Deep Ellum

History of Deep Ellum

The railroads created Deep Elm. The Houston and Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad arrived in Dallas in 1872, followed by the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railroad in 1873. The crossing of the two lines is considered the birth of a community on the outer edge of downtown Dallas that people called Deep Elm.

The name Deep Ellum derives from the dialects of the people who worked there. At its heart, Deep Ellum was a place where the cultures of the world converged — Blacks, Jews, Greeks, Italians, Mexicans, Czechs, and others, fleeing the oppression of their homelands, looking for a better life.

The district boasts
over 20 historically recognized buildings.

Over the years Deep Ellum became a crossroads, a nexus, where just about anyone might interact and impact each other in relative freedom. 

In its heyday Deep Ellum attracted a mix of people, from the architect William Sydney Pittman who designed the Pythian Temple which opened in 1916 on this site, to Jewish pawnbrokers, such as Rubin Goldstein, known as Honest Joe, who operated across the street, and countless numbers of aspiring musicians, including Lillian Glinn, Alex Moore, Bobbie Cadillac, Lead Belly, Hattie Hudson, Bob Wills, and Lolo Cavazos, as well as Blind Willie Johnson, Ida May Mack, the Shelton Brothers, and the Light Crust Doughboys. Most notably, in the mid-1920s, Blind Lemon Jefferson, who played for tips near the corner of Elm Street and Central Avenue, became the biggest selling downhome bluesman of his generation. 

Deep Ellum was named a Cultural District by the State of Texas in 2020. The Deep Ellum Historic District encompasses the area bounded by the DART Green line to the north, South Hall Street to the south, I-345 to the west, and I-30 to the east. In 2023, the Deep Ellum Historic District joined the National Register of Historic Places in celebration of Deep Ellum’s 150th anniversary.

Migration

Deep Ellum’s main claim to fame has always been its music. By the 1920s, the neighborhood had become a hotbed for early jazz and blues musicians. Over the next several decades, it would host the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Texas Bill Day, Blind Willie Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Alex Moore and Bessie Smith, among others. During this time, nightclubs, cafes, theaters, and domino parlors dominated Deep Ellum’s landscape. Deep Ellum is now home to more than 30 live music venues, making it one of the biggest entertainment districts in the state and the heart of the music scene in Dallas.

Following World War II, the growing presence of the automobile led to the removal of the Houston and Texas Central railroad tracks to make way for Central Expressway. By 1956, the streetcar line had been removed. Businesses closed, residents moved to the suburbs, and the music all but stopped. In 1969, a new elevation of Central Expressway truncated Deep Ellum, completely obliterating the 2400 block of Elm Street, viewed by many as the center of the neighborhood. By the 1970s, few original businesses remained.

In the 1980s, Deep Ellum’s music scene was reignited, helping to launch local bands like Old 97s, Toadies, Tripping Daisy, the New Bohemians, and countless others. In 1990, the music venue Trees opened and became a favorite for seeing local bands, as well as nationally known acts like Nirvana, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead, and Pearl Jam. Club Dada, Deep Ellum Live, and many other music venues also opened in Deep Ellum, attracting musical artists and fans from all over the world.

Today, Deep Ellum continues to have an exploding music scene, with a reborn Trees and Club Dada in addition to venues like the nearly 100-year-old Sons of Hermann Hall, Adair’s Saloon, The Bomb Factory, Ruins, Three Links, Reno’s, the intimate AllGood Cafe, the funky trailer-park meets live music scene at DoubleWide and a dynamic jazz and blues destination at The Free Man.

LET’S GO!

Music

Throughout its history, Deep Ellum has also been a place for visual artists to come and make a name for themselves through a vibrant community of galleries, street murals, public art, and other public displays of creativity. Deep Ellum’s many music venues, restaurants and businesses have commissioned local artists to paint murals on their walls for decades. This tradition continues today with over 100 creative, colorful paintings displayed across the district.

In 1992, the contemporaneously formed Deep Ellum Community Association invited artists to paint the walls of the Good-Latimer tunnel. The tunnel was repainted frequently, becoming a dynamic and iconic entrance into the neighborhood. Local artist and gallery owner, Frank Campagna, remembers the effort as “pure creative harmony with a dash of perfect mayhem.” In 2007, the tunnel was demolished to make way for the DART Green Line train but the art wasn’t gone for long. With community-wide mural projects, the winsome Traveling Man sculptures commissioned by DART along the new line, and a thriving gallery scene, Deep Ellum continues to be a place where art is created, shared, and sold.

