Bath House Cultural Center
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Built in 1930, the Bath House Cultural Center is one of six neighborhood cultural centers in Dallas. It is located on the eastern rim of the White Rock Lake in East Dallas, and it includes a 116-seat theater, two art galleries, and multipurpose rooms. The Art Deco building was originally used as a bath house for beachgoers and swimmers, although the building was closed in 1953 after swimming at the lake was prohibited. In 1978, a group of community-minded activists formulated a plan revitalize the building as a hub for arts and culture. The City of Dallas supported the restoration of the building, which reopened in 1981 as a neighborhood cultural center with a slate of programs and events.
Images
The Bath House Cultural Center, with a pollinator garden (maintained by Dallas County Master Gardeners) shown in front.

White Rock Lake in East Dallas, located adjacent to the Bath House Cultural Center

Aerial photo of the Bath House and White Rock Lake, used as a swimming spot from 1930 - 1953

Fourth of July celebration at the Bath House, 1946

The Bath House Cultural Center at night

The Bath House on White Rock lake

The "WHIRL" sculpture near the Bath House entrance was designed by John Christensen in 2016

Pollinator garden in front of the Bath House Cultural Center

Public Art: the "Whirl" sculpture was designed by John Christensen and installed in 2016

Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Originally known as the City Bath House, this building was constructed to accommodate beachgoers and swimmers at White Rock Lake Park. Designed by the architectural firm of Carsey and Linskie, the Art Deco building remained in use as a bath house until 1953. When a major drought hit the region that year, city officials decided to close the lake to swimming and public use, as the lake had partly begun to dry up. The lake also needed to be used as a potential source of city drinking water, as it previously had been in the early 1900s before it was a swimming spot. After the 1953 drought, the lake was never reopened for swimming. This may have been due to an epidemic of polio, or, as some have noted, because of racial tensions during the era of desegregation. Thereafter, the City Bath House sat empty and unused for the next two decades.
The Bath House was a precursor to other Art Deco buildings in Dallas, such as those built at Fair Park in 1935-36. Carsey had earlier worked with Frank Lloyd Wright, who had a significant influence on him. As a style, Art Deco emerged from the 1925 Exhibition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs and Industriels Moderne held in Paris. It sought to break with the earlier Beaux Arts style of architecture, which celebrated the revivalist tradition of classical European design. The streamlined, innovative look of Art Deco was seen as complementary with the fast-moving Machine Age. In particular, the style embraced smooth exterior surfaces, clean lines, and verticality, elements that are visible in the columns and linear emphasis of the Bath House. Art Deco buildings also incorporated decorative geometric patterns in minimal relief, as seen in the frieze along the roofline of the Bath House.
When the City of Dallas finally decided to reopen the Bath House as a neighborhood cultural center in 1981, it included a black box theater, several multipurpose rooms, two art galleries, and a photography lab. Renamed the Bath House Cultural Center, it became one of six community cultural centers throughout the city. Non-profit organizations including the Dallas Ballet, Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Opera, S.T.A.G.E., and the Dallas Children's Theater all hosted public programs on site. Because of the building's cultural and architectural significance, the Art Deco Bath House was designated a Dallas City Landmark in 1996.
The rotunda in front of the Bath House Cultural Center contains a pollinator garden that has been maintained by the Dallas County Master Gardeners since 2008. Filled with certified EarthKind plants to attract butterflies, bees, and birds, it is also a Monarch butterfly waystation. Near the front entrance to the Bath House, a work of public art titled "WHIRL" was designed by John Christensen and installed in 2016. It features large bronze rings and leaves sitting upon a concrete base. Once the plants in the butterfly garden reach full height, the sculpture will appear to be floating. Christiensen described his artistic vision by stating: "I imagine a cart carrying wind-swirled leaves."
In 2018, the city called for another renovation to the Bath House to improve accessibility and further update the space, while adding a pathway to the lake. Currently, the Cultural Center hosts the Festival of Independent Theaters each summer, in addition to its regular programs and events. The Friends of the Bath House also host special events throughout the year. A recent art exhibition, Art Park, was held outdoors adjacent to the Bath House. The exhibition centered around the theme of White Rock Lake, and it featured nearly a hundred Dallas-based artists from the Bath House Cultural Center, the Goldmark Cultural Center, and the White Rock Lake Artists' Tour. In the spring, the Friends of the Bath House also sponsor a popular musical concert series called "Lake-a-Palooza."
Cite This Entry
Hughes, Jenevieve . "Bath House Cultural Center." Clio: Your Guide to History. April 20, 2023. Accessed July 26, 2025. https://theclio.com/entry/166775
Sources
Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas Culture. Accessed April 19th, 2023. https://bathhouse.dallasculture.org/about/.
Bath House Cultural Center, D Magazine. Accessed April 20th, 2023. https://directory.dmagazine.com/attractions/bath-house-cultural-center/.
"Bath House at White Rock Lake", Tales from the Wayside. September 6th, 2016. Accessed April 20th, 2023. https://talesfromthewayside.com/blog-1/2016/9/6/bath-house-at-white-rock-lake.
Friends of the Bath House Cultural Center Present 'Art Park', Dallas Culture Map. Accessed April 20th, 2023. https://dallas.culturemap.com/eventdetail/friends-bath-house-cultural-center-art-park/.
Richard, Kimberly. "Bath House Cultural Center Undergoes Renovation Amid Coronavirus Pandemic", NBC-DFW. June 26th, 2020. Accessed April 20th, 2023. https://www.nbcdfw.com/entertainment/the-scene/bath-house-cultural-center-undergoes-renovation-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/2396323/.
"White Rock Bath House Landmark Nomination Form", City of Dallas. January 1st, 1996. Accessed April 20th, 2023. https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/historicpreservation/HP%20Documents/Landmark%20Structures/White%20Rock%20Bath%20House%20Landmark%20Nomination.pdf.
NBC-KFW News Channel 5
Google images / sohelia memarian
City of Dallas
Tales from the Wayside
By Dean Terry - Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9391921
DO 214
Watermelon Kid
Bath House Cultural Center Facebook Page
Bath House Cultural Center