March 13, 2007

Fort Worth - downtown


Fort Worth, Texas, Tarrant County Seat, North Central Texas I-20, I30, I-35W, Hwys.377, 81, 287, 30 miles from Dallas, 259 miles from Crazy Town (Houston), 187 miles from Austin, 262 miles from San Antonio, 625 miles from El Paso, is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas and the 19th-largest in the United States.
tarrant county courthouse at the end of main stret
Tarrant County Courthouse (1895; restored - 1983), looking N down Main St.

"Fort Worth was founded as a military camp in 1849, named after General William Jenkins Worth. Today, the city is portrayed as more old-fashioned and laid-back than its neighbor, Dallas. Known as 'Cowtown' for its roots as a cattle drive terminus, Fort Worth bills itself as 'Where the West begins' and still celebrates its colorful Western and Southern heritage. Also known as 'Panther City' due to a legend of a panther sleeping in the streets in 1875." (from Wikipedia)

sinclair building top at night
Sinclair Building (1930; restored - 1990) at night

picchi pacchi italian restaurant sign
Picchi Pacchi Italian Restaurant sign

sinclair buildingn entrance at night

sinclair building entrance
A good example of the Zigzag Moderne styling and ziggurat elements on the Sinclair Building.
main street sidewalk
Approaching Sundance Square via Main Street

95.9 The Ranch


Red Goose Shoe Store (c.1903)



AMC Sundance 11

Chop House

Retro Cowboy

City Streets Fort Worth

Bass Performance Hall (1998)


AMC Palace 9


Ashton Hotel (1915)

Flat Iron Building (1907)

Hilton Fort Worth (1921; ballroom addition - 1961; annex - 1968; restored - 1981) - The hotel was originally known as the Hotel Texas and is not only architecturally significant, but also historically significant. President John F. Kennedy spent his last night in Room 805.

Picture in elevator lobby area

View of Convention Center and Flatiron Building from Hilton Fort Worth

Fort Worth Convention Center

Hogan Office Supply Co.

Peter Bros. Hats (since 1911) neon sign with Flatiron Building in background

Flatiron Building, early morning

Houston Street

Peter Bros. Hats

Hilton Fort Worth in early morning light

You must check out their website, at least for the history:

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

"President Kennedy acknowledges applause at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast 40 years ago today after receiving a Shady Oak Western hat as a gift from the city.
On this morning in 1963, Fort Worth gave President John F. Kennedy our hearts and our most treasured gift.

Forty years later, one tiny mystery remains.

What happened to JFK's Western hat?

No souvenir has ever symbolized Fort Worth and Texas like the Shady Oak Western hat, given to nine presidents since 1923 in a tradition begun by Star-Telegram Publisher Amon G. Carter Sr.

We gave Kennedy a Western hat at the morning breakfast at the Hotel Texas, now the Radisson Plaza Fort Worth.

He never wore it.

And it has never been seen again."


Yellow Pages ad in 1946 (from Peter Bros. scrapbook)


Hilton Fort Worth


W.T. Grant Store building (1939), the first floor now houses a bar called The Library, hence the sign
The Art Deco Kress Building, once home to one of the Kress Co. stores

The Sinclair Building (1930)

Chisholm Trail mural

The 95.9 The Ranch neon sign by day


Red Goose Shoe Store neon sign by day

Tarrant County Courthouse


Joe Daiches Jewelers (business opened in 1929)

Fire Station No. 1 (1907; restored - 1982)


City Streets Fort Worth facade during the day

Bass Performance Hall in daylight




Ashton Hotel and Kress Building


The Fort Worth Convention Center has landed.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1920; additions 1940, 1948, & 1970)


Man with Briefcase

First Christian Church (1913)

the Library (in the W.T. Grant Store building)


Neon advertises a couple of the restaurants down in Sundance Square

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great pictures- I like the night shots.

Chris said...

Thanks, dana.

SamuraiFrog said...

I keep crossing my fingers that Killeen will show up; my sister was born there in 1979, and I haven't seen the place since I was four, I'm curious about what it's like now.

I love these posts.

Chris said...

I have to do it now! Expect a Killeen post in the near future. I'm doing Greenville and Sulphur Springs tomorrow, but Killeen is now on the list!

jase said...

Excellent photos!!! Thanks for the great post!

-Your friends at PCF

Chris said...

Thanks, PCF. I appreciate it! I loved Fort Worth!

0ccam said...

The AMC Sundance 11 that you photographed is (or will be soon) closed. :(

Chris said...

Oh! 'Tis a shame, Occam. I can't say I all that surprised though. There seemed to be a lot of theaters packed in to the downtown area, not the least of which is the AMC Palace.