Dallas has five cultural venues that are funded by the city of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture. These centers celebrate the city’s diversity through art, history and community and provide artistic programming year round. Here’s everything you need to know about each of the centers.

Bath House Cultural Center

Built in 1930 on the shores of White Rock Lake, the Bath House Cultural Center is one of the earliest art deco buildings in Texas. The 10,640 square foot facility once known as the “Old Bath House” was a popular social and recreational hub before closing in 1953.

In 1981, it reopened as the city’s first neighborhood cultural center in East Dallas. Today, the Bath House is used for all things visual and performing arts. The center houses a “black box” theater, an indoor and outdoor lake level stage, two gallery spaces and a classroom space. The galleries host about eight exhibitions throughout the year and the center hosts art lectures, workshops and summer camps.

Latino Cultural Center

Opened in 2003, the Latino Cultural Center was founded with a mission to prioritize the preservation and development of Latino and Hispanic arts and culture. The 27,000-square-foot center serves as a platform for local artists and arts organizations.

The center features a visual arts gallery, an outdoor plaza and courtyards, and the 300-seat Oak Farms Dairy Performance Hall. Throughout the year, it presents exhibitions, bilingual public programs and festivals highlighting the traditions of Dallas’ Latino communities. Cara Mía Theatre operates out of the Cultural Center, producing four to five plays a year.

Oak Cliff Cultural Center

Located on Jefferson Boulevard, the Oak Cliff Cultural Center (OC3) opened in August 2010 next to the historic Texas Theater. Dedicated to enriching and empowering the community through arts and culture programming, the 5,000-square-foot center features an art gallery and a multipurpose studio.

OC3’s art gallery presents about 10 exhibitions each year and regularly hosts artist-led workshops and guest lectures that highlights a range of artistic approaches, mediums and voices. The multipurpose studio features workshops, art, music and dance classes, summer camps and cultural festivals for all ages.

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South Dallas Cultural Center

The South Dallas Cultural Center first opened in 1988.The 34,000-square-foot facility sits across from Fair Park. The center’s mission is to foster performing, literary and visual arts that allows the public to engage with art and cultural experiences influenced by the African Diaspora.

The SDCC features a 120-seat “black box” theater, a visual arts gallery, a multi-arts studio for dance, two-dimensional arts, ceramics, printmaking and photography, and a full-service audio recording studio. Groups like the African Village Drummers, Dallas Malandros Capoeira and Beckles Dance Company utilize the center for community gatherings.

Juanita Craft Civil Rights House

Coordinated by the South Dallas Cultural Center, the Juanita Craft Civil Rights House housed one of Dallas´ most significant Civil Rights figures and the second Black woman to serve on the Dallas City Council. Juanita Craft lived in the 1300-square-foot house for 50 years, inviting fellow historical figures such as Lyndon B. Johnson and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to discuss the Civil Rights movement.

In honor of her activism, the house opened as a museum in 2023. The mission focuses on their 2168 Project, which encourages guests to make positive lifestyle changes to improve the quality of their life. The free project offers programming including a book club, craft community club, food club and a music of the Civil Rights listening and discussion series.

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Dallas leaders are exploring ways to combine new regional libraries with affordable housing and community spaces.

City staff presented the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee on Monday with early concepts for two library projects. The North Oak Cliff library, in District 1 in southern Dallas, and the Park Forest library, in the north side’s District 13, could serve as a mixed-use developments with housing, public amenities and updated library facilities.

The new libraries will be open longer hours and have expanded services, city officials said.

City Library Director Manya Shorr said the North Oak Cliff project will replace an existing library on the same site, while Park Forest will relocate to a new parcel. Both projects are still in early design and financial testing phases, and staff plan to return with more detailed recommendations, including development structures and revenue-sharing options.

The city closed the Skillman Southwestern Library weeks ago and plans to shut down four more in its move to a regional model.

Consultants from CBRE, a commercial real estate services and investment firm, and city staff presented findings and potential models based on case studies from other cities across the country where libraries have been combined with housing or retail.

Each of the reference projects included affordable housing, with some also offering senior or market-rate units and shared amenities, such as youth spaces, job training centers or creative studios.

According to consultants, the next phase of planning will focus on testing design options against financial feasibility.

Park Forest Branch

At the Park Forest site, the team is considering whether the project could include senior housing, an option they noted may be more readily accepted by surrounding neighborhoods. They also cited the need for additional zoning consultation as the concept moves forward.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Gay Donnell Willis, who represents the district where the library is located, expressed enthusiasm for combining libraries with housing, calling it “a way to adapt what might be right for the neighborhood and the city overall.”

She emphasized that the project should remain centered on the library’s mission while exploring how a residential component might help generate revenue for ongoing operations.

Committee members discussed potential funding models, including partnerships through the city’s Housing Finance Corporation or the Public Facility Corporation, which could help leverage affordable housing incentives. They also raised questions about Senate Bill 840, a new state law affecting development height and proximity standards, noting that staff will need to assess its implications for both sites.

North Oak Cliff Branch

Council member Chad West, who represents North Oak Cliff, underscored the importance of community design, including access to green space and outdoor gathering areas. He noted that the surrounding area is considered a park desert and one of the city’s heat islands.

“There needs to be, even if it’s small, some type of incorporated green space,” West said.

Council members voiced broad support for continuing the work, while emphasizing transparency with residents, maintaining the character of the neighborhoods and a clear focus on the libraries themselves.

The next Quality of Life, Arts and Culture committee will be on Nov. 17 at 9 a.m.