Aug 23, 2010 2

Dunn-Haven Building Redevelopment Progress – New Blanchard Schaefer Headquarters

By: Kevin Buchanan

The former Dunn-Haven Apartments building at Adams & Magnolia’s already come a long way.  There’s a lot of interior work underway that’s, obviously, a little difficult to see from many outside vantage points, but what’s not hard to see is the exterior renovation work.  In particular, the building’s now got a ton of new windows.  It’s always amazing to see how new windows can make such a huge difference in the appearance of a building.

The Dunn-Haven building is one of the older structures on Magnolia, having been built in 1914.  It shows elements of various styles, including the Prairie School. It is of a configuration not common in this area, with its three stories and full porches at each level. A similar structure can be found in the nearby Fairmount neighborhood south of Magnolia, the currently vacant Bomar Apartments at 1507 Alston, built in 1907.

The building is being redeveloped into the headquarters of advertising & public relations firm Blanchard Schaefer, who are relocating their business from Arlington to be in a walkable & bikeable neighborhood with a strong community and creative feel.

Aug 13, 2010 14

Last Call for the Ridglea?

By: Kevin Buchanan

Things are looking grim for the Ridglea Theater.  It’s my understanding that Bank of America has been meeting with the building’s owners, Fix Funding, as well as Councilman Zimmerman, about moving forward with purchasing the structure.  BoA may even already have the building under contract.  Councilman Zimmerman does not seem to be responsive to efforts to save the building.  He apparently believes Bank of America’s plan to demolish everything but the facade of the theater to build a drive-through bank branch to be a positive proposal.  Given the opposition from Historic Fort Worth and large numbers of Fort Worth residents who may not even care for the metal acts that frequent the Ridglea today but who wish to see the building saved and not replaced with a generic drive-through bank hiding behind the shell of the facade, this attitude from the district’s elected official is deeply disappointing.

I feel that the best hope now is to tell Bank of America of your opposition to the proposal.  In other words, a large national corporation must act based on the community’s wishes where its own elected official will not.  Here is the contact information of the BoA reps involved:

Diane Wagner:  312.828.2932, diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com
Mike Pavel: email via mandy.kizer@bankofamerica.com

And of course, you can still e-mail Zim via the following link:

Zim Zimmerman – 817-392-8803 - District3@fortworthgov.org

Personally, I feel that demolishing a historic theater and performance venue, along with its associated mixed-use historic building, just to replace them with a generic drive-through bank branch making a half-hearted attempt to “fit in” by hiding behind a tiny sliver of the original structure is no progress at all (especially given Ridglea’s status as a designated Urban Village, an area the city wants to see grow denser and more walkable with more mixed uses).  Replacing something as iconic and unique in Fort Worth’s history as the Ridglea with another generic pod of cookie-cutter suburbia, yet another bank branch on a formerly important street that is increasingly home to bland and generic junk, is a terrible mistake.  I’ve seen buildings in far worse condition be saved .  Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever – I hope we won’t make this mistake.  If you agree, please let the powers that be know.

And check out the Save the Ridglea Theater group while you’re at it.

Update:  Got forwarded a letter sent to Bank of America and Councilman Zimmerman from Steve Smith, partner at local marketing firm Starr Tincup, that quite eloquently states its case:

Dear Diane, Mike and Council Member Zimmerman:

As a Fort Worth business owner, I am deeply concerned by reports I see about Bank of America’s plans for the Ridglea Theater. My company works with clients all over the world, and when we bring them to Fort Worth, they are always surprised to discover that we are so much more than our Cowtown image. On the contrary, Fort Worth has become a cosmopolitan city – in large part because we are rich in cultural and architectural diversity. We embrace our past as we move into the future. However, transforming the Ridglea Theater into a bank is a step in the wrong direction. Destroying the Ridglea Theater costs Fort Worth a little piece of its soul.

I know that this may sound a little hippy-dippy to you, but my company is a $12 million business that can operate anywhere in the world. We choose to be in Fort Worth because it’s a great place to live and can attract the talent we need to compete on a global scale. The writers, coders, designers and creative types that I need are a lot more compelled to live in a city where the Ridglea Theater can thrive as a music venue or art-house movie theater, not be razed to build another bank. Destroying the Ridglea actually has an impact on my business.

I urge you to please consider other options before making this tragic mistake.

Thank you for your consideration,

Steve

–
Steve Smith
Starr Tincup
817.204.0279 || starrtincup.com

Jul 30, 2010 3

Photos from the Ridglea Tour

By: Kevin Buchanan

Last night’s tour of the Ridglea Theater by Historic Fort Worth went off really well.  They had over 200 people attend, making it the largest by a pretty big margin of all the tours they’ve done.  Had the chance to meet with Levi Weaver, who’s trying to round up investors and make a go of purchasing the Ridglea before it can fall to Bank of America’s demolition crews.  He comes across as really dedicated to saving the place – let’s hope he can pull it off.  Things haven’t improved on the city side – Councilman Zimmerman still won’t move forward with designation, and in fact indications are he’s dead-set on seeing the building meet the wrecking ball for some reason.

So, here are some photos from yesterday’s tour.  Historic Fort Worth had to divide everybody into smaller groups due to the volume of people, and we went with architect John T. Roberts, he of the Fort Worth Architecture web site fame.  The Ridglea is in really quite decent condition – you’ll see some water damage in some of the last shots in an upstairs area, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.  I’ve seen far, far worse buildings get restored in Fort Worth.  It would truly be a shame to lose the building, especially for such a regression as a drive-through bank branch that’s at odds with Ridglea’s position as an Urban Village.  And if the Ridglea falls, where will it end?  Will the rest of the original Ridglea Village complex, built as a group by A. C. Luther, be wiped out for bank branches, strip malls, and other trappings of generic suburbia?  There’s nothing stopping it.

Please, everybody, keep pressure up on the Fort Worth City Council to get the building designated.  And be sure to visit Levi Weaver’s site, RidgleaTheater.org, to learn more about the efforts to save the building.

Click on the photos for a larger view.

