Deep Ellum History

Did you know: The original Coca-Cola Bottling Company was on Elm Street (appx 2630 Elm) in Deep Ellum? Original Site of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Dallas One of the first companies in the nation granted franchise rights for the distribution of Coca-Cola in bottles, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Dallas produced the city's first bottle of Coca-Cola on this site on June 10, 1902. J.T. Lupton of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the principal owner, with an initial investment of $5,000. Three employees handled the entire operation. They were: R.D. Twinam, company manager; Mr. Dixon, the bookkeeper; and Fred Welsh, who operated the bottling machine. The employees sold 37 cases on the first day of production and delivered them in a one-horse wagon. In the bottling process, glass Coca-Cola bottles were filled by using a hand-operated, foot-powered machine that held two bottles, one beneath the syrup and the other under the filling head for the carbonated water, where the bottles also were capped. Bottles were reused and had to be hand-washed by putting cleaning fluid and steel pellets, similar to gunshot, into the bottles and shaking them vigorously. By 1905, sales of Coca-Cola had increased such that the company moved the bottling plant to 1800 Wood Street. From its small beginnings here in Deep Ellum, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Dallas, later renamed the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of North Texas, grew to more than 2,600 employees in 19 locations by its centennial in Dallas in 2002.
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=269201

We love to see old film reels that include Deep Ellum.
Here is a screen grab taken from the G. William Jones Film and Video Collection at SMU film of a tour of Dallas in 1970. Its a view that is officially gone. I can see the the Southland life tower in the far distance. Notice anything else here?

Check out the video at this link: https://youtu.be/eSLghTRlJPs?si=EoulFWhdOjMxR80b time marker for the image: 4:12.

Source: This look back came from the SMU Jones Film Collection channel on YouTube. This is listed as part of the KERA Collection in the SMU Collections and Archives. Modern image taken from google maps.

Stumbled upon this video on YT. Aside from Ambrose apartments in the distance, the Veiga Knife sharpening shop is the only structure still here today.

Deep Ellum Gaston Avenue, Dallas Texas January 6, 2017 Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

We are in the 2nd month of our Behind the Music: 1980s exhibit at the Deep Ellum Community Center now. This weekend is an excellent opportunity to stop in and see the history of live music venues in the Deep Ellum Neighborhood before we flip to the 1990s in January.

We'd like to share a little about Clearview - or rather the iconic red enameled sign. Did you know that the Clearview sign that we all knew and loved used to be on a totally different building? 2625 Elm Street was the original location for Clearview Louvered Windows warehouse. When the original club owners were using the space at this empty former window manufacturer, they started to call it "the Clearview building" as it's sign still hung at the front/center of the building. It wasn't long before they moved to 2803 Elm Street. Naturally, they took the sign with them, and the Club Clearview name carried on.

Today the sign is no where to be found. Half of it fell off its post during a storm in 2019 and the rest of it was removed completely shortly after.

Photo credit: Jeffrey Liles, Jeff Swaney, advertisements courtesy of internet articles about the company.

Take a look with us at our current map compared with a map from 1890s of Deep Ellum.
What changes do you see?

Credits: Google aerials and maps, and the 1890 map and aerial image is from University of Texas at Arlington Library.

The building at 2730 Commerce is more than just another single-story red brick building in Deep Ellum. It is a mainstay and staple to this Neighborhood. Walking into this dark pub like space, clad in exotic deep sea creatures from the namesake marlins spanning well over 10 feet, to spiky yellow finned tuna and emerald green mahi-mahi, Pete's wears its history right on its wooden clad walls. They tell a story of the owner's love of deep sea fishing, past employees dearly missed, accolades of the proprietor and his Greek seafood with an ever so slight Italian slant. At the end of the bar, past the bullet riddled metal sign for a drop down service entrance is a quite large sepia toned portrait of a man in a traditional Greek military "evzones" uniform. Every time you visit you might discover something different... a new story. My personal favorite artifact is a framed painting of a whale spyhopping just below a ship, nearly tipping it over.

For the history: the building was built in 3 phases. Originally, what I can see is the lot having a home where the parking area is and a storefront up at the corner of Crowdus and Commerce. Eventually all replaced with a brick building at that same corner in 1924. In 1930 the back portion took the building all the way to Clover Street (now the alley). In 1989, the side room was added to the front building, to create more space. This property existed for several years as a myriad of cafes, including the Crescent City Cafe (which moved to where Twisted Root is now shortly after, and Rum Boogie Cafe. It was the 2nd half of 1994 that Pete decided to make his go, having tried a partnership with a fella just next door he moved in to 2730 Commerce. St Pete's Dancing Marlin has not only comfort food, down home southern choices, but also some pretty sweet tuna steak in the form of sandwich, tacos, or as is. Delicious! Suitible for families visiting as well as business meetings, it is a true staple and one of the longest running and well loved restaurants in the Deep Ellum Neighborhood!

With the construction on Commerce, we encourage everyone to visit the restaurants along that roadway lest we lose them for good! The high point of eating at Pete's aside from the food is the free parking around back! Take note! Wise up! Eat at Pete's already!

Photo Credits: St. Pete's Dancing Marlin, Dallas Sanborn Map via Dallas Public Library Archives, and a sweet photo of Pete in front of his restaurant is from a David Mullen article in the Katy Trail Weekly.

There are many of stories that are softly spoken about some of the buildings in the Deep Ellum Neighborhood. Some stories were barely mentioned while others carried on through history. When looking back into history, one might think of it wrought with death, disease, with a bit of murder sprinkled in here and there. We bring up a few here in observance of the upcoming Halloween, Dia de los Mu***os, and All Saints' Days.

☠️First, we start in our very own Community Center building. One of the first hotels in the city, the City Hotel was a 3 story building then located at 634 Elm - now 2528 Elm. A man who was not well known but recently relocated to the city to begin a teaching position. He passed shortly after having a glass of water in August, in the Saloon located inside the hotel.
👻Next, we have to bring up the old Sons of Hermann Hall lodge at the east end of Elm Street, near Exposition Ave. The Dallas hall was built in 1911, and has been operating as a meeting space, a trial venue, a bowling alley, a dance hall, held masquerades, and hosted many shows and music acts. It is said to be inhabited by spirits or ghosts of it's previous occupants. Reports of music, footsteps, and apparitions walking up the stairway up to the main ballroom are common. We know its not the only ghost story in Deep Ellum!
🔫Finally, a story of a squabble well documented. We will let you read the story and check the map showing the foot path of the two in heated argument, ending in the death of Charlie Morehead. So many witnesses, yet the man was said to have laid alone for 15 minutes before anyone was brave enough to come to his aid.

📖These are our stories. Now, tell us about your Deep Ellum stories of untimely endings and please, do not omit encounters with paranormality!

Credits: Jim Wheat's Roots Web Obits, Cari Weinberg of I See Dallas' for the Sons of Hermann Hall, The Sons of Hermann Hall, Dallas Public Library for Sanborn maps.
There are several Deep Ellum stops on the I See Dallas Halloween Ghost Tours being held October 30, 31, and Nov 1. Grab a seat if any are left. They hold bus tours for various occasions and love Deep Ellum and Dallas History like we do! https://loom.ly/ReuWGoA