Community Arts Center

Founded in 1969, Historic Fort Worth, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving Fort Worth’s unique historic identity through stewardship, education, and leadership.  HFW participates in the public process and had representatives attend meetings organized by the City of Fort Worth regarding the future of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.  HFW also obtained public documents issued by the City of Fort Worth regarding the Community Arts Center, including proposals submitted to the City by prospective developers.

The Fort Worth Community Arts Center has a distinguished architectural provenance as a cornerstone of Fort Worth’s Cultural District.  It was constructed in three phases, each designed by a prominent architect:

• Phase 1 was completed in 1954 and was designed by Herbert Bayer, an Austrian-trained graphic designer and architect influenced by the Bauhaus movement. He designed several mid-century modern buildings in Aspen, Colorado, including the Aspen Institute.

• Phase 2 was completed in 1966 when the William E. Scott Theater was added. It was designed by Fort Worth’s Cornell-educated architect, Joseph R. Pelich, with theater design by Harvard-educated Donald Oenslager of New York.

• Phase 3 was completed in 1976 with the addition of gallery space and the expansive porte-cochere, both designed by architect O’Neill Ford. Ford is known as “Texas’ godfather of modern architecture.” 

In 2022, the City of Fort Worth hired a consultant to assess the condition of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.  The consultant determined that the building needs approximately $26 million in repairs and infrastructure upgrades.  With this news, the City Council appointed a Task Force in 2023 to study the building and its current and possible future uses.  The City’s Task Force determined that the site should be redeveloped, and four entities submitted proposals to a five-member review committee.  Two of the potential development groups advanced to the second round: Garfield Public/Private LLC, and Goldenrod Companies. 

HFW invites you to learn more about these two proposals which are found in the links below, together with the City of Fort Worth’s initial Request for Proposals.

The Fort Worth Community Arts Center qualifies for historic designations at the local, state, and national levels, but the building does not have any protective historic designations currently in place.  As a preservation organization focused on a future for Fort Worth’s unique historic buildings, HFW encourages the City and all stakeholders and decision-makers to respect the architectural significance of the Community Arts Center in planning for its future and to not proceed without thoughtful and thorough consideration of its distinguished architectural history.