallery spaces. In addition to its cultural and entertainment offerings, The Gathering is held every Sunday in the Live@Mokah venue space for those seeking spiritual growth within the community's only legally-designated church space. Deep Ellum Kids offers an after-school mentoring program in partnership with the Dallas Independent School District's City Park Elementary.

Crime recession

At one point, Deep Ellum had become such a popular attraction that the streets often were blocked off to traffic, especially on weekends. It also spawned several events like the Deep Ellum Film Festival and Deep Ellum Arts Festival. Perhaps its best days are past. New events such as the Code (Culture Of Deep Ellum) events and Dallas Rock Meetup Group monthly festival involve multi-venue, multi band performances that hope to maintain Deep Ellum's viability as a live music hotspot.

Today, Deep Ellum struggles with high rents and zoning restrictions on businesses. The perception of a high crime rate has made many people reluctant to visit the area. Things have turned around somewhat, as evidenced by an increase in chain stores and restaurants. In mid-2006, local papers had begun to report the near-demise of the neighborhood, as a large percentage of the long-time live music venues had closed that year, leaving mostly clubs oriented more towards dancing and drinking, and radically altering the "feel" of the area. In 2007, several additional small and medium clubs had closed, although new live-music venues spring up without warning.

It is a time of transition. In 2007, the City Of Dallas has encouraged large scale residential, multi-family dwelling construction in Deep Ellum, in hopes to make it more financially successful. However, there are no substitute areas or neighborhoods for Dallas' indie and blues musicians that offers the access to venues and grass-roots spirit - still found in Deep Ellum.

The Scene

Live music venues

A signpost advertises coming shows along Main Street

The former Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum

Deep Ellum has several live music venues: Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (577x800, 187 KB) A marquee advertising shows in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (577x800, 187 KB) A marquee advertising shows in Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Texas (USA) This image is the work of drumguy8800 gallery | contributions | I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document... The Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum in Dallas, My own picture - I hereby release it into the public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum in Dallas, My own picture - I hereby release it into the public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

• Adair's Saloon - 2624 Commerce Street
• AllGood Cafe - 2394 Main Street
• The Bomb Factory - 2713 Canton Street (Closed)
• The Bone - 2724 Elm Street
• Club Clearview - 2803 Main Street (Closed)
• Curtain Club - 2800 Main Street
• Club Dada - 2720 Elm Street
• Darkside Lounge - 2810 Elm Street
• Deep Ellum Blues - 2612 Main Street (Closed)
• Deep Ellum Live - 2727 Canton Street (Closed)
• The Door - 3202 Elm Street (Moved to Gypsy Tea room's building)
• Double Wide - 3510 Commerce Street
• Galaxy Club - 2820 Main Street / 2808 Commerce Street (Closed)
• Gypsy Tea Room - 2548 Elm Street (Closed)
• Live@Mokah -- 2803 Taylor Street
• The Liquid Lounge - 2800 Main Street
• The Pharmacy - 2820 Elm Street (Closed)
• The Puppet Lounge 2807 Elm Street (Closed)
• The Red Blood Club - 2617 Commerce Street
• Sons of Herman Hall - 3414 Elm Street
• Tomcats - 2914 Commerce Street

Performing Arts

• Ad-Libs - 2639 Main Street
• The Hub Theater - 2809 Canton Street

Art Galleries

• 500X Gallery - 500 Exposition Avenue
• AND/OR Gallery - 4221 Bryan Street
• The Public Trust - 2919-C Commerce Street
• Barry Whistler Gallery - 2909-B Canton Street
• Blue Square Art Gallery - 3023 Commerce Street
• Dahlia Woods Gallery - 600 Cantegral Street
• Gallery 2910- 2910 Commerce Street
• Hal Samples - 2814 Main Street
• Kettle Art Gallery - 2714 Elm Street
• Mokah Art -- 2803 Taylor Street
• Mutt Gallery - 3405 Main Street
• Nine Eyes Studio - 130 N. Peak Street
• Pawn Gallery - 2540 Elm Street
• Pidgeon Stone Project Gallery - 3311 Commerce Street
• Revolution Gallery - 3309 Elm Street
• Road Agent Gallery - 2909-A Canton Street

Restaurants

• Baker's Ribs - 2724 Commerce Street
• Cafe Brazil - 2815 Elm Street
• Deep Sushi - 2624 Elm Street
• eXcuses eXtreme Cafe- 3025 Main Street
• Mokah Coffee Bar -- 2803 Taylor Street
• Pepe & Mito's - 2911 Elm Street
• Twisted Root Burger Co.- 2615 Commerce Street

Bars

• Elm Street Bar - 2812 Elm Street

Graffiti

Murals along the Good Latimer Tunnel

In addition to live music, Deep Ellum is a hot-bed for graffiti. Many of the music venues use graffiti artists to advertise music shows. In the late 1980s, the city allowed a number of local artists to paint walls of the Good Latimer Expressway tunnel (a major entry to the neighborhood). The wide variety of images, largely in a 'graffiti' style, has long been a popular display, leading many to conclude (incorrectly) that the city allows graffiti in parts of Deep Ellum. The tunnel was demolished in spring 2007 to make way for the DART Green Line train due to serve the area beginning in 2009. Image File history File linksMetadata 07110411l. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 07110411l. ... For other uses, see Graffiti (disambiguation). ... A DART Bus operating in downtown Dallas The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority (or DART) is the transit agency in Dallas, Texas that operates buses, light rail (including an underground station), commuter rail, and HOV lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs. ...

Transportation

Highways

• Interstate 345 ( US 75/ I-45 connection)

Image File history File links I-345. ... Interstate 345 is the former designation of what is now the northernmost section of Interstate 45 between I-30 (R.L. Thornton) and Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway). ... Image File history File links US_75. ... U.S. Route 75 is a north-south U.S. Highway. ... Image File history File links I-45. ... Interstate 45 (I-45) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. ...

Trains

• DART Green Line (future)
  • Deep Ellum Station

A DART Bus operating in downtown Dallas The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority (or DART) is the transit agency in Dallas, Texas that operates buses, light rail (including an underground station), commuter rail, and HOV lanes in Dallas and 12 of its suburbs. ... The Trinity Railway Express (or TRE) is a commuter rail line in the system of mass transit in Dallas and Fort Worth operated by an interlocal agreement between the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system and The T in Fort Worth. ...

Education

North Dallas High School serves residents north of Commerce Street

Deep Ellum is served by the Dallas Independent School District. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 771 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 771 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... North Dallas High School is a secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, (USA). ... Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts W. H. Adamson High School The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) is a school district based in Dallas, Texas (USA). ...

Residents of Deep Ellum north of Commerce Street are zoned to Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School, Alex W. Spence Middle School and North Dallas High School.^[3] Residents south of Commerce Street are zoned to City Park Elementary School, Billy Earl Dade Middle School, and James Madison High School.^[4] North Dallas High School is a secondary school located in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas, Texas, (USA). ... James Madison High School, formerly Forest Avenue High School, is a public secondary school located at 3000 Martin L. King Boulevard in south Dallas, Texas (USA) in the ZIP code 75215. ...

References

is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Pask, Kevin. "Deep Ellum Blues" Southern Spaces, 30 October 2007.
• DEEP (Deep Ellum Enrichment Project)
• The Deep Ellum Association
• Deep Ellum Residents Council
• Complete Deep Ellum Business Listing
• Deep Ellum Film Festival
• Deep Ellum Arts Festival
• History of Deep Ellum compiled by the Dallas Observer
• Deep Ellum Residents Council on Myspace
• Extensive gallery of Good-Latimer Tunnel murals
• Deep Addison