i spent a day in july wandering around ft worth neighborhoods, this is downtown

 

fyi -- wiki sez the 17th largest city in the usa, just after columbus, ohio is ft worth (720,250).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Worth,_Texas

 

coming into town on the southside

 

my diner – must have migas for breakfast…and wait out the rain

http://www.pacoandjohn.com/

 

new around the cultural arts district

 

montgomery plaza is quite a grand reno

http://www.montgomeryplaza.com/

 

old saucer shaped cc, i believe its connected to the new addition behind it

 

iconic hat shop sign

 

ft worth’s requisite gorgeous flatiron

 

i parked across the street from this beauty

 

a former kress dept store is now texodecolicious loft apts

http://thekressbuilding.com/OurHistory.aspx

 

unfortunately the central town square aka sundance square itself is parking. probably not for long.

here’s a big wiki xmas night view aerial of sundance square

 

 

iconic cattle drive mural on the square

 

the ‘saucer chainlet has thee best craft beer selection in texas & the south

http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/

 

what the? caraaaazy man  :laugh:

 

it’s the bass hall performing arts center (1998/2001)

http://www.basshall.com/thehallhistory.jsp

 

actually, i’m kind of surprised stuff like this isn’t done more often,

gets your attention that’s for sure

 

its hot, jamba me asap!

 

texas sure does olde neon well

 

city streets!

 

70’s era streetlamp

 

of course the duke is still around here

 

the former quirky jazz arts center ‘caravan of dreams’ is now a reata restaurant

http://www.reata.net/fort-worth-restaurant.html

 

love the norris building, a deco gem next door

 

naturally it’s been  revived as a hipster bar

 

cute!

 

good place to escape the heat

 

i love interesting little hotel buildings like this

 

the original white elephant saloon

The Fort Worth establishment began as a simple eatery, opened by F.A. Borodino in 1884 in the 300 block of Main Street. The food was inferior to that at two nearby places — the Planter’s House and the Commercial Restaurant — and the owner’s profits remained anemic, so the place was seized by attachment. Within a year, the White Elephant reopened in the stockyards neighborhood as a ‘Saloon and Billiard Parlor’ with a small restaurant attached.

 

more on the stockyards in another thread.

 

 

revived and reused deco-ness

 

ft worth’s oldest fire station

http://www.fwmuseum.org/exhibits/150.html

 

tarrant county courthouse (1895)

 

Old courthouse in 1883

 

yet another great neon sign, i guess these can last forever in texas weather

 

looks good

 

city shadow

 

downtown street banner

 

unfortunately in texas they need these to beat the heat

 

yowza!

 

development is steadily creeping back their way

 

new omni hotel -- w/ the new convention center addition across the street

 

about the ft worth cc expansion:

 

The Fort Worth Convention Center hosts events year-round, including sports, musical performances, trade shows and conventions, and other top-flight entertainment. The facility spans 14 blocks downtown, and is located within walking distance of downtown hotels, restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues. A $75 million renovation and expansion was completed in 2003, making this facility one of the finest of its kind in the Southwest. Check the website for upcoming events.

• 182,266 Sq. Ft. Exhibit Hall

• 253,226 Total Sq. Ft. of Exhibit Space

• 41 Meeting Rooms

• 28,160 Sq. Ft. Ballroom for meal events or meetings

• 25,960 Sq. Ft. Arena with 10,500 permanent seats (capacity for up to 13,000)

 

 

Ha – this was thru a parking lot

 

here is how they try to hide the new cc parking garage

 

hmm, ok I like it

 

that’s it from dt ft worth in mid-july 2009

 

*** a bit moo-ore ft worth to come, meaning the stockyards neighborhood & grounds ***

 

I like Downtown Forth Worth!!!  Thanks for the awesome thread.

They usually (sadly) cover up those parking lots with artificial turf during events (i.e. Thanksgiving).

Neat-looking downtown, great photos!

Other than the parking smack dab in the middle of town... Fort Worth seems like quite the progressive modern town!  All that's missing is light rail to connect it to Dallas and surrounding environs... wouldn't be surprised if there's already plans for that, though.

Other than the parking smack dab in the middle of town... Fort Worth seems like quite the progressive modern town!  All that's missing is commuter light rail to connect it to Dallas and surrounding environs... wouldn't be surprised if there's already plans for that, though.

aww shucks now pardna, they have it!

 

 

 

 

http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/map.html

 

hello cle-akr-can?  :|

 

While I have never been to Texas, from the pics it seems Fort Worth has so much more going for it than Dallas.  Interesting since they are right next door to one another.

The name screams "cow town", but it's a fine looking town.

Howdy folks,

 

Since I live in Fort Worth and have for the past 25 years, may I offer a few "local" comments?I think you did photograph the best face of Fort Worth. There are plenty of areas of grit and far less charm around the City than one finds in the scrubbed and polished downtown.

