Copy
NEWSLETTER: UPDATE JUNE 26, 2019
The Kalita Humphreys Theater is the incredible core of a beautiful park connected to a creek and trails in the heart of our city – a cultural treasure for Dallas and beyond. We believe that Wright’s only built realization of his “new theater” design is an architectural masterpiece with unique qualities that actors and audiences cherish and still want to experience today. 

We began our Conservancy with a robust campaign to raise public awareness of this site. We’ve made countless presentations on the significance of theater, park, and architecture and held hundreds of meetings to create a community of support. By June 2018, our message had gained so much traction that we seemed to have awakened a sleeping giant. Often a neglected site can be at greater risk when a light is shown on it, and last June, along with new collaborations came new controversy. We responded with more education and advocacy, and finally, activism at every step of the Kalita’s progression through the City’s process until the critical Council vote two weeks ago.

This newsletter is about what happened, what we achieved, and what we can do going forward. Our goal now is to continue to create an upward spiral for the Kalita and its site through constructive collaboration. 
 
THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE
1. The Lease Extension - June 12, 2019

2. Checks and Balances were Added

3. Continued Concerns

4. Accomplishments and Events

5. Our Plans to Grow, Educate, Advocate and Collaborate
Artist’s View: Reimagining the Kalita  
Abbreviations:
OCA   – Office of Cultural Affairs
PRD   – Parkand Recreation Department
ACAC – Arts and Culture Advisory Commission (formerly Cultural Affairs Commission)
QoL – Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee (Council Committee)
DTC – Dallas Theater Center, the current tenant 
THE LEASE EXTENSION FOR THE KALITA HUMPHREYS THEATER
On June 12, City Council passed a Lease Extension for the Kalita Humphreys Theater:

The five-year “Lease Extension” extends the short-term default lease of the current tenant, the DTC, for five years during which time the DTC is to privately fund and manage a master plan for the entire 9+ acre campus, select a Steering Committee, and create a Management Entity, among other rights and obligations. The Agreement also names sub-tenants: Uptown Players, and two other “core users.” 

Our previous newsletter has additional background about what’s in the Agreement and our fundamental concerns about its being passed:
KTC Newsletter June 9 

Our supporters wanted Council to have a full briefing of the original city-funded Master Plan prior to the vote, and we had asked for public/private funding for the future planning efforts.  This view was widespread and vocal and led to a great airing of views from stakeholders on all sides.

