Fort Worth Public Market Building – Henderson

Oklahoma City developer John J. Harden had this hall built in 1930 to provide market space for local farmers, vendors and retail businesses. Designed by B. Gaylord Noftsger, also of Oklahoma City, it is an eclectic design which playfully incorporates traditional and modern elements. In composition, a masonry block, nearly square in plan, with towers at the three corners of the two principal façades. High arched windows are set in the walls. The parapet is trimmed in polychrome tile. The stepped entrance tower is remarkable, featuring an ornate recessed entrance tower trimmed with polychrome terra cotta and tall vertical window panels with stained glass set in abstract patterns. The interior space was originally one open story, skylit, with mezzanines along the east and south walls, but has been altered. An L-shaped stall building, with similar but simpler materials and detailing, wraps around the main market building on the south and west. The market was plagued with economic difficulties during the Depression and closed in 1941. It has since housed a number of businesses, presently serving as the warehouse and offices of a plastics company. The building was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1980, and has been listed on the National Register. The Public Market Building was designated Demolition Delay in 1995. Photos by Joseph Haubert

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