Jun 11, 2009
Excellent Near Southside Story in new Weekly by Dan McGraw
By: Kevin Buchanan
Our friend Dan McGraw in the Fort Worth Weekly has written a lengthy, very well-done article about the Near Southside, focusing on people like The Carillion Group‘s Eddie Vanston. Vanston is interviewed, along with architects Robert W. Kelly, Fort Worth South‘s Paul Paine, developer/musician Tom Reynolds, and yours truly.
Some quotes from the story (which runs four pages on the Weekly’s site):
“This is the shit that you don’t get if you just rehab the building and sell it off to someone else,” Vanston said. “When I got into this business in Dallas, I would just fix things up, sell them, fix up another, then sell that.” But in Fort Worth, “I decided that I wanted to own stuff. I wanted to own unique older buildings.”
So he spends his days supervising the stripping of old wooden window frames and the buffing of hardwood floors, creating loft apartments in a 1911 warehouse with 16-foot-high ceilings and concrete walls and floors. And getting the washing machines fixed. And, in the process, helping rejuvenate a neighborhood that has been dormant for decades.
Kevin Buchanan, a Fairmount resident and blogger on real estate development trends (forthworthology.com), sees those same trends but thinks the conflicts can be solved. “The Near Southside now has conflicting trends,” Buchanan said. “The medical community needs more office space, which drives prices up. The residents nearby want more restaurants and bars. Sometimes the needs of the residents are at odds with the medical community.”
Robert McKenzie Smith and Ken Schaumburg have done condo developments. Michael Barnard is restoring an old factory and union hall into living spaces and studios for artists. Barnard may even turn part of one building into art galleries, with space for a high-end food court or farmers’ market. Vanston is close to finishing out 15 loft apartments in the old Miller Manufacturing Building on Bryan Street.
“Magnolia is becoming a great mix of independent businesses and indie culture,” Buchanan said. “But what is crucial is to get South Main growing as a second major corridor. And what Vanston and the others are doing can make that happen.”
Paul Paine, director of Fort Worth South, also sees the development of a second corridor as crucial. He points out that the city’s plan to run a modern streetcar line down South Main Street and down Magnolia Avenue would link the two areas and promote “urban village” growth. “I think what started with the historic neighborhoods just south of us has pushed into the Magnolia area,” Paine said. “When more historic buildings get revived, I expect a lot of those vacant lots to be developed as new businesses.”
“When I started here four years ago, Magnolia was a wannabe,” Paine said. “Now we hear from people from Dallas that this is what Deep Ellum wished it could have been. We still have a lot of challenges left, but we feel we have turned the corner.”
And a great quote from Eddie about the Stockyards and the often infuriating Fort Worth tendancy for “old money” types to sit on property in redeveloping neighborhoods for years or decades at a time to “wait it out”:
He lets loose with some of his pet peeves about Fort Worth and his business. The Stockyards should be bulldozed. “This city has nothing to do with the meat-packing business any more, and everything down there is just the same old crap,” he said.
And he gets a little pissed at the old guard who are holding onto vacant lots waiting to see how everything plays out. “People always make lots of excuses,” he said, “blaming the economy and the market and everything else they can think of [for not developing their real estate]. But they have been holding on to these properties for decades. We’ve proven that this part of town is doable. So these old-money people should just do it. Or sell their property to someone who will.”
Indeed. Go read Dan’s whole article.
Bulldoze the Stockyards? Maybe some of the bars there, sure, but the Exchange Building, etc…no way.
They should just ease up on the cowboy-ness in the stockyards. The buidling are good urban fabric (once you remove the fake wood facades). Just might be nice to have more than steakhouses and kitschy cowboy gift shops there.
The Stockyards are what they are… and I think they should probably stay that way. While it’s true that we no longer have much to do with the meatpacking industry in Fort Worth, the stockyards area made an undeniable impact on the culture of Fort Worth. Plus, all that kitchy, cowboy stuff that locals get tired of is a huge tourist draw. People spend a lot of money in those steakhouses and gift shops, and that’s good for Fort Worth.
If the cowboy thing is not your scene, we’ve got plenty of other neighborhoods to suit your fancy. I don’t go to the stockyards much, but when I’m in the mood for a little old west kitsch, or when I have out-of-town guests who want to see some “Texas”, I’m glad it’s there.
Been meaning to mention this but didn’t know where exactly, but this post strikes me as perhaps the most relevant place – you didn’t, by chance, see Richard Florida the other day, did you? He gave the keynote speech at the FW Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon. Nothing particularly revelatory, but it was good – what was best about it was that despite his claims/research that shows about a third of the FW population belonging to the creative class, FW is a tad conservative for many of his ideas. (However, when pressed later, he conceded that Fort Worth itself won’t be able to transform itself into an economic powerhouse – it will have to be, as perhaps it always has been, tied to Dallas and possibly even Austin, given its relative proximity. This is his vision for the close Rust Belt cities, whose only chance he thinks is to link up economically and in terms of transit.) I was able to go with my dad, who got a ticket through work, but I understand it was quite an expensive shindig – so you could read the pieces about it in the Star-Telegram, and maybe ask someone at the Chamber if they have a recording they’d lend you or post online.
Tying it back to this post, my point is that one could argue the ‘creative class’ predominantly resides in the near southside, because of the historic neighborhoods and revived streets like Magnolia, as well as the medical district, which is surely a huge economic source (and he includes medical professionals and researchers in the CC). Florida is a keen observer, I think, but I am at least a little wary of what he prescribes as solutions, and I’d be curious to see what you have to say, as you must be familiar with his work. What do you see as the implications for, say, the Near Southside in particular and Fort Worth and the Metroplex in general?