Jul 29, 2010 4

Hope for the Ridglea? Plus, Tour the Ridglea Tonight

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Ridglea is still more-or-less where we left it last time – the threat of demolition hanging over it, with Bank of America looking at demolishing almost the entire structure to build a drive-through bank branch.  Councilman Zimmerman still refuses to try to get the building designated historic (and when even Chuck Silcox said it should be designated and the current councilman won’t, that’s not a good sign), and preservation groups including Historic Fort Worth still arguing for the complex’s significance.

There may be a faint glimmer of hope if the events in this recent DFW.com article are to be believed.  Quoth the article:

I met with Levi Weaver yesterday, a stone’s throw from the Ridglea itself. He just might change everything — Weaver is a third party with no business ties to FixFunding or Bank of America or even the Ridglea’s current tenants (Richard Van Zandt and Wesley Hathaway).

A Fort Worth native, who got married at the Ridglea three years ago (he and his wife draped white linens over much of the main space to class up the joint), Weaver has an interesting proposal that would pull him and his family away from their current home in Nashville. Weaver, a musician, wants to buy the building, with help from investors, and reclaim it as an art house movie theater, as well as a part-time music venue. Think booking bands like the Granada in a space that also shows flicks suitable for the Angelika, but with the capability to host weddings or graduations or corporate functions or even theater performances.

The Ridglea’s too significant a building complex to be demolished for a generic drive-through BoA branch hiding behind the shell of its grand entrance.  Needless to say, I don’t agree with Councilman Zimmerman that the BoA proposal is “progress.”  Let’s hope Mr. Weaver can pull this off.  Check out the whole article.

Meanwhile, this evening is Historic Fort Worth’s tour of the Ridglea at 5:30 PM today.  The tour is free for Historic Fort Worth members, and guests are $10.  From Historic Fort Worth:

Don’t miss this chance to see the interior of this iconic theater, one of the last single screen theaters in Fort Worth. Architect John Roberts will lead the tour and the current tenants, Wesley Hathaway and Richard Van Zandt, will answer questions. Beer and wine will be for sale at the concession stand.

This would be a great chance to see the Ridglea’s beautiful original features, including intricate terrazzo floors and elaborate murals – most or all of which would be lost if the current plans to tear down all but the entrance for a Bank of America drive-through branch are carried out.  Again, the tour is at 5:30 –  you can RSVP to Corry Smith at 817-336-2344 x100 or Corry_Smith@historicfortworth.org.

Jul 20, 2010 1

Tour the Endangered Ridglea Theater Next Week

By: Kevin Buchanan

CORRECTION:  The date of the tour is Thursday the 29th at 5:30 PM.

Historic Fort Worth will be going on a tour of the endangered Ridglea Theater on Thursday the 29th at 5:30 PM.  The tour is free for Historic Fort Worth members, and guests are $10.  From Historic Fort Worth:

Don’t miss this chance to see the interior of this iconic theater, one of the last single screen theaters in Fort Worth. Architect John Roberts will lead the tour and the current tenants, Wesley Hathaway and Richard Van Zandt, will answer questions. Beer and wine will be for sale at the concession stand.

This would be a great chance to see the Ridglea’s beautiful original features, including intricate terrazzo floors and elaborate murals – all of which would be lost if the current plans to tear down all but the entrance for a Bank of America drive-through branch are carried out.  Again, the tour is at 5:30 –  you can RSVP to Corry Smith at 817-336-2344 x100 or Corry_Smith@historicfortworth.org.

Jul 6, 2010 5

Fort Worth’s Remaining Single-Screen Theaters

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Ridglea
Year Built:  1950
Status:  In use, endangered by demolition
Location:  6025 Camp Bowie – Ridglea Urban Village

The Ridglea is one of the only remaining single-screen theaters still in use in Fort Worth for entertainment purposes.  It hosts live music.  Currently, the Ridglea is threatened with near-total demolition for a Bank of America drive-through bank branch.  Posts on the Ridglea’s current saga:  here, here, here, and here.

The Bowie
Year Built:  1940
Status:  In use
Location:  3859 Camp Bowie

The Bowie is currently housing a Frost Bank branch.  The building was kept mostly intact in its conversion to a bank.

The Berry
Year Built:  Unknown, presumed 1920s-1930s
Status:  Vacant
Location:  3021 Hemphill – Hemphill/Berry Urban Village

The Berry, at Hemphill & Berry, has been vacant for some time and looks rather run-down.  The neon sign is still in place, but the marquee appears to have been lost when Hemphill was last widened.

The Grand
Year Built:  Unknown, presumed 1910s-1930s
Status:  Appears vacant
Location:  1100 Fabons – near Evans & Rosedale Urban Village

The Grand was most recently in use as a church.  It appears to be vacant now.  The sign and marquee are still intact.  The last church to occupy the building added large concrete blocks to its street facade for some reason.

The New Isis
Year Built:  1935
Status:  Vacant
Location:  2401 N. Main – Stockyards

The New Isis is a 1930s renovation of the Isis Theater from the 19teens.  The sign and marquee are intact.  Signage on the marquee has promised “The New New Isis” is “coming soon” for years, but the building doesn’t appear to be in active restoration.

The Azle
Year Built:  1941
Status:  Vacant
Location:  2206 Azle

The Azle has been vacant for some time.  The sign and a marquee are intact.  It appears to have had its formerly colorful appearance painted white some time ago.

The Rose Marine
Year Built:  1918
Status:  In use
Location:  1440 N. Main – Historic Marine (formerly Mercado) Urban Village

The Rose Marine is certainly the most well-cared-for of the old theaters in Fort Worth.  It is currently a performing arts venue.

The Poly
Year Built:  1941?
Status:  Vacant
Location:  3001 Vaughn

The Poly’s signage and marquee are partially intact.  The building was a church at some point in the past after it stopped being a theater, but appears to have been vacant for some time now.

The Hollywood
Year Built:  1929-1930
Status:  Building in use, theater vacant
Location:  410 W. 7th – Downtown Fort Worth

The Hollywood sits entombed in the Electric Building in Downtown Fort Worth, the last of the old 7th Street “Show Row” theaters even partially intact.  The theater lobby on 7th Street is mostly intact and serves as office space.  The theater itself is vacant and sealed up in the building, but the lobby areas past the main lobby and the theater from the balcony level up are all reasonably intact.  The lower level of the theater was converted to parking for the Electric Building apartments.  See our old walkthrough of the Hollywood’s remains.

