The downtown area of Dallas will get its first movie theater since the last one closed 14 years ago, the developers announced on Monday. The announcement was first reported by The Dallas Morning News.
The owner of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema said he will build an eight-screen theater with nearly 1,000 seats just south of downtown at South Lamar Street and Cadiz Street.
"I think people are very excited to see a theater come back to downtown and South Dallas area," said theater owner Bill DiGaetano. "I think it's needed."
The theater will do more than just show first-run Hollywood movies.
It will also sell food, and the second floor will house a bar with dozens of different beers and two outdoor patios.
"I think it's that local catalyst," DiGaetano said. "I think we're a catalyst that brings people from the community into the South Lamar and Cedars area more so than, for example, a music venue, which brings a lot of people."
He said he expects nearby residents to walk to the cinema but it will also have 400 parking spots for those who need a car.
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Boosters agree the theater will be a big shot in the arm for the entire downtown area.
"Not only does it provide a new entertainment venue for people in the greater downtown area, but it also provides a destination for people who want to come back to the core and spend some time going to a theater, going to dinner," said John Crawford, president of Downtown Dallas Inc.
With no construction delays, it is expected to open in about one year.
