Dream Land: Little Rock’s West Ninth Street Documentary

2017 Mid-America Emmy Award Winner

Best Editor, Program/Program Feature - Lucas Mireles

In 2017, Arkansas PBS produced this documentary about West 9th Street - once the beating heart of Black culture, music, and commerce in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is the only film that tells this story in full.

The film follows the rise of "The Line," the extraordinary community that built itself from the ground up after Reconstruction, and the forces that eventually dismantled it. Taborian Hall - the last remaining original building on West 9th Street - anchors the narrative as a living witness to everything the street was and everything it could be again. Kerry McCoy, who bought and restored the building in 1990, appears in the film alongside community members, historians, and people who lived this history firsthand.

The History Is Still Walking Through Our Door

In April 2026, we received a visit from L.T. Terry, now 90 years old, who appears in the documentary. L.T. grew up on West 9th Street and remembers the Dreamland Ballroom in its golden era - not from the audience, but from the back door where the artists entered.

One night, a young and handsome L.T. was standing at that back door when B.B. King spotted him. B.B. asked if he had a ticket. L.T. said no. B.B. told him to wait five minutes.

True to his word, B.B. King came back, walked L.T. to the front row, and told security: "This boy is with me. Take care of him."

That night started a friendship that lasted the rest of B.B. King's life. Before B.B. died, the two talked regularly by phone. L.T. still has B.B.'s number saved in his contacts.

When L.T. visited us this spring, he asked us to print out our building timeline to take home with him. His photo is on it in tribute of his contribution to the building’s oral history.

Go Deeper

The documentary tells the story of West 9th Street. The book Temple of Dreams by historian Berna J. Love tells the story of the building at its center. Learn more about Temple of Dreams.

Want to see the Dreamland Ballroom in person? Book a tour or rent the space for your next event.