Forest Theater

The 1,500-seat Forest Theatre has served as a cinema, a club, a concert hall and even a temporary synagogue in the mid-1950s. Opened in 1949, the Forest Theatre at then-Forest Ave. (now Martin Luther King Blvd.) and Colonial, the movie theatre was in the heart of the South Dallas Jewish community. The retail area around the theatre included Siegel’s Drug Store, Ruskin Five & Dime Store, Blatt’s Bakery and Delicatessan, and the Arbieter Ring Shule at 1818 Forest Ave. (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) Continuing past the Forest Theatre on Forest was Fram’s Kosher Butcher Shop, Colton’s Launderette, the White Theater, Kirshbaum’s Drug Store, Blend’s Bakery, Abramson’s Kosher Meats and other Jewish-owned homes and businesses.