| Subject: Re: Edit your D mag piece before you submit? |
| From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com> |
| Date: 11/8/10, 13:44 |
| To: Karen Lancaster <lancaster.karen@gmail.com> |
In a way, Deep Ellums turn-of-the-century fall from grace was prompted by a sudden spate of competition from those other neighborhoods, such Knox-Henderson and the West Village area, which had lately come to achieve the sort of walkable recreational status that had so long eluded Dallas as a whole. But in another, more accurate way, the music districts collapse was entirely the fault of a few dozen stab-happy club patrons and a gaggle of scumbag landlords who couldnt care less that the venues to which they rented were quickly bring down one of the citys most important cultural nodes.
The offending clubs are gone now, thanks to a decade of legal wrangling led by several of the same developers who presided over Deep Ellums golden age and who are intent on bringing about its revival by employing the Planned Development card. Real estate developer and entrepreneur Lou Reese III, whose father was instrumental in shaping the areas original appeal by renting to such major draws as Monicas Aca Y Alla. Reese has lately brought in a new crop of anchor venues such as Tuckers Blues and has another round of eateries and bars coming into place relatively soon. Deep Ellum is getting its live music roots back, Reese told D in October, and people are making significant investment and inroads in bringing back the right acts and the right types of establishments to actually create a vibrant music zone in Dallas.
The conditions are already in place for the coming revival. Trees reopened in 2009 and Green Room did likewise in 2010 (and has since expanded its dining service to Sunday evenings, with brunch planned for the horizon). Neighborhood booster John Reardon has just recently gotten final approval to open a microbrewery, which should go well with the two-year-old Calais Winery that appeared in the area in 2008. District revivals have been built on much lesser foundations than those upon which Deep Ellum now rests.
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Regards,
Barrett Brown
512-560-2302