The seventh annual Preservation is the Art of the City art show and sale will be held at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center from September 11 through 26.  More than 200 works by 49 local artists, who were selected by a jury, will be on exhibit.  While the works will be on sale at prices ranging from $100 to $5,000 and up, there is no charge to attend the exhibit.  Several special events take place in the art show gallery:

This pair of identical stone towers in the 2300 block of Park Place Avenue at Forest Park Blvd. was erected in 1917-18 by the City of Fort Worth to flank the entrance to Forest Park. Designed by Fort Worth architect John Pollard and con­structed by the Bryce Building Co., each is of rubble limestone construction, square in plan, with slightly tapering walls and a red tile hipped roof with wide overhang which extends over ornamental balconies of sandstone. The Forest Park Gates were designated as City of Fort Worth Historic and Cultural Landmarks in 2002.
 
Since their restoration in 1980, largely through the efforts of the Berkeley Place Association, the deteriorating condition of the Forest Park Gates has been a cause for concern and prompted their inclusion on 2008 Historic Fort Worth's Most Endangered List. In the fall of 2007, an inspection of the gates determined that the infrastructure had deteriorated and required replacement. On August 26, 2008, the Fort Worth City Council appropriated $71,000 from gas well royalties to fund the project. The project's cost was revised to $101,000 upon completion of detailed project plans.  Bids were received on May 21, 2009, and are currently under review.  Any additional funding will be allocated from gas well royalties.
 
The schedule for award of contract is August 4, 2009.  Construction is projected to begin in late August and completed in October. 

Historic Fort Worth proved that we are "SOLD! on Historic Neighborhoods" at the second annual event.  On May 23, people who live in / want to live in / buy and sell / restore / maintain historic homes converged on Thistle Hill to celebrate the historic homes and neighborhoods that help give our city its character.  A speaker series was held inside the mansion, and included Historic Districts 101: More Bang for your Housing Buck (Larry Abrigg, Historic Preservation Officer, City of Fort Worth),  Back to the Future: Heirloom Plants and Organic Gardening (Ruth Kinler, Owner, Redenta's Garden), Modern Times: Updating Your Vintage Home for Today (Greg Connally, General Manager, Dorian's Designs) and Sympathetic Additions, Green Renovations and Re-Muddling (Shanon Wasilieski, Historic Preservation Officer, City of San Antonio).  Meanwhile, 10 neighborhoods and a variety of other exhibitors held court in the Marketplace Tent. In one of the day's most popular events, Hull Historical Restoration gave a very real-world demonstration by repairing one of the carriage house's original windows.  And we are happy to report that several dogs from the Humane Society of North Texas found new homes in old neighborhoods!  HFW is grateful for the support of OmniAmerican Bank, Fort Worth South, and Coldwell Banker, and for the delicious barbecue from Coburn's Catering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sixth annual Hidden Gardens Tour of Fort Worth kicked off with the Sunset Tour and Dinner on Friday, June 12. This year's honoree was Kay Rhodes Murphey, descendant of one of Fort Worth's prominent families and Ridglea resident for 34 years. The public tour was held Saturday, June 13th and Sunday, June 14th. This year's destination was the Ridglea area which is characterized by rolling hills, majestic trees, curving streets and picturesque lakes which make this neighborhood both peaceful and a delightful place to live.
 
Six beautiful, truly diversified and very private gardens were showcased for the tour. Garden aficionados strolled through gardens Historic Fort Worth, Inc. titled Gardener's Delight; Sleek Mid-Century; Modern with a Touch of the Orient and Classic Contemporary. Two gardens had lovely lake views, Luther Lake Vista and Bal Lake Respite.
 
The heat factor didn't deter these garden lovers from attending the tour and gathering new ideas for their private garden paradises. A master gardener was in each garden to share their expertise. The wonderful volunteers safely guided guests through the tour. This year's tour was very successful with a fifty percent increase in attendance! 

 

Historic Fort Worth is thrilled to announce a temporary addition to our staff. Amanda Quillen is a Senior Design Major at Texas Christian University and is spending her summer interning at Thistle Hill doing cataloguing as well as completing an inventory of hand-drawn architectural drawings in the collection of Historic Fort Worth, Inc. in the Preservation Resource Center at McFarland House. 
 

Amanda just returned from a semester abroad in Florence, Italy; where she studied Art History and the History of Design and Architecture. She loves historic buildings and has aspirations to continue her education and receive a Masters in Architecture, with a Historic Preservation Certificate. Amanda is spending this summer learning as much as possible to prepare for her senior year at TCU. She is pleased to be a member of our team and has stated, "The people at Historic Fort Worth have all been so welcoming; they make me excited about my future career because I see how much they care about these buildings."
 

Amanda will be working a couple of days a week through the middle of August, when she will return to life as a full time student at TCU. If you see a new face in the buildings, please stop and say "Hello"!  

On June 18, a group of 50 enjoyed a rare opportunity to tour the 1934 art moderne Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse.  Steven Kline AIA, a preservation architect with the General Services Administration and Board Member of Historic Fort Worth, discussed the beautiful building and its many original features, including a spectacular staircase and two beautiful courtrooms embellished with leather, terrazzo, bronze, plaster, exotic woods and marbles.  Guest speaker Mark Thistlethwaite PhD, Kay and Velma Kimbell Chair of Art History at TCU, discussed three murals with Texas Rangers themes by Frank Albert Mechau.  At the nearby Fritz G. Lanham Federal Building, Dr. Thistlethwaite spoke about a huge, vivid, newly restored lobby mural created in 1966 by Seymour Fogel, whose work is achieving long-delayed recognition.  With the rising appreciation for modernism, the lobby's original floating metal ceiling may someday be restored.  In caring for these and other federal buildings, every effort has been made to incorporate modern technology gracefully.  According to Mr. Kline, the GSA's philosophy is to expect that the historic structures will acquire a few wrinkles with time, and to care for them without any attempt to transform them with extensive "plastic surgery."  

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