Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Anderson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Eric. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I moved to Dallas out of college to start a 7-year professional career in public accounting as a CPA with Peat Marwick Mitchell (now KPMG); after a brief time in California and Maryland, upon relocating back to Dallas, I took a position with a small, privately owned real estate company run by Kenneth Murchison III, a close relative of the original owners of the Dallas Cowboys.
One of our clients, Bennett Miller, was in essence, the “godfather” of inner-city revitalization of older abandoned areas around Downtown Dallas, including The Cedars. Having gained experiences in certain aspects of real estate management, development, and renovation, along with obtaining an appreciation of certain history of buildings in The Cedars, I personally started investing in the area in 1993. The three buildings comprising City Park Lofts, including Ervay Theater, were acquired in partnership in 2006.
After a few years of residential only, it became clear to me that The Cedars would benefit if a portion of this group of buildings eventually became re-purposed into their original commercial origins. The existing strategy, including wide-spread support from the neighborhood, is to build on the stories and history of these buildings, including returning some of the space to historical origins of retail, including proprietary restaurants run by seasoned restauranteurs.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. The Cedars has been slow to develop, and it takes tremendous resources, time and commitment to stay on course but we are very optimistic that with time our venue and the rest of The Cedars area will see tremendous change and growth.
Ervay Theater – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Ervay Theater is a 1940’s movie theater that was reimaged into a stunning retro style event venue that can host a wide variety of event types. We are unique from other event spaces in that we offer top-line onsite production equipment such as specialty lighting, staging, and sound, all while keeping true to the theater’s history. What sets us apart is our desire to work with the area to build a community and restore these iconic structures in a unique, purposeful manner, and that is something we pride ourselves on.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Surviving the challenges of being an entrepreneur. It has not been easy, there have been many obstacles along the way, but it has all been well worth the efforts.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1707 S. Ervay Street Dallas, Tx 75215
- Website: www.ervaytheater.com
- Phone: 214-613-2399
- Email: info@ervaytheater.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ervaytheater
- Facebook: facebook.com/ervaytheater
- Twitter: twitter.com/ervaytheater
Image Credit:
PaperBan Photography
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