Elbow Room on Gaston.
In Joni Mitchell’s iconic song “Big Yellow Taxi,” they paved over paradise to build a parking lot. The Elbow Room on Gaston may not have been paradise, but it was certainly one of East Dallas’ most iconic dive bars. Soon it’ll be rubble, to be replaced by a Texas A&M dental school, CultureMap reports.
Rumors of its closing have swirled for months, the university has long had its eye on the prime real estate near Baylor for a nine-story school, which it sought through eminent domain. Although the Elbow Room was seemingly doing well, the owner did not own the building at 3010 Gaston, and thus it will be forced to close. Its last day will be April 15, when the business plans to go out with a bang.
According to Facebook, the owner is attempting to find a new location to reopen the 19-year-old bar.
The building, of course, is much older. Built in 1933, it topped Preservation Dallas’ list of “Most Endangered” buildings last year. The 1,824-square-foot building was first a dry cleaners, but would also house California Flower Shop in the ’30s, Berta’s Cafe in the ’40-50s and Cabaret Lounge in the ’60s.
