38 replies to this topic

[cberen1]

There are so many buildings that go through a period of being out of favor before being appreciated again. What building do you think no one cares about or thinks about that has a really good chance of being important again in the future. I'm really thinging primarily of commercial buildings. So, I wouldn't include historic homes targeted for demolition.

Prior to its recent demolition, I might have said the Classifieds building.

[Stadtplan]

-Kress
-TXU Power Plant

[David Love]

The closest fire department / station.

[tjh1]

My vote goes to the U.S. Post Office on Lancaster.

[Stadtplan]

My vote goes to the U.S. Post Office on Lancaster.

I second that!

[Volare]

My vote goes to the U.S. Post Office on Lancaster.

I second that!

I have some photos from back in the 80's right after they power washed that entire building. It was gleaming white and looked fabulous. Too bad I-30 was still in the way so there are no great frontal views. By my guess that was the last time the building was cleaned, and it has really deteriorated since then. I should say, I don't know for sure if they used water or some kind of media like sand, but it took them several weeks/months to complete the project. I will try to remember to post those photos in a few days when I'm back in the Fort.

[Brian Luenser]

Three under-appreciated building come to mind.

1.The Commerce Building. (Also goes by the Fair Building) Would have to give this building first place due to its size and history.

2. The family Law Building on Weatherford Street. (I would have designed it a bit less ornate, but love it.) The spent too much of my money on this one for sure.

3. And finally, the new Trinity Plaza building on the West end of Downtown. (Worth growing old for)

Two shots taken this afternoon

[Cowtown Mike]

For some reason I thought Trinty Plaza had more floors. Any idea when it was built? I know if has been there a long time.

[Brian Luenser]

For some reason I thought Trinity Plaza had more floors. Any idea when it was built? I know if has been there a long time.

Funny. I am just realizing that one of my pics has the bottom several floors cut off. As everybody wanted to live on the upper floors they started with floor 8.
Really, there is a bit of a hill between that building and 7th Street.

Mike, on another thread I talked about the condo building I am interested in in Dallas is missing its 13th floor. Then a quick check tells me that MOST skyscrapers are missing the 13th floor. Borderline fraud to me. I don't care anything about Triskaidekaphobia. Like I said, would you really want to live or work on the 20th floor if you were pretty sure there would be a disaster on floor 13? And how about the #13 Devils or Witches or whatever? Are we sure that they are not going to start a terrible fire on the 14th floor of a building that does not label the 13th floor? Every 20 story building has a 13th floor labeled or not. If we really feared what could happen on the 13th floor we should only build 12 story buildings. Real silliness, but I read like 70% of all skyscraper has no labeled 13th floor. I wonder about Fort Worth. The Tower for sure has a 13 floor. (I am writing this from the real 34th floor, not the 33rd)

[Cowtown Mike]

There are more important things in life to be concerned about than the 13 floor for sure. Thanks for the follow up.

[Birdland in Handley]

The used-to-be vitriolite facade of what used-to-be Barber's Books, downtown. Was SO 20's looking .

[Willy1]

...right now I'm thinking it's the Ridglea Theater!

[bfg9000d]

While maybe not popular before. I think the Cash America International Building. Went through a big change from how it looked before. Before the building look tired. It went from dated looking to now having a significantly more modern look to it. Besides the Bank One Building transformation. I think the Cash America was one of the better transformations after the tornado
and remain as one of the most under-appreciated buildings. I wish the Mallick tower would have gotten the same treatment.

[Brian Luenser]

While maybe not popular before. I think the Cash America International Building. Went through a big change from how it looked before. Before the building look tired. It went from dated looking to now having a significantly more modern look to it. Besides the Bank One Building transformation. I think the Cash America was one of the better transformations after the tornado
and remain as one of the most under-appreciated buildings. I wish the Mallick tower would have gotten the same treatment.

I am changing my vote to yours. I agree completely. A building that was always pretty icky, was made fantastic post tornado. Really fresh, modern and clean.

I took this picture on July 5th. (Independence day Holiday) Photoshopped out a few wires in my way. Also agree that Mallick Tower needed the full post tornado kit that some other's received.

