Your backstage pass to the DFW music scene and beyond.
This report from today's Star-Telegram piqued my interest: A potential buyer for the Ridglea Theater that won't turn it into a bank?
No, it's not Levi Weaver, who helped spearhead a grassroots effort earlier this year to thwart Bank of America's attempts to purchase the 50-year-old building and demolish 90 percent of it. If this string of Facebook posts on the still-active Save the Ridglea page is to be believed, area resident Jerry Shults will be involved in the purchase and restoration of the property. "The Ridglea Theater is being bought by a Dallas based company and will restore it to its original state," Shults wrote on Facebook on Saturday, "including restoring the terrazzo floor, the mural, and the balcony to its original condition." I'm working to confirm the level of Shults's involvement, if any.
Nevertheless, this is tremendous news for a venue that, just two months ago, found itself perilously close to extinction (for the umpteenth time). Assuming this real estate deal will take some time to play out, it's unclear whether current tenants Wesley and Richard Hathaway will remain at the Ridglea or if new management will be installed. Stay tuned.
