Sundance Square teases new venue
February 21,2025
See full Dallas Business Journal article by Seth Bodine here.
The celebration of a local musician's Oscar nomination offered a preview of what's to come for a recently vacated building located in a prominent part of Fort Worth's downtown.
Visit Fort Worth, the city's tourism bureau, and Sundance Square, held a celebration for Abraham Alexander's Oscar nomination for "best original song" on Feb. 20 inside 310 Houston Street, with a DJ, a Cuban salsa band and meet-and-greet with the artist. The building, owned by Ed and Sasha Bass, was recently vacated by multiple tenants on the Sundance property including Reata Restaurant and Four Day Weekend. The celebration, held inside due to the frigid weather, offered a glimpse of one future use for the building.
Bryan Eppstein, a spokesperson for Sundance Square, confirmed at the event that the space will become a live music venue called "The Spotlight," sometime in late spring. It will be similar to the former Fort Worth entertainment venue called Caravan of Dreams.
"That's all I can say right now," he said.
Caravan of Dreams was an entertainment venue that featured jazz and blues, a record label and production company and a theater with its own touring ensemble, headed by billionaire Ed Bass from 1983 to 2001. Reata, the restaurant that vacated the building last year, moved into the building at 310 Houston St. after Caravan of Dreams closed.
It's not clear how much of the vacant space the venue will take up. The departure of Reata Restaurant, Four Day Weekend and Melt Ice Cream leaves about 30,000 square feet of empty space on the block of Sundance-owned property on Houston Street, according to data from CBRE. Sundance Square's owners have been quiet about the future of the space, and the real estate researchers previously told Dallas Business Journal that management works on its own agenda and have limited insight into the 37 blocks of downtown.
Sundance Square has been promoting events at its square throughout the month produced by "Caravan of Dreams" on its website and social media, including live music in the square from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Sundance also has gallery named after Caravan of Dreams at 501 Houston St.
Locations Mentioned: Caravan of Dreams Gallery, Reata Restaurant, The Spotlight, Sundance Square Plaza