159 1000 Throckmorton Street [NR/Gov(NR)], City Hall/Public Safety and Courts Building, 1938. Designed by architect Wyatt C. Hedrick and the Elmer G. Withers Architectural Co., this building replaced a nineteenth century Victorian structure on the same site. The project was funded by the Public Works Administration and a city. bond program. Constructed of white Cordova limestone with a central stylized entrance portico of black granite, the Classical Moderne building has decorative aluminum grilles that Cowtown Moderne author, Judith Singer Cohen, calls the “best representation of the 1930s machine aesthetic in Fort Worth.” Financial constraints meant that some of the elements originally intended for the building’s interior, such as decorative lobby murals designed by architect Herman Paul Koeppe and ornamental aluminum panels were not carried out. Nonetheless, the structure is a handsome example of Moderne design. The building housed city council chambers, city offices, and several municipal departments, including the police and jail, through the 1960s. When a new City Hall was constructed in 1978, this building was renamed the Public Safety and Courts Building. It currently houses the municipal courts, the Department of Housing and Human Services, and Fire Department administrative offices. The old Fort Worth City Hall is potentially eligible for the National Register for its architectural qualities and is a contributor to the proposed Downtown Governmental Buildings National Register Thematic Group.
