 the offical newsletter of DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT - DART 25th Anniversary 2008 |
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Transit in the Spotlight
"We're counting on the Green Line to bring
more density, more people living
here and coming here," says Barry Annino, who
serves as president of the Deep Ellum Foundation.
more density, more people living
here and coming here," says Barry Annino, who
serves as president of the Deep Ellum Foundation.
DART Delivers Arts & Entertainment Daily
No matter what's on stage, when it's showtime at Richardson's popular Eisemann Center, promoters can count on DART Rail to help fill the bill.
Situated just steps from Galatyn Park Station, in the shadow of the gleaming 12-story Renaissance Hotel, the $40-million performing arts and corporate conference center houses a 1,500-seat performance hall and a 350-seat theater. And every season, it draws newcomers to the arts with its eclectic offerings like the upcoming holiday concert by the Grammy-winning Manhattan Transfer or the elegant, sensual and captivating Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company.
 |  The Eisemann Center offers eclectic cultural attractions at DART's Galatyn Park Station. |
"Over the years, we've definitely seen an increase in foot traffic from DART," says Bruce MacPherson, the Eisemann's managing director. "We have people who say DART Rail gave them this experience."
Most patrons ride DART from south of LBJ Freeway, and MacPherson says plenty come from as far away as Fort Worth. "They tell us they ride the Trinity Railway Express and DART and make a day of it, maybe stopping for dinner along the way. Fortunately, the rail schedule is very conducive to what we do, and trains are never too far removed from our curtain times."
For now, dining near the Eisemann is limited to the center's Prelude Café and the adjacent hotel, but MacPherson says more restaurants are coming. With up to 5,000 employees of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas moving into a new corporate campus nearby, "there will be plenty of justification for having more restaurants here."
 The new Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas headquarters will add 5,000 workers to the growing development near Galatyn Park Station. |
Next Stop: Deep Ellum
For cutting-edge live entertainment, Deep Ellum has attracted audiences for decades – beginning in the 1920s with jazz and the blues, and continuing with a resurgence in the 1980s that added restaurants, retailers, galleries and lofts. With DART Rail's Green Line heading to the historic neighborhood next year, another new era is in on the horizon.
Barry Annino, a real estate broker and community leader in the neighborhood, can't wait until two stations open in his corner of the city. "We're counting on it to bring more density, more people living here and coming here," Annino says. He says the line will be a shot in the arm to a neighborhood that in the 1980s and 1990s became the hub of Dallas' art and music scene.
Recently Beck Ventures announced it has contracted to buy as much as 10 acres of Deep Ellum real estate, and plans are still pending on what will happen with the property. Annino, who represented Beck in some of the dealings, said the "x-factor" that will drive potential retail development is how many people choose to live in the neighborhood. "It's just going to evolve over time," he says.
Meanwhile, he points to the forthcoming Baylor Medical Center Station on the southern edge of Deep Ellum, where The Ambrose mixed-use development has opened with 327 apartment units above 13,500 square feet available for retail.
"The Green Line is going to help us a lot," says Annino, who serves as president of the Deep Ellum Foundation. "It should bring more people to see all the art and the cool stuff we have and help build up this community. And, you know, it'll be fun to watch the first train come through next year."
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