Unknown
Year Built:  Unknown
Status:  Vacant
Location:  Evans & Terrell – Evans & Rosedale Urban Village

This structure isn’t obviously identified as a theater, but it strongly resembles one (its form is very similar to the Grand a few blocks away).  Not sure of this one’s name or history.  The building is currently vacant.

Photo not yet available

Unknown
Year Built:  Unknown
Status:  In use as church
Location:  Sylvania near Race – near Six Points Urban Village

This building is potentially an old single-screen theater.  It resembles one in form, but we have no information about its history.  It is currently a church.

These are all the remaining single-screen theaters that we’re aware of.  Of them, only two are in active use as entertainment venues, and one of those is threatened with demolition.  One is in use as a bank and one as a church.  The rest are vacant.

Jun 28, 2010 6

An Architect Walks Through the Ridglea

By: Kevin Buchanan

Noticed a message from architect John T. Roberts of the great Architecture in Fort Worth site.  He got the chance to walk through the Ridglea a few days ago.  These are his initial impressions:

I had a chance to tour the inside of the Ridglea Theater this afternoon. It is really not in bad shape. Yes, there are a couple of roof leaks, one small ceiling failure, and several smaller ceiling failures. The building could easily be re-roofed, which would stop the leaks. The ceiling could be repaired with a small amount of plaster, plus one supply air register would have to be replaced. I have rehabbed buildings in far worse condition and they have been saved, so this one is not a loss at all. Actually, considering it’s age, it is mostly intact and in fairly good condition.

This seems to square with our own impressions of the building.  It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a far cry from being in such bad condition it wouldn’t be worth the cost to restore, as Council Member Zimmerman said in the DFW.com article that helped launch this storm around the theater.  Seems an odd statement to make considering the building’s actual condition.

Again, at this point, because there’s not much in the proposed plan (which may not happen – Bank of America does not yet own the property) that needs city approval, about the only hope to save the Ridglea should BoA move forward is an outcry of public opposition to the plan sent to the Fort Worth City Council and support for designating the property as a Historic & Cultural Landmark, as was attempted late last year before being removed from consideration by the council.  Contact info can be found in this previous post.

Jun 23, 2010 5

Councilman Zimmerman Issues Statement on Ridglea Theater

By: Kevin Buchanan

District 3 Council Member Zimmerman has issued the following statement about the Ridglea Theater:

Over the past several days, the District 3 Office has received numerous phone calls and e-mails regarding the fate of the Ridglea Theater. We’ve heard a great number of concerns, and I share many of those. The Ridglea Theater has been an important part of the Camp Bowie landscape, and citizens have a strong connection with this landmark. Unfortunately, the future of this property has been uncertain for quite some time.

All things considered, it’s important that we strike a balance between preserving the character of this community while at the same time encouraging positive redevelopment. This is a delicate balance, but it can be achieved.

Bank of America has shown interest in the Ridglea Theater. That’s good news. And while the proposed plans to remodel the building into a bank office would adhere to its present multi-use zoning designation, Bank of America has shown a willingness to be a good partner and consider preserving the building’s façade, including its marquee and tower. Although Bank of America has not yet purchased this property, we greatly appreciate their interest in maintaining the character of this important part of our city. Nothing has been finalized, but we will continue to work closely with Bank of America, city officials and the residents of the surrounding community to work toward a positive outcome.

I think I’m seeing that Council Member Zimmerman and the rest of us are approaching this from two very different positions.

He says we have to “encourage positive development,” and takes that to mean ripping out a mixed-use development featuring a live theater and replacing it with a Bank of America branch. The many, many folks who want to see the Ridglea saved do not consider that an example of “positive development,” for a variety of reasons. You’ve got the loss to Fort Worth’s indie music scene – local bands replaced with BoA employees. You’ve got the loss of another single-screen movie theater, a handful of which still remain in the city – a detriment to the city’s connection with an important social and cultural facet of its past. You’ve got the loss of a major historic structure on Camp Bowie that truly sets the architectural stage for several of the historic structures around it – an architectural loss. Hiding all this behind the “well, they’d keep the facade” argument just results in a hollow, false identity covering up another generic bank.

He also says the proposed bank branch would “adhere to the present multi-use zoning,” which is completely untrue unless BoA plans to be running a live music theater in their bank lobby. I’m not certain that “mixed-use zoning” and “Urban Village program” mean what he thinks they mean. My understanding is that the project would demolish all of the Ridglea except the facade, and would also demolish the adjoining office & retail building. The new construction behind the mask of the Ridglea facade would be a BoA branch, while the space currently occupied by the office/retail building would become…a parking lot.

Going from a complex with a live theater, offices, and retail space to a single-use bank branch is in no way “adhering to the present multi-use zoning.” It’ll just be…a bank. That’s one use. Parking does not constitute a second use.

The Ridglea area is designated by the City of Fort Worth as an Urban Village. The city’s web site states that the purpose of the Urban Village program is thus:

Urban Villages are small geographic areas (usually one square mile) zoned for dense, multiple-use development that is mass-transit and pedestrian friendly.

Parks, business, entertainment, homes, and stores — all within walking distance of each other in an area with a consistent look and feel that emphasizes the culture and heritage of those who call it home. A city within a city.

The City of Fort Worth is working with developers, business groups and neighborhood associations to revitalize older commercial districts using capital improvements, mixed-use zoning and economic incentives to help urban villages throughout the Central City.

In no way does the demolition of a historic mixed-use project for its replacement by a single-use bank building with a big new parking lot meet any of the goals of the Urban Village program. Put simply: by the city’s own stated goals for this area, this is a bad deal.

