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PHOTOS COURTESY STERN AND BUCEK ARCHITECTS
Essay
1939 drawing published in the paper revealed that
there were more windows than they had surmised.
Originally, there were ribbon windows on the east
side. Could they be restored? Following the first
昀椀re, a damaged concrete beam at the east-end roof
level was not replaced, but the concrete lintels elsewhere remained. After the second 昀椀re, modern air
conditioning was installed, with large furr downs
added for ductwork — resulting in removal of the
near-full-height ribbon windows — and the roof
structure had to be rebuilt with steel trusses. The
昀椀rst 昀氀oor wood ceiling joists seemed to be original.
As layers of evidence were uncovered and peeled
back, the building’s history began to come together
to tell the narrative of bygone conditions. Just as the
rings of a tree tell the stories of droughts and 昀氀oods,
the design team learned to interpret the ghosted
wall lines and remnants left behind to determine the
orders of the layers to make sense of the assemblies.
The plaster partitions of the new 5,000-sf ground
昀氀oor, which includes an art gallery, meeting space,
cafe, and mini-grocery, contrast yet harmonize with
the deep hues of the stage and restored 4,000-sf
wooden dance floor. A newly constructed addition to the south hosts service spaces, with a new
dining room on the 昀椀rst 昀氀oor and greenrooms on the
second. It’s possible to trace the delicate outline of
the original stage — which had been centered on the
long axis of the space — where musical greats once
stood, sang, and performed. The current stage is now
centered along the short axis of the ballroom and
provides access to a greenroom for the performers.
This rehabilitated project is a testament to
reinvestment without displacement and a beacon
of historic preservation, telling a story of societal
signi昀椀cance and of 昀椀rmly securing Black spaces
instead of erasing them through development for
pro昀椀t. “The Eldorado is a place where history happened, and you can still go there and experience
it,” says Bucek. “That’s the power of why to preserve and rehabilitate places for our culture.”
The Eldorado Ballroom received a 2023 Modernism in America Award from Docomomo US.
It was one of seven projects to earn the Award
of Excellence for best of modern preservation,
documentation, and advocacy work. The US
chapter is part of Docomomo International, a
Netherlands-based nonprofit dedicated to the
documentation and conservation of buildings,
sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movements. Part of its mission is to act as a watchdog
when important modern buildings anywhere are
under threat, as well as elicit responsibility toward
this architectural inheritance. Anita Webber
Smith likened the restoration e昀昀orts to “a Jackson
Stern and Bucek Architects led the preservation design e昀昀orts for Project Row Houses, a nonpro昀椀t whose model for
art and social engagement includes 昀椀ve city blocks and 39 structures. The program includes the restored second-昀氀oor
ballroom plus a new 5,000-sf ground 昀氀oor with an art gallery, community meeting space, a cafe, and a mini-grocery
store. A new service addition includes an elevator, restrooms, and an adjacent greenroom for the performers.
Pollock canvas with so many brush strokes near
and dear to my heart.” She says, “It’s a victory
to give back to the community.”
I interviewed Smith by phone for this article. As
we closed the call, I thanked her for her time, and
she also thanked me: “Thank you for your family
business and investing in Third Ward, too.” For my
refugee family, Third Ward was where my Vietnamese parents landed after a war, where I learned
how to play the piano with Mrs. Audrey Whiting
on Arbor Street, where I went to the library on
Scott Street, and where my family had several small
businesses: a corner store, a beauty salon, and a
laundromat. Third Ward was our toehold for a
life of freedom in America, too. Smith says, “I am
thrilled to know Project Row Houses will keep the
ballroom alive in Third Ward and [that it] won’t
be victim to gentri昀椀cation.”
Florence Tang, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, is a journalist,
designer, and project manager based in Houston.
1/2 2024
Texas Architect 21