 

Since you were here in July-did you notice how gawd-awful HOT this place gets in the summer!? Average summer here is 16 days with temps over 100 degrees F. and this summer we've had over 20. The record high for yesterday (Sept. 4th) was 111 degrees set just a few summers ago. We have the worst summers here because the high temps often are accompanied by relatively high humidity which makes being outdoors for any length of time a miserable experience. I suppose if there is any silver lining to the infernal north Texas summer heat it might be the mild winters here. We can have days in December when the highs are near 90. Not many snowy white Christmases here.

 

Snowbirds from northern cities flock to the Fort Worth-Dallas "metroplex" in droves with new arrivals numbering an average of 5,000 people per week. This influx of newcomers has been very detrimental to inter and intra-city traffic with some major local thoroughfares in a state of near-constant gridlock. All of these cars also have a very detrimental effect on air quality with the Fort Worth-Dallas region having some of the worst air quality readings in the country according to the EPA. Our huge sprawl extends outward into former farmland for many, many, miles in all directions. The local cities are ringed with hundreds of new tract-home suburbs filled mainly with cookie cutter McMansions. Then there are the popular "gated" communities where a family of wealth can safely shut themselves off from the rest of the world and protect their assets. Cars are king here and pedestrians are wary. Mass transit is just beginning to be implemented decades after other cities have established theirs.

 

One could write a book about the cultural differences between north Texas and the rest of the country. Let me just say that George W is still considered a hero to many locals and he has demonstrated he is a simple man of the people after he left office by buying a little tar-paper shack home for $2 million dollars in a posh secluded north Dallas neighborhood.

 

Despite all the sleek new condo towers and office buildings, Fort Worth is considered by many to be more friendly and "country" in culture than our larger neighbor to the east (Dallas) and locals claim we still have a strong connection to our Western Heritage. A lot of the "Cowtown" image is based more on myth and hype than substance. Where the mid-1960's flying-saucer shaped Convention Center you photographed now stands, was previously the infamous "Hell's Half-Acre" district from the 1800's. The Half-Acre (actually it was several acres) consisted of bordellos and speak-easy saloons that did live up to the classic wild West myths. Embarrased city leaders in the mid-20th century shrewdly eradicated every last trace of it by building the "Jetson's" style modern convention center on the site. If fact, one has to look pretty hard to find anything around here over 100 years old. It's almost a Fort Worth tradition to destroy the old and build the new so you will not find anything remotely comparable to Cincinnati's Over-The-Rhine district or Cleveland's Ohio City. There is a smattering of interesting Art Deco style buildings remaining here and one or two rare hold-overs from the 19th century like the County Courthouse.

 

I love old architecture, hate hot weather, insane traffic, hazardous air pollution, and rising crime, so upon the sale of our little hacienda, my spouse and I are Cincinnati bound. 

 

Thanks for putting such a positive light on my hometown. Don't suppose you got over to nearby Arlington with it's new billion dollar Cowboys NFL stadium? Might be worth a see if you are into that kind of thing-the newer TX Rangers ballpark stadium (designed by David M. Schwartz) is nearby as well as the long-established six flags amusement park. By the way, the Bass Performance Hall (featuring the trumpeting angels) as well as a number of traditionally styled newer buildings downtown were designed by prominent retro architect David M. Schwartz. If any Urban Ohio members have questions or need information about the Fort Worth-Dallas area, please feel free to PM me. (the slow real estate market will likely keep us here for some time) IMO, it's a nice place to visit but not so great place to live. Others, of course, may have a completely different view. 

 

Thanks for the insight! Any worthy lesser-known neighborhoods for mrnyc to cover? (If he's still there, that is)

If he is still around Fort Worth, I would suggest he check out the Southside, especially the Fairmount Historic District which is bounded by Magnolia Avenue on the north, Hemphill Blvd on the East and 8th Avenue on the West. Not positive about the southern boundry but it does not go past Berry street. Fairmount, College, Hurley, 6th avenue, Washington, are some of the streets in the neighborhood. The oldest residence there is the Benton House at 1730 6th Avenue-it is a picturesque Victorian cottage built in 1897. Most of the houses in the Fairmount historic district date from the first two decades of the 20th century. Our grandest Victorian era residence is the 1899 red Arizona sandstone and brick Ball-Eddleman-McFarland House at 1110 Penn Street near the major thoroughfare of Summit Avenue. (which was once lined by similar mansions but like on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, these have all but completely disappeared.) At the end of Summit Avenue (the avenue is easily accessible from downtown) one reaches Pennsylvania Avenue and you see Thistle Hill, a rare surviving cattle baron mansion from 1903. Also just off of Weatherford & Belknap Streets (where the county courthouse is located) is Samuels Avenue, the oldest small pocket neighborhood in Fort Worth. (where I live, btw) There are a number of survivors there from the 1800's including the only Italianate style house remaining in Fort Worth (731 Samuels) and a grand towered Queen Anne style home with a state historical marker at 769 Samuels. If you visit all of these areas, you will see plenty of grit as well as flashy stuff.

 

For more info...please contact me privately.