“Bank of America has shown interest in the Ridglea Theater. That’s good news.” Frankly, I think that’s horrible news, councilman. Why are we approaching this from the standpoint that “Bank of America ruining a historic theater & mixed-use building” is good news? That is an unacceptable baseline for the citizens of this city who want to see this beautiful building complex saved. New development along that stretch of Camp Bowie has been trending in a generic suburban-bank-branches-and-chain-restaurants way for a while now, and continuing that trend rather than pursuing the sort of development that the city itself says it wants to see in the area doesn’t strike me as progress, nor does development of another generic national corporate bank branch to replace something with real through-and-through local character and heritage strike me as progress.  In my opinion, this is a bad, bad deal – the loss of architectural value, the loss of cultural value, the loss of built heritage, the loss to Fort Worth’s music scene, and the creation of an inappropriate development form in a designated Urban Village.

I’d also like to add that, in a document dated October 2007 that outlines the master plan of the Ridglea Urban Village (PDF link), the following statement relating to Council Member Zimmerman’s predecessor, the late Chuck Silcox, can be found:

After a discussion of future uses for Ridglea Theater, Council Member Silcox said he would request that the City begin the historic designation process for the structure.

It seems even Chuck Silcox wanted to keep the Ridglea intact.  Clearly, the Fort Worth city government has dropped the ball.

I hope you’ll all keep telling the City Council how bad an idea this is. Keep e-mailing them and telling them to designate the Ridglea as a Historic & Cultural Landmark. Not all new development is good development. Even I, Mr. Let’s Build Cool New Stuff Dork, know that to be true. I’d like to think that Fort Worth has more ambition and creative value than to let such a wonderful historic resource like the Ridglea get consumed by a generic bank branch.

Jun 23, 2010 9

Ridglea Theater Follow-up

By: Kevin Buchanan

I wanted to collect a few bits & pieces here following up on yesterday’s awful news about the Ridglea Theater.

A lot of people have asked me how we could go about saving the building.  While banging on Bank of America over this is certainly not pointless, if you want my own opinion, the biggest power to save the Ridglea rests on the Fort Worth City Council.  The council has the power to designate the Ridglea as a “Historic & Cultural Landmark” (keep that term in mind when you contact them).  A Historic & Cultural Landmark designation is one of the highest forms of protection the city of Fort Worth can give to a building, and helps prevent demolition (there is a lower level, “Demolition Delay,” which is really rather toothless in that it only delays demolition for 180 days and has no real protection).  In fact, it’s been attempted before to designate the Ridglea.

The Designation Subcommittee of the Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission recommended the Ridglea and its adjoining office/retail building to the City Council for Historic & Cultural Landmark designation late last year (full disclosure – I’m on the Designation Subcommittee and was involved in the efforts to designate the building at the time).  A resolution to designate the Ridglea went to the City Council on November 17, 2009, with the following result:

Council Member Zimmerman made a motion, seconded by Council Member Hicks, that the Resolution be continued until the December 15, 2009, Council meeting. The motion carried unanimously nine (9) ayes to zero (0) nays.

Source (PDF Link)

Council Member Zimmerman, for the uninitiated, is the representative of District 3, the Ridglea’s district.  The reasoning for continuing the vote likely happened behind closed doors before the council meeting.  Jump forward to the December 15, 2009 council meeting, and the result was this:

City Manager Fisseler requested that Agenda Item XIII (1) relative to a resolution nominating the Ridglea Theatre as Historic and Cultural Landmark, be withdrawn from consideration and that Mayor and Council Communication No. G-16804 be continued until the January 26, 2010, Council meeting.

Source (PDF Link)

Again, no further information is available, and the deliberating likely happened behind closed doors.  As near as I can tell, the resolution never appeared again on the City Council’s radar, and now we’ve got plans to demolish the theater, its office/retail building, and build a Bank of America branch behind the skeleton of the Ridglea’s facade.

(There’s some talk of the initial delay being due to wanting to talk to the building’s owners, but if that’s the case and the resolution was removed at the next meeting with no public discussion, that just goes to show how weak the city government is on preservation.)

As I said, perhaps the best hope of saving the Ridglea would be for the City Council to designate it a Historic & Cultural Landmark – just know that it’s an uphill battle, judging from the results above.  I’m not trying to be a downer, just realistic.  Even in the best of cases, preservation is difficult in Fort Worth – the city government doesn’t take it seriously, and oftentimes the results are apathetic.  It’s especially tough in times of budget shortfalls.

This is the way the game is played, though, so it’s up to Ridglea supporters to write to the City Council (all the City Council, and particularly Council Member Zimmerman, since it’s his district) and ask that the council designate the Ridglea as a Historic & Cultural Landmark.

Zim Zimmerman – 817-392-8803 - District3@fortworthgov.org
Mayor – Mike Moncrief – 817-392-6118 – mike.moncrief@fortworthgov.org
Mayor Pro Tem – Danny Scarth – 817-392-6187 –District4@fortworthgov.org
Sal Espino –  817-392-8802 – District2@fortworthgov.org
Frank Moss – 817-392-8805 – District5@fortworthgov.org
Jungus Jordan – 817-392-8806 – District6@fortworthgov.org
Carter Burdette – 817-392-8807 – District7@fortworthgov.org
Kathleen Hicks – 817-392-8808 – District8@fortworthgov.org
Joel Burns – 817-392-8809 – District9@fortworthgov.org

This leads us into another question I’ve heard a lot – why can’t Bank of America use the existing two-story office & retail building that would be destroyed by the new plan?

The answer is:  they probably could.  This isn’t something that’s falling over – it’s also in active use.  I’m instantly skeptical when a giant multinational says they “can’t” use a historic building for whatever reason.  The problem is, they don’t want to.  It’s an issue that is epidemic in the United States, and springs in part from the way these large companies operate (especially the way they build in the far-flung suburbs).  They design a basic stock building design or two that’s stamped out with a virtual cookie cutter across the country, and any deviation from the basic design is extremely rare.

Take a look – almost every new bank branch looks exactly the same as every other new bank branch of the same brand.  Sometimes, a token gesture of “fitting in” with the neighborhood will be made in the form of a different trim color or material, but it’s just simple dressing on the same shell.  Drug stores are especially bad about this – the average Walgreens or CVS is exactly the same as every other example, with just a thin candy coating of “uniqueness” sprinkled on top.

