DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
On the Levee opened in the spring of 2020, but, owner John Martin said, just as his event venue was ready to cater weddings and create imaginative corporate events and host fundraisers for non-profits, the COVID pandemic shut everything down. And as a new business, he didn’t qualify for PPP funds from the government.
Martin had depleted his retirement account and his partner, Michael Cohen, had run through his savings just to get the place open. Despite what was going on in the world, they had no choice but to make it work.
“We did 35 free events just to get people in,” Martin said.
Broadway Dallas booked the space for an event that they would be broadcasting on Zoom. The Broadway Dallas team arrived with three 18-wheelers filled with sets and props.
“We didn’t make money, but we met lots of people in the arts,” Martin said.
They hired tech people furloughed from The Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum and from House of Blues. From them, they learned their $30,000 audio visual budget needed to be $300,000 in order to offer the level of high tech innovation they imagined for their venue.
As things began opening up again, On the Levee was one of the first event venues to welcome the public back. Because the space was designed to hold more than 400 people, even with social distancing, they could host an event for 100 or more.
Designed with the LGBTQ+ community in mind, the bathrooms are a line of spacious, single occupant rooms. And from the light fixtures to the tiles and faucets to the walls, each room was decorated by a different artist. (My favorite bathroom pays homage to a Twilight Zone episode starring William Shatner with Homer Simpson as the gremlin on the plane’s wing.)
Instead of a bridal suite and a groom’s room, there’s the Star Suite and the Global Suite.
Each bride or each groom can choose which room to use to get ready for the wedding.
When it comes to pricing, Martin said, “We’re completely different”: Security and cleaning are included in the base price for rentals.
There’s plenty of off-street parking, and Martin said he doesn’t require valets. For those not drinking, there’s no minimum charge for a bar and alcohol, making the place perfect for Muslim weddings and other events.
Rather than require that couples use in-house vendors, Martin maintains a list of vendors providing everything from catering and bartending to lighting, sound and video techs — or you can use your own.
“I’ll help you find vendors to fit your budget,” he said.
Because of its location, one special feature On The Levee offers that few other venues in Dallas can offer is fireworks shot from the levee at the end of the parking lot. As people are leaving, it makes a dramatic finale to any wedding or fundraising event.
Visit Dallas has held its Christmas party at On the Levee, and Lamborghini held its launch party here. Rescue Her held a fundraiser to help human trafficking victims reintegrate into society, and The Teddy Bear Party is moving to the venue for its 2025 party to collect bears for children undergoing cancer treatment or other serious procedures.
SodexoMagic rented the space for two weeks to replicate an airport lounge and do a six-hour event to sell its services to American Airlines. Magic Johnson spoke and made the sale.
Ashley Furniture turned On the Levee into one of its stores and brought in influencers to promote the brand.
A number of weddings Martin’s venue has hosted have gotten just as creative.
A gay couple who had just moved to Dallas from New York wanted to welcome their New York family and friends to Dallas with a Texas-themed that included Stetsons and a mechanical bull.
Another couple had a Birdcage-themed wedding at On the Levee.
One wedding was for a couple that were conservative Muslims and WWE fans. At one point in what had been a traditional affair, the best man said, “Enough of these wedding things,” and another member of the wedding party drove a dune buggy up the front stairs and into the venue.
Guests were horrified until they saw the conservative dad was in on the joke and sprayed a bottle of Dom Perignon at the dune buggy.
“I love multi-cultural weddings,” Martin said. “I love to see two cultures collide.”
One of the most interesting weddings On the Levee has hosted was one bringing a Mexican Muslim family together with a Christian South Asian Indian family.
Other weddings have brought Nigerian, Vietnamese and American Indian cultures and traditions to On the Levee.
For weddings, On the Levee is large enough for up to 300 people seated at tables. If that’s not large enough, Martin and Cohen recently opened a larger facility in Irving, called Astoria, that can seat 700.
On the Levee, 1108 Quaker St. To arrange a tour of the facility, call 972-483-2507 and find more information at OnTheLevee.com