In 1939, the Eldorado Ballroom opened its doors in the heart of Third Ward in Houston. The brainchild of husband-and-wife team Clarence and Anna Johnson Dupree, the ballroom would quickly become one of the epicenters for arts and entertainment in the South, growing during the era of Jim Crow by hosting a who’s who of the music world. In a time period where African American artists and fans were segregated from white audiences, the Eldorado provided a stage for some of the country’s most pivotal artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Etta James, Count Basie, Ray Charles, B.B. King and James Brown.
The building was not only a place where established performers graced the stage but also a proving ground that launched the careers of up-and-coming stars as well as a meeting hub for young people throughout Houston looking for a place to party without the ever-present burdens of segregation. For decades, the Eldorado was home, but in the 1970’s Anna Johnson Dupree sold the building shortly after the death of her husband as the neighborhood began to fall into decline. It was purchased by Hubert Finkelstein, who saved the building from destruction and later donated it to Project Row Houses, a nonprofit organization focused on empowering communities like Third Ward, in 1999. For the next few years plans began to form as Project Row Houses began to put together blueprints for a revitalization. As the ideas began to form about how the revitalization would occur, the organization reached out to Chris Williams.
“This actually started with Project Row Houses when they were gifted the building nine years ago,” says Williams. “They wanted to start a project to bring the Eldorado back to its former glory. Anita Smith and Hasty Johnson from Hines Development reached out to see if I had any ideas and, for me, being a part of the project was a no-brainer.”
Williams, a two-time James Beard nominee, is the owner of the Lucille’s Hospitality Group. The group’s crown jewel is Lucille’s, a restaurant named after his great-grandmother and located in a rapidly changing part of Third Ward. Lucille’s has been a hit in the Houston dining scene thanks to William’s curation of his grandmother’s recipes, showing the restaurateur’s experience in bridging the old with the new. That experience would become invaluable when taking on the massive project of revitalizing the Eldorado.
“Third ward is still a food desert. Our goal is to make this a community cultural celebration center that showcases young talent as well as providing a restaurant component,” he says.
When the Eldorado first opened, the first story of the building was composed of businesses while the second floor was for the club and entertainment. Under Williams’s watch, the space will see not just a revitalization of the upstairs ballroom, but also the addition of a cafe and art gallery. But don’t look at the gallery as a museum or the cafe as a simple stop to grab a quick bite. In Williams fashion, the old becomes the new with a little tinkering and innovation.
“The gallery will be run by Robert Hodge, a globally renowned artist from Third Ward. It’s going to be a working studio where artists can learn as well as sell their work,” he shares. “This is not just teaching kids to finger paint. We want them to know the business side of art.”
The cafe will also serve the neighborhood as well as help to expose chefs and new flavors to wider audiences.
“I love cookbooks but one of the problems that people have is when you pick up a Senegalese or a Malaysian cookbook, they might have a time getting all of the ingredients. We’re going to feature a cookbook each month and with that featured book will be a package of all of the hard-to-find ingredients necessary to complete its dishes. You’ll be able to take the book and basket home and execute any of the recipes,” he says.
And then there’s the actual ballroom. The location will become home to a series of authors doing book signings, a partnership with KTSU, and a return to artists performing onstage as they did 90 years ago. For Williams, the goal is to return the Eldorado to its former glory: a centerpiece in Houston’s storied Third Ward.
“There is a rich, cultural history in Third Ward that not only shapes the city, but the state and country as well,” says Williams. “From visual to music, the artists from there make their mark. There are more Grammys coming out of Third Ward than any other spot. There’s an undeniable historic, flavor that’s baked into the community.”
