Historic Fort Worth released The Fort Worth Most Endangered Places list yesterday, and it’s a doozy.
One of the real gut punches is the Allen Chapel at 116 Elm Street. It was designed by William Sidney Pittman and built in 1915. He is the same gentleman that designed the Knights of Pythias Temple in Dallas, which was thankfully rescued and is now the Klimpton Pittman Hotel.
Pittman was the first black architect in Texas and married Portia Washington, the daughter of Booker T. Washington. This chapel is particularly significant because it was designated as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1983 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. These designations, unfortunately, do not protect a building from demolition.
I know. It’s crazy.
Only five of Pittman’s structures were still standing in 2020. All the rest, including the 1913 Carnegie Library of Houston, have been demolished. It seems when a structure has deferred maintenance, which is common in historic buildings, people quickly dismiss these important pieces of our history. Of course, intelligent investors benefit from any structure that already has state and national landmark status. Any approved restoration project should qualify for the Texas Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program. That’s 25 cents on every dollar spent on restoration expenses, including architectural and engineering fees.
When you consider the importance of Pittman’s work both historically and culturally, this is something that should fill us all with not only despair but also anger. We must do better. The Fort Worth Most Endangered Places list is an opportunity for everyone. We can spread the word and we can look to the wins.
Look to The Wins
Those Texas wins include The Kimpton Pittman Hotel in Dallas, or pretty much anything Todd Interests touches. Look at The National at 1401 Elm Street in Dallas. Originally known as The First National Bank Tower and Elm Place, it was built in 1965. It was Texas’s biggest historic preservation project, costing over $450 million. It’s a significant success story and the best example of what savvy investors can do with historic buildings. It just takes vision and creativity.
The Fort Worth Most Endangered Places list brought attention to the 1950 Ridglea Theater. Demolition was halted, and a new owner restored this much-loved iconic building to its original splendor. It’s hard to believe the Fort Worth stockyards were ever in danger, but they were. Historic Fort Worth funded a historic resources survey that turned the stockyards into a historic district. Can you imagine Fort Worth without the historic stockyards?
The Fort Worth Most Endangered Places 2023 List
- Boulevard Heights Transition Center
- All historic buildings for sale by the Fort Worth ISD
- The Farrington Field and Jack A. Billingsley Field House – 1953
- The W. I Cook Memorial Hospital- 1929
- The Fort Worth Community Arts Center and Scott Theater – 1966
- The 1 Holly Water Pump Station- 1892
- The Peninsula Club Circle, a Lake Worth CCC Marker
- Pioneers Rest Cemetery 1850
- St Ignatius Academy, 1988-1989
- The Waddy Russell Ross home built in 1917
- The Women’s Club of Fort Worth 1903-1911
- Westcliff and other neighborhoods 50 years or older