Since 1994, Deep Ellum has hosted The Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which began as a one-block street party. The free community festival now consists of over 100 musical artists performing on five stages, 200 juried visual artists displaying and selling their work, spontaneous street performances, and food and beverages served by over 30 restaurants. In 2019, the first Deep Ellum Open Studios event was held, enabling visitors and locals alike to gain an inside look at the spaces of Deep Ellum’s live/work artists, tattooists, recording studios, and more. The event reflected previous events such as art walks and included outdoor art markets, live muraling, and music.

Deep Ellum is also home to many art-based and creative businesses, including photographers, tattoo artists, gallery owners, recording studios,
and graphic designers.

LET’S GO!

Business & Commerce

Throughout its history, Deep Ellum has also been a place for visual artists to come and make a name for themselves through a vibrant community of galleries, street murals, public art, and other public displays of creativity. Deep Ellum’s many music venues, restaurants and businesses have commissioned local artists to paint murals on their walls for decades. This tradition continues today with over 100 creative, colorful paintings displayed across the district.

In 1992, the contemporaneously formed Deep Ellum Community Association invited artists to paint the walls of the Good-Latimer tunnel. The tunnel was repainted frequently, becoming a dynamic and iconic entrance into the neighborhood. Local artist and gallery owner, Frank Campagna, remembers the effort as “pure creative harmony with a dash of perfect mayhem.” In 2007, the tunnel was demolished to make way for the DART Green Line train but the art wasn’t gone for long. With community-wide mural projects, the winsome Traveling Man sculptures commissioned by DART along the new line, and a thriving gallery scene, Deep Ellum continues to be a place where art is created, shared, and sold.

Since 1994, Deep Ellum has hosted The Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which began as a one-block street party. The free community festival now consists of over 100 musical artists performing on five stages, 200 juried visual artists displaying and selling their work, spontaneous street performances, and food and beverages served by over 30 restaurants. In 2019, the first Deep Ellum Open Studios event was held, enabling visitors and locals alike to gain an inside look at the spaces of Deep Ellum’s live/work artists, tattooists, recording studios, and more. The event reflected previous events such as art walks and included outdoor art markets, live muraling, and music.

Deep Ellum is also home to many art-based and creative businesses, including photographers, tattoo artists, gallery owners, recording studios,
and graphic designers.

LET’S GO!

Arts & Culture

Throughout its history, Deep Ellum has also been a place for visual artists to come and make a name for themselves through a vibrant community of galleries, street murals, public art, and other public displays of creativity. Deep Ellum’s many music venues, restaurants and businesses have commissioned local artists to paint murals on their walls for decades. This tradition continues today with over 100 creative, colorful paintings displayed across the district.

In 1992, the contemporaneously formed Deep Ellum Community Association invited artists to paint the walls of the Good-Latimer tunnel. The tunnel was repainted frequently, becoming a dynamic and iconic entrance into the neighborhood. Local artist and gallery owner, Frank Campagna, remembers the effort as “pure creative harmony with a dash of perfect mayhem.” In 2007, the tunnel was demolished to make way for the DART Green Line train but the art wasn’t gone for long. With community-wide mural projects, the winsome Traveling Man sculptures commissioned by DART along the new line, and a thriving gallery scene, Deep Ellum continues to be a place where art is created, shared, and sold.

Since 1994, Deep Ellum has hosted The Deep Ellum Arts Festival, which began as a one-block street party. The free community festival now consists of over 100 musical artists performing on five stages, 200 juried visual artists displaying and selling their work, spontaneous street performances, and food and beverages served by over 30 restaurants. In 2019, the first Deep Ellum Open Studios event was held, enabling visitors and locals alike to gain an inside look at the spaces of Deep Ellum’s live/work artists, tattooists, recording studios, and more. The event reflected previous events such as art walks and included outdoor art markets, live muraling, and music.

Deep Ellum is also home to many art-based and creative businesses, including photographers, tattoo artists, gallery owners, recording studios,
and graphic designers.

LET’S GO!

Deep Ellum Community Center

Step into the Deep Ellum Community Center—a welcoming destination for visitors offering tours, history exhibitions, and helpful resources like maps. Explore our permanent exhibit showcasing Deep Ellum’s rich history, along with rotating temporary exhibitions aimed at sparking public interest, education, and dialogue about our neighborhood’s profound impact on Dallas’s cultural scene.

LET'S GO

Deep Ellum Archive

A partnership with The Dallas Public Library, The Deep Ellum Archive collects, organizes, and makes available to the public for research, learning, and exhibition the rich and varied history of Deep Ellum. This new dedicated archive features specific collections on the district’s murals, music history, and architectural development as well as in-depth oral stories of business owners, property owners, residents, artists, musicians and members of the community. The Deep Ellum Community Center will continuously feature rotating exhibits showcasing key pieces from this new Deep Ellum Archive.

LET'S GO