Remembering Dallas in the late 70s-80s (Greenville: construction, nightclubs)

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by turf3

Back in the 1970s, Lower Greenville suddenly became hot because proto-yuppies and aging hippies started buying up the old houses on the M streets and rehabbing them. Lower G. was a kind of ratty area with a couple of slightly nicer establishments (and the Granada when it was a really nice theater), so the bars etc. became popular with people who weren't into showing off but just wanted a quiet place to have a drink. For a few years there, my friends and I would "discover" a place (that had been there for 40 years) and start drinking there, and we would have it to ourselves and the old regular customers, till the SMU fratboys would discover it and ruin it, then we would have to scope out another old style place till the process would repeat it. At the same time Upper Greenville was all-disco, all the time.

I don't suppose anyone but me remembers this but the Observer - back when they ran interesting articles and weren't just a giant advertisement for bars - did a tongue-not-completely-in-cheek article comparing Upper Greenville against Lower Greenville; basically silk shirts, Trans Ams, cocaine, and chest-hair medallions, versus VW Microbuses, Ford pickups, weed, and old blue jeans.

And who remembers the "One Way - No Way" campaign? Probably the first time in Dallas that neighborhood activism worked to stop the Far North Dallas developers from getting their way. The weird "Matilda Bridge" overpass is the only remnant of the attempt to turn the whole lower Greenville area into a thoroughfare for the suburbanites to traverse as fast as possible and to he!! with the effects on the neighborhood. I hope this bit of history doesn't get forgotten and then the project resurrected. Look at what happened to Lakewood Shopping Center when they built (over neighborhood objections) the weird "Abrams bypass" that was done to solve a nonexistent problem.

Originally Posted by SingingKG

In the early '80s Greenville Road began to grow in popularity. Anybody remember the Dancing Frogs sign?

So it seems like Upper Greenville in the 1970s-1980s was what Uptown was from 2005-2015? You'd never know that today if you drive Greenville from north from Mockingbird to Park, which is basically the St. Patrick's Day Route. I think the 1970s-1980s is when the St. Patrick's Day Parade started .

[turf3]

Originally Posted by RJ312

So it seems like Upper Greenville in the 1970s-1980s was what Uptown was from 2005-2015? You'd never know that today if you drive Greenville from north from Mockingbird to Park, which is basically the St. Patrick's Day Route. I think the 1970s-1980s is when the St. Patrick's Day Parade started .

I thought the St. Patrick's Day parade was a Lower Greenville thing.

(Just for reference, Upper Greenville starts at Mockingbird. Lower Greenville is between Mockingbird and Ross. Lowest Greenville is south of Ross.)

I would say the Upper Greenville disco era was pretty much finished by 84 or 85 with just a few places barely hanging on. Remember, too, that the early 80s were when both the West End and "Deep Ellum" (in inverted commas because the real Deep Ellum fell prey to highway construction long before) got fired up, so they drew a lot of that 20 somethings drinking and partying crowd from Greenville Ave.

[cordata]

Originally Posted by turf3

I thought the St. Patrick's Day parade was a Lower Greenville thing.

(Just for reference, Upper Greenville starts at Mockingbird. Lower Greenville is between Mockingbird and Ross. Lowest Greenville is south of Ross.)

I would say the Upper Greenville disco era was pretty much finished by 84 or 85 with just a few places barely hanging on. Remember, too, that the early 80s were when both the West End and "Deep Ellum" (in inverted commas because the real Deep Ellum fell prey to highway construction long before) got fired up, so they drew a lot of that 20 somethings drinking and partying crowd from Greenville Ave.

You must never have been to the parade? The parade is only on upper Greenville. There is a "party" on lower Greenville after the parade.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by cordata

You must never have been to the parade? The parade is only on upper Greenville. There is a "party" on lower Greenville after the parade.

Right you are, I have always avoided the area during the parade/beer bust.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by cordata

You must never have been to the parade? The parade is only on upper Greenville. There is a "party" on lower Greenville after the parade.

Why is the St. Patrick's Day on Upper Greenville? Is it a remnant of the 1970s-1980s when Upper Greenville had more going on?