James Howard Kunstler spoke about this on his Kunstlercast show way back in 2008 with a good summary of the mindset (they’re talking about drug stores in particular, but the same sort of things apply to many big corporate chains with a suburban building mindset):

JHK:  Because of the sort of throwaway culture we live in, it’s more convenient for these big chains to just tear down whatever’s there and put up their own special purpose-built box with all of the things in the right place, so the building’s sort of pre-programmed.  It’s a machine for dispensing goods, it’s not even a building.  It just happens to come in a form that resembles a building.

…

Basically, if there’s a wonderful historic building that has, you know, 9,000 square feet of space, and the store needs 9,402 square feet of space, they’d rather knock down the historic building just to get exactly the right amount of space.

DC:  Yeah, there was a case in Albany, New York, where a drug store was purchasing an old school building, and next to the school building was a vacant lot.  And rather than rehab the school building and use the vacant lot as a parking lot, they wanted to knock down the school building for a parking lot, and build their building on the vacant lot.

JHK:  Pathetic.

If you want my personal opinion, I’d want to see Bank of America rehab the existing two-story office/retail building for their purposes, and leave the Ridglea Theater alone.  Or, go somewhere else in the Ridglea Village area and build an infill project that supports the goals of the Ridglea Urban Village designation the city has given – something that is arrayed to walkability and higher density.

So, there we are.  It’s my opinion that the Ridglea more than qualifies as something to save, both for the architectural value of both the theater and office building, their importance in setting the stage for the other historic buildings around the area, the theater’s cultural historical significance as one of our few remaining single-screen theaters, and its current and ongoing cultural value as one of a few outlets of Fort Worth’s independent music scene.  I hope a lot of you agree.

Jun 22, 2010 50

UPDATED: Ridglea Theater and Office Building Doomed to Demolition by Bank of America

By: Kevin Buchanan

Photo by John T. Roberts

Terrible news for Fort Worth historic preservation:  the Ridglea Theater, one of only a handful of remaining single-screen movie theaters in Fort Worth, and its adjacent office building would be nearly entirely demolished under a plan from Bank of America, who want to demolish everything but the facade of the theater and build a new bank branch on the site behind the facade.

It’s yet another black mark on Fort Worth’s track record of historic preservation, which (despite what City Hall would have you believe) is incredibly poor.  The Ridglea has no protection of any kind, not even Demolition Delay.  Historic Fort Worth added the Ridglea, along with the other remaining single-screen theaters, to their Most Endangered list this year.

The Ridglea has for years served as a live music venue, and still does, playing host especially to Fort Worth’s metal scene.  That track record of active use makes the comments from the Ridglea’s district’s council member, “Zim” Zimmerman, even more puzzling.  Zimmerman is quoted in the above DFW.com article as saying:

“The interior is [in] very poor shape, probably not worth the cost of rehab.”

What’s puzzling is that not only has the Ridglea been in active use for years (and is in fact still in active use), but having been inside it ourselves in the not too distant past, it hardly looked anywhere near as bad as indicated above.  We’ve seen theaters in far, far worse condition be restored and go on to live healthy lives.  Seems a very odd statement to make considering the Ridglea is in better shape than a lot of historic buildings that have been successfully rehabbed in Fort Worth and it’s still being used.

What’s doubly unnerving about the proposal at the Ridglea is that just down the road a short distance is an example of a bank that went into a historic single-screen theater and actually kept it intact – the Frost Bank that occupies the former Bowie Theater:

Photo by John T. Roberts

Seems to us that Bank of America is not such a one-of-a-kind flower that they couldn’t pull off something similar at the Ridglea, saving the building for other future uses.

Single-screen theaters in Fort Worth are an extremely endangered breed.  There’s the old Bowie (now the Frost Bank), the vacant Berry, the Ridglea, the New Isis, and only a tiny handful of others in various states of decay.  While Fort Worth likes to think of itself as being different from Dallas, in terms of preservation we’re right there next to our neighbors to the east.  This city does not take historic preservation seriously.  We’d hope that the city council would take this new threat to one of our few single-screen theaters as a wake-up call to stand up for preserving more of our built heritage – but how likely is that?

We hope a lot of you out there would contact the city council and express your disappointment in the sorry state of historic preservation in this city and this latest failure to save one of our rare single-screen theaters.

UPDATE: The management of the Ridglea (not the owner – the folks who run the music venue) have released the following statement on their web site, and are urging people to write to the City Council (especially District 3 representative Zim Zimmerman) and the Zoning Commission to express their displeasure with the proposal to demolish everything but the Ridglea’s facade for a bank branch:

As you may have heard, the previous owner of the Ridglea Theater complex lost the building to FixFunding, LLC, a funding company based in Dallas. The complex has been up for sale and may have already been sold to a bank. Richard has shown the Ridglea to their “team” of architects more than once.

However, the City of Fort Worth has requested that IF FOLKS DO NOT LIKE THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE, THEY SHOULD LET CITY COUNCILMAN W.B. “ZIM” ZIMMERMAN AND THE FORT WORTH CITY COUNCIL KNOW IMMEDIATELY!

Richard and I would love to get this stopped – not because of what we do here (after all, we need to retire sometime) but simply because this is the last of the grand old buildings in Fort Worth. It would be a shame to lose part of the heritage of Fort Worth, and it should be preserved! The paintings are original! The mosaic floor could never be replaced, and the structure itself inside is beautiful. Of course the present owners are probably not interested in the history, and I can see their point – they are in the business of making money.

This is going to hit the newspapers immediately, and we would like to let our loyal supporters know what is going on! It’s HORRID!!!! Our lease runs into early next spring, so we hope we can stay at least that long.

Meanwhile, it’s BUSINESS AS USUAL! Ridglea Theater needs the local support now more than ever. Please contact the Fort Worth City Council, and let them know how much you want the Ridglea Theater to stay!

If you would like to help support the preservation of Ridglea Theater, please use the contact information below to make your voice heard.

