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Kalita Humphreys Theater

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1959, Frank Lloyd Wright; 1984 interior remodeled, Arthur Rogers and Eugene Lee. 3636 Turtle Creek Dr.

Built into the limestone banks of Turtle Creek, the outward stepping layers of one of Wright’s last built works rise out of the woods along the creek, a shorter, linear version of the curvaceous Guggenheim Museum in New York City, then underway. A vertical concrete drum complements the strong horizontals. The project was commissioned by the Dallas Theater Center and named after a deceased actress in the company. Wright created a thrust-stage space (without proscenium), but poor sight lines, lighting, and other planning problems caused a major interior remodeling in 1984 that removed most of Wright’s original interior, furnishings, and finishes. Expanded drives and parking lots have isolated the building from its site and the creek. The Dallas Theater Center moved to the Arts District in 2008 (DS39), and this theater is now used intermittently by local performing arts groups.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Gerald Moorhead et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

3525 Turtle Creek
Lakeside Drive Houses
Third Church of Christ Scientist
House (Powerhouse)
Warner Clark House

Citation

Gerald Moorhead et al., "Kalita Humphreys Theater", [Dallas, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-02-DS55.

Print Source

Buildings of Texas

Buildings of Texas: East, North Central, Panhandle and South Plains, and West, Gerald Moorhead and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2019, 163-163.

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