[JOCOguy]

To me, the must under-appreciated building would be the Commercial Standard Building at 6421 Camp Bowie in Ridglea. I remember when I was young, it was one of the most impressive buildings on the westside. The last several years I have been back home it seems as if the trees around it have almost totally obstructed the view (this may have changed since I was last in FW) I remember the N>S wing had a large sloped structure on the ground floor with several types of cactus growing was also a decroative brick tower. The main wing (E>W) had at least two floors of windows covered with what looked like metallic vertical slats. If it is still the same, it was one of the most excellent examples of 1950's architecture left in FW. I think Conesco was the last occupant.

[Stadtplan]

To me, the must under-appreciated building would be the Commercial Standard Building at 6421 Camp Bowie in Ridglea. I remember when I was young, it was one of the most impressive buildings on the westside. The last several years I have been back home it seems as if the trees around it have almost totally obstructed the view (this may have changed since I was last in FW) I remember the N>S wing had a large sloped structure on the ground floor with several types of cactus growing was also a decroative brick tower. The main wing (E>W) had at least two floors of windows covered with what looked like metallic vertical slats. If it is still the same, it was one of the most excellent examples of 1950's architecture left in FW. I think Conesco was the last occupant.

I love this building too! It has a real sense of place and some lovely details. You can tell the architect put more than five minutes worth of thought into this. I'm glad you said something about it, because it catches my attention every time I drive past it. Here's a cool website devoted to it with description and photos. I would love to see the inside.

http://www.cosmicool...6421/index.html

[JOCOguy]

Great photo shots of the Commercial Standard building ! Thanks ! I will have to check it out when I am home for the holidays.

[Dismuke]

I love this building too! It has a real sense of place and some lovely details. You can tell the architect put more than five minutes worth of thought into this. I'm glad you said something about it, because it catches my attention every time I drive past it. Here's a cool website devoted to it with description and photos. I would love to see the inside.

http://www.cosmicool...6421/index.html

Indeed. As a rule, I am NOT much of a fan of post war architecture. But this building is a definite exception for me - the more I see it the more I am impressed by it. Like you said, the architect put more than five minutes worth of thought into it - which was, unfortunately, not always the case with a lot of stuff from the post war decades.

Another post war building that has really grown on my to the point that I am a big fan is the Marty Leonard Chapel. But I wouldn't really classify the building as "under appreciated" given that it seems to be widely recognized and admired. But it certainly is a building that, for years, I never gave much thought or notice to - so, in that sense, it certainly went under appreciated by me.

[Fort Worthology]

Another post war building that has really grown on my to the point that I am a big fan is the Marty Leonard Chapel. But I wouldn't really classify the building as "under appreciated" given that it seems to be widely recognized and admired. But it certainly is a building that, for years, I never gave much thought or notice to - so, in that sense, it certainly went under appreciated by me.

Designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, FYI.

[austlar]

Two obvious candidates, although most people on this site would argue that there is no reason to appreciate either of them, are the current City Hall and the brutalist office tower that replaced the old Medical Arts Bldg. I think they are both interesting buildings in a strange kind of way. I actually like the west facade of the office tower more and more over time. Of course, I don't live in FW, so I don't have to look at it all the time.

As a child, I used to go to a dentist and an eye doctor at the old Medical Arts. The building looked great from outside with the pretty green roof, but the inside of the building was claustrophobic and outdated even by 1950's standards. Since apartment house conversions were not happening at that point in time, there was no way to make the building financially viable during the period in which it was demolished.

[cberen1]

I'm glad to hear someone else say it. I officed in Burnett Plaza for a number of years and I really enjoyed the building. The recessed windows on the West and the hanging concrete panels on the East blocked the direct sunlight very well without obstructing the views. I'm always disappointed when the building is blasted on this forum. It's not my favorite building by any stretch, but I like it just fine.

[McHand]

I'm a big fan of the public market building. I hope it doesn't get lost to demolition.

[John T Roberts]

Avvy, I'm a big fan of the Public Market, also.