City Councilman W.B. Zimmerman
District 3 Office
1000 Throckmorton St.
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Telephone: 817-392-8803
Fax: 817-392-6187
E-mail:District3@fortworthgov.org

Jun 18, 2010 4

New Book Looks at Fairmount Through Historic Photos

By: Kevin Buchanan

A new book, out now from Arcadia Publishing, promises to be a fascinating look at the history of the Near Southside’s Fairmount neighborhood.  Fort Worth’s Fairmount District, part of Arcadia’s “Images of America” series, uses incredible archival photographs and the research & writing of its author, Michael S. McDermott, to tell the story of the architecturally significant Fairmount neighborhood.

Fort Worth is called the city “Where the West Begins,” and 100 years ago, the neighborhood known as Fairmount was where the south side ended. Now considered inner city, the Fairmount Southside Historic District is actually numerous smaller subdivisions including the largest, the Fairmount addition, and the smallest, the dubiously named Swastika Place. The neighborhoods were home to early merchants, lawyers, judges, artists, and small-business owners-many of whom went on to local and national fame. Today that legacy continues. Fairmount welcomes new generations of urban pioneers and benefits from a neighborhood renaissance that has brought this historically and architecturally significant gem of the city back from the brink of extinction.

Michael is a 44-year resident of Fort Worth, and has lived in Fairmount for 25 of those years.  A founder of the Fairmount Southside National Historic District in 1990, a former neighborhood historic preservation director, and restorer of his own 102-year-old home, Michael has dug deep into the rich history of Fairmount to create a work that will truly be engrossing to anybody who loves Fort Worth history and looking at the connections from our past to our present.  An absolute ton of research went into Fort Worth’s Fairmount District, from dates to identifying everything in the beautiful historic photos.  From some of the photo’s we’ve seen from the book, this is something not to be missed by Fort Worth history buffs, architecture lovers, Near Southside enthusiasts, and fans of revitalizing our central city neighborhoods.

Fort Worth’s Fairmount District by Michael S. McDermott is available now – online from Arcadia Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders, and is also available in local Fort Worth brick & mortar bookstores like Barnes & Noble.

Jun 16, 2010 6

Dunn-Haven Building Restoration Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

The lovely old Dunn-Haven Apartments building at Adams & Magnolia in the Near Southside is well on its way to a new life.  The building is being extensively restored and redeveloped into the headquarters of a marketing company relocating from Arlington.  The building’s getting a complete makeover, from new windows and exterior restoration work to a new interior, new elevator (being built inside the building rather than as an addition due to the difficulty of matching the unique brick color), and more.

The Dunn-Haven building is one of the older structures in the area, having been built in 1914. It shows elements of various styles, including the Prairie School. It is of a configuration not common in this area, with its three stories and full porches at each level. A similar structure can be found in the nearby Fairmount neighborhood south of Magnolia, the currently also-vacant Bomar Apartments at 1507 Alston, built in 1907.

While we’re disappointed that the Dunn-Haven building will no longer have a residential use (Magnolia desperately needs a lot more residential units than it has now to help add to street activity and multiple uses), we are pleased that it’s going to be serving a creative company instead of YAMO – Yet Another Medical Office.  It’s our understanding that the restoration is going to be extensive and first-rate, complete with new sustainable features included in the project, so it’s going to be good to see one of Magnolia’s prettiest buildings brought back to life.  Click the photos for a larger view.

Apr 20, 2010 8

Citizen Theater Coming To South Main

By: Kevin Buchanan

Fort Worthians who have been pining for an indie art house movie theater for urban Fort Worth have cause to celebrate, for it is now official: the city’s first such theater, the Citizen, is headed to the Near Southside. Owners Amy McNutt and James Johnston (of Spiral Diner and local indie film scene fame) have got a big, very cool announcement for us.

The Citizen has posted on their blog that they finally have their building. The theater will be located at 701 South Main, not far from the former Motheral Printing site where a major mixed-use development is being planned (and also just around the corner from the Rahr brewery – and not far down the road from the other end of South Main Village with the Sawyer apartments, Miller Lofts, and Landers Machine Shop Gallery). The building (seen in its current state in the photo below), according to our info, dates from around 1939 and has been vacant for some time. Given some of the things we’ve heard discussed about the Citizen, we are really looking forward to seeing the building progress.

The Citizen will be a twin-screen theater showing new art house and classic repertory films. Naturally, it’ll come equipped with a vegan snack bar.

For more info on the Citizen (we know they’re interested in investors), check their web site at thecitizentheater.com

Apr 6, 2010 Comments Off

Local Business For The Streetcar

By: Kevin Buchanan

Our friends at Trinity Bicycles, the new bike shop in South Main Village in the Near Southside, have written their own letter of support for the modern streetcar project and have posted it on their site.  Here it is:

As you all know, one of our biggest missions here at Trinity Bicycles is increasing the viable transportation options for our neighbors here in Fort Worth. Obviously, we think bikes should play a big role in Fort Worth’s transportation future.

We’re not solely pro-bike, though. We’ve been around long enough to know that all alternative (read: non-car) transportation options tend to fare better when they are interconnected, plentiful, and even somewhat redundant.

That’s why we want to ask everyone who believes that our city needs more and varied transportation alternatives to show up at tomorrow’s (ed. – That would be tonight’s meeting now) Fort Worth City Council meeting at 7 p.m. to show your support for the City’s modern streetcar plan.

The vote to hire transportation super-planners HDR (they worked on Portland’s system) was supposed to happen 2 weeks ago, but it was postponed until tomorrow evening, and there was some rumbling that the political winds may have been shifting and the plan might not get funded.

Word today is that the vote is likely to be successful after all, but it is not something we as citizens should leave to chance. We need to make it clear to our elected officials that their constituents want real choices on how they move about their city. Please come help us fill the council chambers with streetcar supporters, and thereby help the Mayor and City Council feel good about their decision to vote to fund the planning phase of the streetcar project. And of course, having a crowd visibly supportive of a Streetcar system might come in handy just in case any votes are wavering tomorrow night.

We know it must seem scary for a city council member to vote to spend a large amount of money on a project that will take years to come to fruition. But the truth is, as a city, we just can’t afford not to take this step. We are being left behind every day we do not move forward with bringing our transportation system into the 21st century.

