Every town has buildings, bridges, and other structures that once served a purpose, but are now abandoned relics of the past. My hometown of El Dorado hasn’t changed much, except for the oil boom that poured millions of dollars into southern Arkansas. In 1921, the town’s population exploded from 3,500 to well over 40,000 in just two years. That sparked a massive building boom in downtown and adjacent residential areas. Unfortunately, many of those buildings are gone. A fancy high school, most of the mansions built during the oil boom, and nearly all of the famous Hamburger Row were destroyed.
When the oil boom passed and the town’s population settled at just under 30,000 in the 1950s, a slow but steady decline continued. After years of population decline, some in El Dorado heard Roger Brooks, a “destination expert” from Seattle, Washington, talk about how small towns need to become destinations in order to thrive. heard. They were so impressed that he was invited to El Dorado and, after listening to his speech, was hired to make a detailed destination proposal. It took him nearly a year to develop it, and when it was completed, his recommendations were to make El Dorado an entertainment destination focused on historic downtown buildings. His proposal was enthusiastically accepted and El Dorado Festivals and Events was established. The first phase of the two-phase program has been completed, with a cabaret and music hall, top restaurants, the state’s largest playscape and the new Heywood. The area one block south of the courthouse, where the hotel and conference center are located, has been beautifully transformed. Thousands of people are already enjoying it, and many more will be coming in the coming weeks and months. Last Saturday night, Mark Chesnutt packed them. The entertainment district concept is paying off.
Now, before we get into details about plans for additions to El Dorado’s entertainment district, let me congratulate the folks at El Dorado Festivals and Events for a great start in making El Dorado an “entertainment destination.” Once Phase 2 is completed with the museum and the Rialto reopens as a “Broadway” theater venue, our city will become what destination expert Roger Brooks envisioned as key to El Dorado’s future prosperity. You will be taking a big step towards becoming one. .
The two adjacent additions I am looking to make will enhance our entertainment destination, and in this case, more is more. Now, let’s take a look at these two additional entertainment venues along with an idea of how they can greatly enhance the Roger Brooks Entertainment District concept. The first addition was what I called the El Dorado Rialto Bridge (now the Viaduct). The real Rialto Bridge is located in Venice, Italy, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s a great tourist attraction. The bridge was built as a walkway over one of Venice’s many canals, and when it was no longer needed, it was repurposed as a retail store, bar, and restaurant rather than being removed. Today it is a very popular tourist destination. Vertis and I were there recently and we crossed the Rialto Bridge in Venice. We were surprised by the activity. He is one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
El Dorado’s Rialto Bridge, named after the original Rialto Bridge in Venice and our Rialto Theatre, should be repurposed in a similar way as a pedestrian bridge with retail, bars and restaurants. It will overlook his MAD complex and will clearly enhance the entertainment district concept. I have already received an outpouring of support from my previous column on reusing the viaduct, and one interested person contacted me about installing an outdoor restaurant on the structure. there was.
Of course, the Arkansas Department of Highways plans to remove it in their plan to widen and improve poor Highway 82, and they wasted an estimated $1 million just to remove it. Masu. When the original viaduct was built in the 1920s, downtown El Dorado had 22 trains coming and going per day. Today, with three to five trains running and multiple intersections, including the Highway 82 bypass, the viaduct is no longer needed. Why not repurpose it as part of El Dorado’s entertainment district? The viaduct literally overlooks the MAD complex. It’s certainly an easy walk from MAD Amphitheater to the viaduct.
Next, let’s add another entertainment venue to your entertainment district. I was the president of Music Fest for five years. Before that, he lived in South Texas for 12 years, and the biggest thing the two regions have in common is country music. When I was president of Music Fest in El Dorado, Fridays were country music night. Do you think Charlie Daniel stuffed them by playing “The Devil Comes Down to Georgia”? He must have done that. The streets were packed, making it the largest crowd in MusicFest history. Of course, we had been to those South Texas music and dance halls when we lived in South Texas and saw hundreds of people lining up to get in. It is clear that the southern and south-central parts of our country are the musical heartland of this country. That’s what we are and I recommend adding Sandyland Country Music Dance Hall to the El Dorado Entertainment District. It so happens that there is already a historic building there, which is “for rent”. This building is a large empty tin warehouse located between El Dorado’s Rialto Bridge and his MAD. It will be the perfect addition to your entertainment district.
When MAD adds Phase 2 with a museum and the Broadway Rialto Theater renovation is complete, can you imagine the impact of adding El Dorado’s Rialto Bridge and Sandyland County Music and Dance Hall to the entertainment mix? All I can say is “Wow!” This town will really develop. It will be the premier entertainment destination in the Mid-South!
If you live in South Arkansas and would like to see these additions to the entertainment district, come to the El Dorado City Council meeting this coming Thursday night at 5 p.m. That is on the agenda.
Email Richard Mason [email protected].