[johnfwd]

Avvy, I'm a big fan of the Public Market, also.

I wish the charred rubble at that site would be cleared away. Anyone know when that will be?

[Birdland in Handley]

I'm a big fan of the public market building. I hope it doesn't get lost to demolition.

That IS a beauty. The former Dr. Pepper buiding across the street from it is still pretty nice, sadly altered, but probably restorable.

[Birdland in Handley]

I'm a big fan of the public market building. I hope it doesn't get lost to demolition.

[McHand]

Driving to Target the other day reminded me of another one - the EECU building on 7th. My parents banked there when I was little and I remember being in awe of the skylights. I guess you have to appreciate that one from the inside.

[RentAFrog]

Three under-appreciated building come to mind.

1.The Commerce Building. (Also goes by the Fair Building) Would have to give this building first place due to its size and history.

2. The family Law Building on Weatherford Street. (I would have designed it a bit less ornate, but love it.) The spent too much of my money on this one for sure.

3. And finally, the new Trinity Plaza building on the West end of Downtown. (Worth growing old for)

Two shots taken this afternoon

Brian, the great thing about the photo with the stone wall and staircase in front is, that is what's left of K.M. Van Zandt's mansion that sat where the EECU Credit Union is now. People drive by that every day and have no clue that wall and staircase to "nothing" is a link to history. Great pic. 

[John T Roberts]

Most people in the city maybe aren't even aware there was an entire upper class neighborhood along 7th, Penn, Summit, and several other streets in the area.  It was called Quality Hill. 

[hipolyte]

The church next to the McFarland House has a display case full of old photos of all the demolished houses of 'Quality Hill'.

[John T Roberts]

Our Jack White Collection here at www.fortwortharchitecture.com also has quite a few.

[pmburk]

The church next to the McFarland House has a display case full of old photos of all the demolished houses of 'Quality Hill'.

 

I work at this church, and we have no such display currently.

 

We did have a house display a while back (maybe last summer, I can't remember for certain), but our display case changes about every 1-2 months.

 

We had a forum member stop by the office today looking for the display!

[Austin55]

There's a really neat modern house on W. Bluff near Lexington kinda in downtown that is very cool and I know nothing about.

[hipolyte]

Oops. Sorry about the outdated information. I saw the case of photographs of the lost houses of Quality Hill during Historic Fort Worth's stained glass tour. I guess that was two years ago now. It was a very cool display, and made a real impression.

[Hometown by Handlebar]

That was me, pmburk. Do you think such photos exist at the church in storage? Ruth next door was not aware of them.

[pmburk]

Oops. Sorry about the outdated information. I saw the case of photographs of the lost houses of Quality Hill during Historic Fort Worth's stained glass tour. I guess that was two years ago now. It was a very cool display, and made a real impression.

 

Oh, no worries. I just wanted to make it clear so nobody else wasted a trip down here.

 

We change the display out several times a year. If the home display comes back, I'll post it here, though. I remember that display, and it was very interesting and stunning. We did another historical one, I believe last year, about the construction of our current facility in the 1950s.

 

That was me, pmburk. Do you think such photos exist at the church in storage? Ruth next door was not aware of them.

 

Not that I know of. Many of our displays are loaned items from church members & staff, so the majority of items on display usually aren't property of the church. We have one older church member with a strong interest in Fort Worth history, and he has quite a collection. I believe the photos were probably on loan from his personal collection.

 

On a sidenote, there are still a couple remnants of those large homes left in the area, they're just well-hidden. Sunset Terrace, just off Summit Avenue (heading south) before you hit I-30, has a few. Worth a detour to take a look.

[ramjet]

The sanctuaries of First Methodist, First Presbyterian, First Christian, Broadway Baptist, University Christian, and a few others stand out to me now with their beauty and grandness more than they did when I lived in Fort Worth.  Austin, for example, does not have much in way of grand religious architecture (there's probably a joke in there somewhere).

[since63]

Didn't the Public Market Building used to house a company called Cadillac Plastics?

[RD Milhollin]

Didn't the Public Market Building used to house a company called Cadillac Plastics?

 Yes, several years ago.