How many young, creative, active people do you know who have moved to a “cooler” city (Austin and Portland come to mind) to pursue careers? I know too many, all of whom said they “loved Fort Worth, but….”

Even our neighbors to the East in Dallas have seen how transit options can revitalize neighborhoods. Just look at what’s happening in Oak Cliff, Knox Henderson, or just about anywhere along the light rail lines they have built.

And right here in Fort Worth, I can tell you from personal experience, just the very promise of a Streetcar system has improved the economy. Trinity Bicycles chose to relocate from Irving, TX, to its location at 207 S. Main in part because it was on a proposed streetcar line. Now the final space in a long-empty historic building is filled, and not just with any business– a retail business that will be putting sales tax into the City coffers.

If we chose a location based on a system that hasn’t even been started yet, imagine how many more businesses will move into town if the system actually gets built…

Mar 22, 2010 14

Daiches Building To Be Saved, Restored

By: Kevin Buchanan


(Photo by John Roberts, fortwortharchitecture.com)

Fantastic news for Fort Worth historic preservation!  What is commonly called the “Daiches Building” sits at Houston & Weatherford in Downtown, right across the street from the Tarrant County Courthouse.  So-called for the jewelry store that has inhabited its ground floor for the last 81 years, the building was built in 1910 and is basically the only original “courthouse square” structure still standing in even somewhat original condition.  It was given a ground-floor modernizing in 1955 (when the blue mosaic tile was added), but otherwise looks totally original, if rather shabby.

With Joe Daiches relocating, there were many fears among Fort Worth preservationists and urbanists that the little building would be plowed into the ground for a parking lot, has happened to two neighboring buildings not many years ago.  We are very happy to report, though, that the building will live on.  We were contacted today by commercial real estate broker David Tuttle, who is announcing that he and investor Darwin German have acquired the building and  are restoring it to its original condition for adaptive re-use.

The building’s 1955 ground floor remodeling will be removed, and the entire original appearance restored.  Upstairs, the 2nd and 3rd floor were a hotel until the 1970s and have been vacant since.  Describing the 2nd and 3rd floor as being “like a time capsule,” the original suites still include tons of original details, including original doors, transom windows, hardware, wood floors, chair rails, molding and tin ceiling tiles.

The plan is to restore the 2nd and 3rd floors and lease the suites as office space with all the modern amenities.  It is intended that the ground floor be leased as retail space – ideally, the owners want to see a coffee shop or sandwich place go in.

This is a great victory for Fort Worth historic preservation, and it’s also a great victory to keep this building active and engaged with its surroundings instead of becoming another blank parking lot.  We are looking forward to seeing the building’s restoration progress and hope to bring you photos as it goes.

Mar 18, 2010 Comments Off

Fairmount Home Tour on Twitter

By: Kevin Buchanan

More local neighborhoods taking advantage of social media – we’ve noticed that the Fairmount Home Tour now has its own Twitter feed for updates and news.  If you’re a local Twitter-er, follow them to keep up-to-date on news about the upcoming Home Tour.

Mar 8, 2010 5

Historic Electric Building Getting Much-Deserved TLC

By: Kevin Buchanan

These photos come to us from Atlas Properties, the new local owner/manager of the Historic Electric Building in Downtown next to Burnett Park.  The historic 1931 skyscraper has been apartments for quite a while, but under its previous out-of-state owner the building had fallen into rather poor condition.

Since acquiring the building, Atlas has launched into an ongoing renovation and improvement project.  Thus far, they’ve moved the leasing office to the ground floor, remodeled the common areas like hallways and elevator lobbies, and have remodeled the main lobby as well.  Later this week, a new cooling tower is being installed.

These photos show the improvement in the interior condition of the building.  We’ve always thought that the Electric Building was a gorgeous piece of architecture (and a valuable piece of the Downtown residential picture by virtue of its being notably more affordable than other apartment buildings Downtown) that was in need of better keepers to give it some attention, and it’s looking like that’s finally happened.

For more information, check out the Electric Building’s web site.

Mar 1, 2010 6

New Near Southside Police Station

By: Kevin Buchanan

The redevelopment of the building on Hemphill just off the corner of Magnolia & Hemphill that will be home to the Near Southside’s new police station is well underway.  The police station, currently in the ground floor of the building at College & Magnolia that houses Mamma Mia, The Salon Upstairs, Urban Green Build, and other tenants, is relocating to this larger facility and is bringing the gang unit (who had to move out of their old home on University after Botanical Research Institute took it over) with them.

Most people are probably familiar with the building as it has sat for many years – an ugly, blank concrete box with a handful of tiny windows.  It has long been an eyesore in the Near Southside, especially right off the ongoing revitalization success of Magnolia Avenue.  This development will finally do something about all that ugly – the project is completely revamping the exterior of the building to be compatible with the Near Southside’s urban design standards.  Already, many new windows have been punched in the formerly blank concrete walls.  As the project continues, the building will gain an all-new facade divided up into three bays, making its appearance more compatible with the classic urban buildings of Magnolia.

What isn’t as obvious is the lengthy, oddball history of this building.  From the street, the building is a dreary 1970s box, which is the result of additions and remodeling done in the ’70s to an existing building on the site.  You see, buried within all that ugly concrete is a building from around 1903.

The original building inside, one of the traditional urban structures which used to line the major streets of the Near Southside before demolitions and parking lots took over, was originally a Texas National Guard Armory and post office.  In the ’70s, Hemphill was widened from its older, narrower, more human-scaled form, and the old Armory had its street facade removed to accommodate the widening.  At that time, additions were made and everything was unified behind the blank concrete facade that’s been there ever since.

Hints of the building’s past are visible, however – most notably in the alley.  If you go around back and look at that side (the east side), you’ll see the concrete facade on each end, but in the center you can still see the original alley facade of the Armory, complete with arched windows and more.

This project will result in a major eyesore being transformed into a much more attractive and urban-compatible form, as well as the consolidation and expansion of the FWPD station and gang unit.  We’re looking forward to seeing how the building looks as the renovations progress.

