Registration is required for this virtual program. Scroll down to register.
The Eldorado Ballroom has been a fixture in Houston's Third Ward since 1939. Prominent Black businesspeople and philanthropists Anna and Clarence Dupree built the nightclub to be a showplace for blue-chip entertainers including Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown — but the Eldorado was more than a famous nightspot. The so-called "Home of Happy Feet" hosted generations of Houstonians at dances, talent shows and dinners, and was a vital part of the Third Ward's civic and commercial life.
The ballroom closed in the 1970s, and when Project Row Houses acquired the building in 1999, it was a shadow of its former self with bricked-up windows, years of wear and tear and original 1930s finishes removed or hidden behind later alterations. Project Row Houses began a thorough restoration in 2020 working with Stern and Bucek Architects, who removed drywall and drop ceilings to reveal original walls and trim; cleaned decades' worth of paint from exterior brick; and restored the large windows overlooking Emancipation Park.
Join Preservation Houston on Tuesday evening, October 8, for an online program detailing the restoration of the Eldorado Ballroom with architects David Bucek and Delaney Harris-Finch. Using photos and plans, they'll trace the story of this legendary structure and how it has become a neighborhood showplace once again.
A Q&A with the speakers will follow the presentation.
Event format
This program will be presented via Zoom. Registrants will receive additional information, including a link to join the program, via e-mail.
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Can’t join us live? No problem
We will make a recording of the full program available to all registrants, so you can watch at a time that’s most convenient for you.
Our programs are made possible in part by the generous contributions of Preservation Houston's members and friends. If you would like to support future programming, please consider adding a donation to your registration or becoming a PH member.
photo: Eldorado Ballroom (1939, Lenard Gabert) / courtesy of Stern and Bucek Architects