306 W. Seventh Street [NR/Sky (NR)/CFO(NR)], Fort Worth Club Building, 1925-26; 1953-54. On March 1, 1926, the Fort Worth Club moved from its old home on W. Sixth Street (CBD 25) to this new building which the Fort Worth Star-Telegram called “one of the most graceful on the skyline of Fort Worth.” The local architectural firm of Sanguinet, Staats, & Hedrick is credited with the 1924 plans for the building, but Wyatt C. Hedrick, a junior partner in the firm who would take over its operation in 1925, is thought to have been the building’s principal designer. Hedrick, who primarily worked as an engineer, may or may not have been responsible for the structure’s Spanish Renaissance Revival styling. Bellows-Clay Construction Co. erected the reinforced concrete building which faced with granite on the lower floors and with buff colored brick above. Fakes & Co. furniture store originally occupied the first five stories of the building and the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway leased the north wing and the central section of floors seven through ten. These tenants helped the club manage the cost of the building, leaving the upper floors for its own activities. Through the years, the club has had a significant role in Fort Worth business and society, and many community leaders have been members. In 1946, R.E. Cox & CO., a department store, moved into the space that had been vacated by Fakes when it moved to a new location or Houston St. (CBD 85). Cox’s operated here until about 1955.
The massive thirtine-story building is distinguished by rich carved granite detailing and a three-part vertical composition. Anchored by a two-story rectangular base (now remodeled) which is topped by a four-story granite clad transitional section, the building is U-shaped above the sixth floor with arched windows on the inside court. Fort Worth architect Joseph R. Pelich was responsible for a remodeling project in 1953-54. The interior of the club has been remodeled through the years, but some original decorative elements still remain. A fourteen-story tower to the west of the original club building was erected in 1975 on the site of the old Worth Theatre and the Worth Hotel. It is not part of this survey listing. For its architectural distinction, its design by a major local architect, and its central place in Fort Worth society, the Fort Worth Club Building appears to be individually eligible for the National Register. It is also a contributor to the proposed Downtown Skyscrapers National Register Thematic Group and the proposed Central Business District Clubs and Fraternal Organizations National Register Thematic Group.