Bath House Cultural Center

Built in 1930 originally as a changing room for those wanting to swim on the northeast corner of White Rock Lake, the Bath House Cultural Center was revived in 1980 and is now a 120-seat theater, two gallery spaces, a darkroom, and multiple mixed-use spaces run by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs.

Designed by Dallas architect Jon Carsey, the Bath House was one of the first Art Deco buildings built in the southwest.  The design features reinforced concrete and fluted piers.  The Center hosts the Festival of Independent Theaters each summer that’s been rated one of the country’s top ten theater events.

Each year the Center presents 15-20 exhibits and over 200 performances, concerts, festivals, workshops, lectures and other events.  The Center’s gallery spaces showcase Dallas artists and artists from all over the world.  Each fall and spring the Center hosts the Art Mart – showcasing Texas artists.

The Bath House is also home to the White Rock Lake Museum whose mission is “to preserve and present the human and natural history of White Rock Lake Park and its surrounding environment.”  The Bath House Cultural Center is the first of six neighborhood cultural centers run by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. And, the Center’s patio is a perfect place to watch the sunset over White Rock Lake, a beautiful lake in the center of the city.

You may want to tell the legend of the “Lady of the Lake” while the sun goes down. The legend began in the 1930s where a couple came to the lake at night and happened upon a woman who was wearing a white dress and was soaked to the skin.  She asks the couple for a ride home and gives them an address and while they’re on the way to the address, the woman suddenly disappears and the only thing that’s left is a wet spot in the backseat.  They decide to drive to the address anyway and tell the man who opens the door their story.  And, he tells them the only woman who ever lived there was his daughter who drowned in the lake several years ago.

Hello Dallas tip: Even though the center was once a place for people to change into their swimsuits, there currently is no swimming allowed in White Rock Lake.

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.