I agree, bulldozing the Stockyards because it’s no longer our chief business would by hypocritical coming from a man who insists on rehabbing old buildings to, at least in part, preserve history.
I think both the Stockyards arguments as well as zack’s questions about Richard Florida would be good conversation-starters on the eightoneseven.com boards.
It’s been kind of quiet over there lately. I think these topics would make for a lively discussion–especially getting everyone’s take on that CoC keynote. That was an interesting Star-Telegram article, and I’m surprised no one’s brought it up before now.
I’m hoping the comment by Mr. Vanston is taken out of context. I’ll have to read the entire article. Maybe he means just the area of former holding pens east of Billy Bob’s. Surely he couldn’t be foolish enough to advocate for bulldozing the entire Stockyards. No doubt it’s a tourist trap but it’s great for Fort Worth. It’s an ode to the city’s past and a draw for the city. My wife and I rarely go there but when we do we have a blast because it’s like taking a step back in time.
His comment reeks of the same ignorance that would be a “cowboy” saying to bulldoze the Museum District or they need to add some country bars.
What’s going in if the Stockyards were bulldozed? Seriously? It’s an oasis in a area that’s sorely lacking redevelopment. In my mind it’s the only reason why there’s any real development North of the courthouse. Sure, the Trinity project can change that but as of now there’s no reason for any development North of the courthouse.
Fort Worth is a great city because it actually has diversity for those that are interested in that kind of thing. You have the Stockyards for the Western aspect, the Museum District for the art aspect, and Sundance for the urban aspect. In addition to that you have lots of great areas like Magnolia, TCU, and other areas that give Fort Worth something for everyone. You don’t find that in any other city in North Texas.
Mr. Vanston does indeed sound like a hypocrite and very small minded. As a Near Southside residence I appreciate the work he’s doing but if he really wants the development element to be same throughout the entire city then he’s sorely missing the point.
Even if he means just the actual holding pens that sit vacant I still think he’s a hypocrite based on his current work. Surely there would be some way to incorporate some of the holding pens into redevelopment of that area. I can’t believe someone that’s so interested in preservation would ever advocate tearing down anything with a historical aspect.
I think everybody is taking Eddie’s Stockyards quote too literally. It’s a little hyperbolic, naturally, and I don’t think he meant *literally* bulldoze the Stockyards.
I figure that what he meant is something similar to my own problem with the Stockyards – that it’s a cool district, from a building stock perspective, that could be something much more special than a mere “tourist trap.” I’ve seen historic districts that keep the “flavor” or the spirit of their previous uses without being what is essentially a “theme park,” which the Stockyards pretty much is. Sundance Square gets tourists, too, but it’s also an actual neighborhood with people living and working as well as coming to play. I think the Stockyards could be so much more than what they are with a little open-ness and a little outside-the-box thinking. They could maintain the “old West” spirit without being slaves to it.
The Stockyards buildings aren’t even correctly restored (for the most part). They’re encrusted with fake “old timey” wooden storefronts and other inappropriate bits that date not from the cowboy days, but the ’60s. Properly restored, they’d look more like the historic buildings in Sundance Square, because that’s the era they’re from. From a preservation standpoint alone the Stockyards could be a lot better.
I’d like to see actual mixed-use in the Stockyards, proper restoration of the building stock, and perhaps a little more willingness to be something better than just a tourist trap. I don’t expect to see that anytime soon, though – the current exaggerated cowboy theme park culture makes a pretty penny. Not begrudging them for that – just want to see better for what is genuinely an interesting historic part of town under all the “flair” and Ye Olde Timey Generale Store stuff.
I should add, this story (for example) is pretty cool and the sort of thing I’d like to see more of in the Stockyards – putting those buildings to use as residential and incubators for local music, etc.:
http://archive.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=6938
Kevin, as a Fairmount resident and Historic Landmarks Commissioner, what is your take on this excerpt from the article with Eddie:
“He doesn’t like the guidelines for restoring historic structures. “I know the rules, and I live with them,” he said. “But I’m not in favor of telling any property owner what they should do with their buildings. Plus, these guidelines make everything the same, and you get a very homogenized neighborhood. If you want that, go to a gated community out in the suburbs.”
Needless to say, this is one area where Eddie and I disagree. I think historic protection is often necessary to maintain the fabric of an area and to keep a link to its past and traditions. Most of us involved in historic preservation do not want everything to look homogenous – indeed, Fairmount tries to encourage builders to use more and varied home plans so that things don’t look too samey.
Great article. Do you think you’d be able to get inside that rec building and take some pictures? I’ve always thought that was cool structure. I hope they are able to redevelop it.
Kevin – I would love to see the exact same thing happen to the Stockyards. It’s got a great opportunity to develop an indie music scene. Even beyond country although it will be somewhat challenging. As Austin gets more expensive those folks will need somewhere cheaper to hone their craft and the Stockyards would be perfect. West Exchange could definitely use a little more activity.
I’ll also echo Kevin’s belief of historic restrictions. There are some places in Fairmount and the Near Southside which is exactly why people shouldn’t be allowed to do with their property what they want. It sucks for the likes of Mr. Vanston who are doing it right but unfortunately it’s a slippery slope and that style has to be protected with unfortunate guidelines.