Feb 19, 2010 Comments Off

Fairmount Home Tour Coming May 8 & 9

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Fairmount neighborhood in the Near Southside is gearing up for its annual home tour, coming up on Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9.

The Fairmount Tour of Homes highlights the beautiful homes that we have in our historic neighborhood. Each year, six to ten homes are selected for the tour and hundreds and hundreds of people tour these homes to appreciate the architecture and take a step back in time.

Proceeds from the tour are the primary source of funding for Neighborhood Association endeavors. Recently, the association used profits from past Home Tours to help offset the cost of capital improvement projects such as installing period-style streetlights, replacing signs marking the boundaries of the Historic District, and enhancing area landscaping.

Over at Fairmount’s site, there’s links to purchase advance tickets online, as well as info about where tickets can be purchased in person.  Advance tickets are $10, while tickets the day of the event are $15.  An order form for this year’s Home Tour t-shirt can also be downloaded.  In addition, the Home Tour committee is clearing out some stock of previous years’ shirts:

If you are interested in purchasing 2007 (white with silver design), 2008 (maroon shirt), 2009 (yellow shirt) Home Tour shirts, we have some available. Shirts are $5 and Fairmount hats are available for $3. Limited sizes are available. Please contact the Home Tour Directors if you would like to purchase any of these items.

Contact info for the Home Tour directors is available on the Fairmount site.

Feb 8, 2010 10

Massad House Moved

By: Kevin Buchanan

The Massad House, a large home-turned-office-space that had lived on W. 7th Street for years, has been relocated to its new home on Montgomery Street near the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.  The home was moved this past Saturday, transported in one piece.  These photos of the move come to us courtesy of Phillip Poole of local development firm TownSite Company.

The move of the Massad House clears a major obstacle in the path of the next phases of the Museum Place mixed-use development.  With the historic home now out of the way, the only buildings left standing on the site of what will be a new mixed-use building featuring apartments over ground-floor retail are the former JJ’s Hideaway and Norma Baker Antiques buildings (the old Post Office, floral shop, and strip mall previously located on the site have of course already been demolished).  Two more sites for Museum Place development adjacent to this site are already cleared.

Jan 7, 2010 4

Museum Place Update – Massad House to be Moved

By: Kevin Buchanan

Massad House prepared to be moved out of the way of the Museum Place development.

Things have been slow in the world of Museum Place in the Cultural District, but we are finally about to see some progress on the next phase of the large mixed-use development.  One of the obstacles to construction of that next phase has been the Massad House, a large Victorian home (now office space) that occupied a lot across the street from what was once Four Star Coffee.

Word was that the house would be moved to Montgomery Street, but news has been hard to come by for a while now.  Positive development at last, though: the house is now raised up in preparation for its move.  The move will be handled by H.D. Snow and Sons House Moving.

The move of the Massad House means only a couple of smaller-scale demolitions are in the way of the next phase of Museum Place, including the former JJ’s Hideaway building.  Once the Massad House is out of the way, we may see the Hideaway come down and work begin on the next part of the development.  The upcoming phases of Museum Place will include apartments over retail spaces in mixed-use buildings.  Two new tenants, Café San Miguel and Social House, have been announced for the upcoming buildings and will be located on ground-floor retail spaces on 7th Street, centered around the planned central plaza space of the development.

Jan 5, 2010 6

Cowtown Diner Opening on the 11th

By: Kevin Buchanan

Old Plaza Hotel Building - Cowtown Diner (former La Madeleine space)

According to an ad in this issue of the Sundance Square Insider (PDF link), Cowtown Diner will be opening in the former La Madeleine space at 305 Main on the 11th.  (Insert rant about the over-reliance on the “Cowtown” thing here.)  Cowtown Diner will feature a gourmet deli/take out market serving salads, sandwiches, prepared entrees and casseroles as well as full service, off-site catering and a home delivery family meal program.

Jan 4, 2010 Comments Off

714 Main Restoration Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

During the holidays, XTO Energy’s restoration of 714 Main made great progress, and the nearly-finished facade is exposed along Main Street.  The re-created lower levels of the building feature tall arched windows, warrior heads atop the arches, logos for the building’s original owner (Farmers & Mechanics Bank), and a re-creation of the original grand entrance in the center of the Main Street facade.  The 7th Street facade appears to be just a short distance behind the Main Street facade.

It remains to be seen how XTO’s recent acquisition by Exxon will affect its ability to buy and restore historic Fort Worth buildings.  For now, let us enjoy the work XTO’s done to 714 Main, built in 1921.  The building was the tallest in the city until the construction of the now-demolished Landmark Tower in 1957, and for a time after its opening it was also the tallest building in Texas.

Dec 15, 2009 4

714 Main Restoration Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

XTO Energy’s restoration of 714 Main continues at a steady pace. As we previously noted, the building’s original main entrance has been recreated in the center of the Main Street facade, and now the warrior heads atop the window arches are uncovered as well. A closer look reveals more new, interesting detail.

XTO’s started installing these “F&M” logos atop the first floor windows. These are a recreation of the logos that originally adorned the building – the “F&M” stands for “Farmers & Mechanics Bank,” who built the building in 1921. Thanks to the restoration, another long-gone piece of Downtown Fort Worth history returns to the streetscape.

Click the images for a larger view.

Dec 14, 2009 3

Zio Carlo Brew Pub Progress

By: Kevin Buchanan

News of a project we had once thought had been abandoned – the former Gunn’s Cleaners building at College & Magnolia in the Near Southside is indeed still being converted to an Italian brew pub named Zio Carlo. Extensive work has been going on at the building, which dates to 1916 and has been many things over the years, including a garage and of course a dry cleaner.

In these photos, you can see the work going on on the building’s west side. There will be outdoor seating here, and some of this work has to do with that. Other work is dealing with ADA-compliant access to the building.

We don’t have an ETA just yet, but it’s just wonderful to see the project continuing after its run-in with trouble earlier in the year. Zio Carlo plans to serve up beers brewed on-site and a selection of authentic Italian food to go with them. Click on the photos for a larger view.

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Browse the Fort Worthology Linklog - interesting and cool urbanism, transit, and bicycle links that aren't necessarily Fort Worth-centric.

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