While Lease Agreements going before Council are typically online before the vote, now two weeks after the vote, only the deal points and general descriptions are available online:
CHECKS AND BALANCES WERE ADDED
By the time the Lease Agreement passed, it had changed greatly. This is how it evolved, with your help:
  • We succeeded in slowing down the process by ten months, allowing for more thorough evaluations, so that many checks and balances could be added.
  • References to the Master Plan were added throughout the Agreement and final drafts recommended careful review as and underpinning for the “Updated Master Plan." Thank you to Councilmember Sandy Greyson for emphasizing during the Council meeting that the Master Plan should be taken seriously and thoroughly reviewed.
  • The Master Plan Key Recommendations had been rejected in November by DTC and OCA, but several were reintroduced by the ACAC Task Force. Thanks to Task Force for digging deeper and re-opening that discussion.
  • The requirement for a Steering Committee to represent the range of stakeholders was added to the Agreement. Its 14 members now include representatives from AIA and Preservation Dallas, PRD, a neighbor, an engineer, and two nonprofits, as well as the core user theater groups. While the committee is advisory only, it will have the right to approve the selection of the Consultant for the “Updated Master Plan.”
  • Our Dallas Park Plan recognizes the Kalita as a Cultural Resource. It is expected that the Agreement will not infringe on PRD control of land outside of building perimeters.
  • Any plans that the DTC-funded Consultant generates are now required to be reviewed and ultimately approved by three public entities: ACAC, Park Board, and City Council. Thanks to Councilmembers Jennifer Gates and Sandy Greyson for upholding the City’s responsibilities for its public properties by creating opportunities for public oversight.
  • We understand that one Key Recommendation of the original public Master Plan made it into the final Agreement: Restore Wright’s only theater and its relationship to its setting as an example of great modern architecture. Thanks to Councilmember Philip Kingston, who was responsible for the Master Plan public release in 2014, and who announced on June 12 that he had added this key item.
  • The Lease Extension is a five-year term – an indication that the review process will continue.
CONTINUED CONCERNS
  • We have yet to see the final Agreement document, which we understand should have been in the public record prior to the Council vote.
  • The DTC retains full funding control of the “Updated Master Plan,” the selection of the Steering Committee, and the creation of a Management Entity. The Consultant for the DTC’s new plan will be obligated to its private funder.
  • There are on-going concerns about the mission of the tenant with respect to stewardship of the entire site. See this article in the Dallas Morning News: Open Letter to Eric Johnson - 10 Ways to Make Dallas Better. (Scroll to the end.)
  • Council was not briefed on the original public consensus Master Plan, nor did they have a tour of the building, before the Council vote.
  • The Lease Extension deal became a fulcrum for arts groups and councilmembers to lobby for equal rights at unrelated sites elsewhere in the City.
  • These Key Recommendations of the Master Plan are were NOT added to the Agreement:
    • Rehabilitate the Kalita interior as a working theater to its original design intentions – with and modifications for modern functionality and equipment.
    • Maintain a balanced landscape to building ratio.
    • Enhance and protect the park, and restore the landscape, in relation to trail and park linkages.
    • Bring together advocates and owners in a collective operation to ensure good stewardship for the future.
  • Misperceptions about the value of the Wright building and the original intentions of the theater persist. Many were surprised by Mr. Kingston’s comment in the Council meeting that the Kalita will never bring in major tourism because “it’s not like Fallingwater” and would never be a destination. This is not the view of our supporters or the Landmark Commission.
  • Can the Auditorium ever regain the unique qualities so many still remember prior to its remodel? When the DTC moved to its new multi-form theater downtown, Master Plan theater consultants thought the burden was taken off this unique theater to be all things to all people. Additional anchor tenants are named in the Lease Agreement, which makes us concerned that, once again, the theater will be expected to perform in ways for which it was not designed.                               “To Mr. Wright the reality of a building was the space within so it is disheartening to read that reclaiming the interior may not be possible.”  W. Kelly Oliver, June 17, 2019 (Supervising Apprentice 1959)
  • Overbuilding of the site appears likely, as it will have to bend to the needs of not just one, but three additional anchor users. In contrast, the original Master Plan video shows the limitations of the site topography and what a balanced ratio of building, parking, and park could look like. Watch the Video
Top: 1959 (from the files of Bill Carner); Middle: 2009; Bottom: The Exterior Restoration (Master Plan Digital Files)
WHAT KTC ACCOMPLISHED WITH YOUR HELP
We greatly expanded public awareness:
  • The final phase of the 2010 Master Plan was to include a public presentation, which the City never scheduled. The KTC, in effect, completed that final phase of the Master Plan by presenting it over the last few years to over 1,500 people. Thank you to the original consultants for the Master Plan, who freely gave of their time to come back for presentations.
  • We attended every public hearing at City Hall and worked with ACAC commissioners and city staff, including both the OCA and PRD Directors. We’d like to thank the volunteer appointees to the Task Force for their exhaustive work in digging into the issues and taking action.
  • From the original master files, we constructed a 3D vision of the Master Plan, juxtaposed with images of current conditions. Thousands have seen the resulting video and now have an image of a restored building and protected site, as a reference. We’d like to thank MESA for donating over 500 hours of pro bono work to turn these files into a beautiful, hopeful visualization.
  • The Kalita has been in the news in numerous journals, Dallas papers, and social media sites.  We would like to express our appreciation to those journalists who researched the facts. Thanks to all those who contributed funds to help us get the word out on different platforms.
  • We spoke at numerous meetings with city officials and briefings. Many thanks go to our well-informed, unscripted speakers from the public. Thanks to the Councilmembers Greyson and Narvaez who removed this issue from the Consent Agenda, so the debate over the Agreement could be public.
  • Hundreds of letters of support were bound and presented to Council and Commissioners over the course of eight months. Thank you to all those who stopped whatever you were doing and carefully crafted letters manifesting concern and optimism. You amplified our local and national voice.
  • We demonstrated support in person. Thanks to all those who came to City Hall on June 12. 
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy “Out and About” was in Dallas in April. After taking a tour of the building, the group attended our panel discussion, “More Than the Sum of its Parts” at the Meyerson.  Our distinguished panel included Mark Lamster, Robyn Flatt, Lee Cullum, and Dr. Richard Brettel. These sage interpreters of Dallas culture weighed in on the importance, plight, and opportunities of the Kalita, for this national audience.
We had a fantastic time giving a tour of the Kalita to this knowledgeable group. Wouldn’t it be great to reinstate regular tours in the future?  
KTC PLANS TO GROW, EDUCATE, ADVOCATE, AND COLLABORATE
We’ll build coalitions and community
If you are reading this newsletter, you are part of a community of diverse people who share some common goals for improving the quality of life for the neighborhood, the city, and beyond. We will continue our outreach to you.
  • We’ll strengthen ties with affinity groups – local, state and national. We want to particularly acknowledge the support of: AIA Historic Resources Committee, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the Taliesin Foundation, the Dallas Historical Society, and DOCOMOMO. Thanks to the Oak Lawn Committee, and the condominiums on Turtle Creek and Lemmon for your letters of support. We’d like to thank all the performing arts groups that articulated their vision for performances and events in a rehabilitated theater including DCT, Allegro Guitar Society, AD/Ex, and many others. 
  • We look forward to more exchanges with Council and Commissioners.
We’ll assist the Steering Committee in any way we can.
Our expertise is extensive and matched by our goodwill. 
  • The KTC represents a large set of varied users – neighbors, actors, educators, engineers, businesses, and design professionals – the interest groups that gave input to the Master Plan.
  • The “Updated Master Plan” seeks to establish broad support and identify fundraising groups, such as ours.
  • The Lease Agreement notes that the 2010 Master Plan is a “thorough work and the update will build and depend greatly on the earlier effort.” All 2010 Master Plan consultants have offered to come back to present their findings.
We’ll keep creating public awareness of the pluralistic vision. 
  • We will update everyone on our progress through our newsletter, other platforms, and more events.
  • Request a presentation – we’d love to meet you.
  • Let’s have more tours!
We’ll strengthen our infrastructure, collections, and programs.
  • This year we plan to settle in and strengthen our organization’s infrastructure.
  • We’ll continue to build our resources and collections.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Funds donated at this time will strengthen our non-profit foundation so we can continue to build support and give back to our community. Help us be more effective in the short-term and ready for great things to come!
 
Donate to the KTC
LAST WORK | FROM YOUR LETTERS:
“From an early age, my parents told me about the fabled building with no right angles… As an adult, I’ve had the great pleasure of seeing my work on stage at the Kalita Humphreys Theater… The theater is a Dallas Landmark and of significant national prominence to fans of architecture and theater alike. It should be treasured for its history, its singularity and its inestimable value to the city. For many of us, it’s more than mortar and concrete: it’s a shrine to the enduring legacy and lasting influence of live performance.”

Excerpted from a letter written by a Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright, Doug Wright, December 2017
Help Save a Dallas Treasure!
Forward to a Friend
Donate to the KTC
Copyright © 2019 Wright in the Park, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp