The Bath House Cultural Center houses a 116-seat theater, two gallery spaces, the White Rock Lake Museum, and a number of multipurpose spaces. Diversity flourishes as visual and performing artists from an array of backgrounds find a welcoming venue for their work. The center’s energetic atmosphere and programming creates a hotbed for the nurturing of new work, and an exciting place where artists and audiences meet to explore and enjoy the life force that is the arts.
Consistently rated as one of the Top Attractions in the DFW Metroplex, the Bath House’s energetic atmosphere and diverse programming create a hotbed for the nurturing of new work and an exciting place where artists and audiences meet.
History of the Bath House
Built in 1930 on what were then the rural shores of White Rock Lake, the “Old Bath House” was one of the first uses of Art Deco architecture in the southwest. The building provided lockers, changing rooms, rentable swim suits and concessions for the thousands of people that drove from all over North Texas to swim in the lake.
The Bath House remained a social and recreational hot spot for over two decades, but was forced to close in 1953 when swimming in White Rock Lake was discontinued. The majestic building sat vacant until 1978 when, urged and supported by a dedicated group of neighborhood arts activists, the City of Dallas announced plans to restore the building. In August of 1981, the citizens of East Dallas celebrated the birth of the City’s first neighborhood cultural center.
The Bath House Cultural Center is a division of the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture.
Additional support for the center is provided by the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Friends of the Bath House Cultural Center, and other organizations and individuals. The Bath House Cultural Center is a member of the Dallas Art Dealers Association.
Historical photographs courtesy of Paula Selzer and Judith Haralson Wolfe.