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by RJ312

So it seems like Upper Greenville in the 1970s-1980s was what Uptown was from 2005-2015? You'd never know that today if you drive Greenville from north from Mockingbird to Park, which is basically the St. Patrick's Day Route. I think the 1970s-1980s is when the St. Patrick's Day Parade started .

Can someone that's been around a while give a timeline of Dallas neighborhood gentrification (or at least, "cool development")? Sounds like it may have started in Lower Greenville, then what - Uptown? Seems to be happening now almost all around the city center except for SE Dallas.

[Smito]

Originally Posted by RJ312

Why is the St. Patrick's Day on Upper Greenville? Is it a remnant of the 1970s-1980s when Upper Greenville had more going on?

It started out on lower Greenville in the 70's. Went south from Mockingbird to wherever. I remember watching it on lower Greenville in the early 1980's. The neighborhood residents complained that the parade was getting to be too much an unruly mess (noise, parking). Not sure about the exact year it moved to upper Greenville, probably 1983-1985.

[Treasurevalley92]

I had some family friends visit me last year. They lived in Dallas in the 90s in their 20s. They were blown away by what uptown has become, I guess they used to live in the Village and party in Lower Greenville before they changed last call to midnight. The Mr said you used to be able to get drugs and hookers on McKinney in the early 90s. I told him you probably still could, but it gentrified, so the quality/price went up lol.

[Treasurevalley92]

Originally Posted by turf3

Back in the 1970s, Lower Greenville suddenly became hot because proto-yuppies and aging hippies started buying up the old houses on the M streets and rehabbing them. Lower G. was a kind of ratty area with a couple of slightly nicer establishments (and the Granada when it was a really nice theater), so the bars etc. became popular with people who weren't into showing off but just wanted a quiet place to have a drink. For a few years there, my friends and I would "discover" a place (that had been there for 40 years) and start drinking there, and we would have it to ourselves and the old regular customers, till the SMU fratboys would discover it and ruin it, then we would have to scope out another old style place till the process would repeat it. At the same time Upper Greenville was all-disco, all the time.

I don't suppose anyone but me remembers this but the Observer - back when they ran interesting articles and weren't just a giant advertisement for bars - did a tongue-not-completely-in-cheek article comparing Upper Greenville against Lower Greenville; basically silk shirts, Trans Ams, cocaine, and chest-hair medallions, versus VW Microbuses, Ford pickups, weed, and old blue jeans.

And who remembers the "One Way - No Way" campaign? Probably the first time in Dallas that neighborhood activism worked to stop the Far North Dallas developers from getting their way. The weird "Matilda Bridge" overpass is the only remnant of the attempt to turn the whole lower Greenville area into a thoroughfare for the suburbanites to traverse as fast as possible and to he!! with the effects on the neighborhood. I hope this bit of history doesn't get forgotten and then the project resurrected. Look at what happened to Lakewood Shopping Center when they built (over neighborhood objections) the weird "Abrams bypass" that was done to solve a nonexistent problem.

Thanks for sharing, thats all super cool, I had no idea. I'm SOOO happy the "One Way- No Way" was successful, otherwise Lower Greenville might just be a name on a list of other ruined Dallas neighborhoods.

[Paul Heckmann]

Originally Posted by SingingKG

Does anyone remember a place called Madcap Molly's? I think it was a grand old-style theatre converted into a huge disco, with the floor cascading down to the stage where dancers were spotlighted. The balcony seats up and around were also lit up with dancers. I think it was at the very end of disco (1980 maybe) and didn't last long, but WOW!, what a place!

The Beggar and Bell Ringer were my homes-away-from home. It was super-handy to visit the free Happy Hour buffet at the Bell Ringer, and at the Beggar my best friend and I could all-we-could-drink on Thursday nights for $3, plus quarters to get on a pool table and watch a couple of *******s get whooped by a couple of girls. I actually did printing for both bars, flyers and business cards, for a few years as well. Many, many happy memories . . .

In the early '80s Greenville Road began to grow in popularity. Anybody remember the Dancing Frogs sign?

Madcap Mollys