122 replies to this topic

[Brian Luenser]

And why is this better than the Hedrick Fender 50's building? It's every bit as pink. Guess it must be structurally sounder. Glad the ugly period angels were saved at least. They are 50's FW history and not nearly as fugly as the TX Liberty topping the capitol in Austin--what a harpy.

I am not crazy about the looks of the new building either. It is part of a trend of "more is better". More colors AND more angles AND more variations. A building can start looking like junk pretty quick. Best examples? The new convention center building. ICK. The Chase building next to The Tower, ICK. And even the Family Law Center is way over-done. Too busy. Do a busy design OR busy colors but not both. I love the Family Law Center but had they exercised a bit more restraint it would be the finest building around, in my opinion. I am not saying I like plain, just not busy for busy's sake.

[JBB]

I noticed today that work has started on removing the angels from the old civil courts building - fences and scaffolding up.

[Phil Phillips]

Fencing going up today around the old civil courts building.  I guess demo is about to begin.  That may be an interesting demo to watch and hope y'all post some good photos.

[renamerusk]

Fencing going up today around the old civil courts building.  I guess demo is about to begin.  That may be an interesting demo to watch and hope y'all post some good photos.

 

Thanks Mr. Phillips for the update.  It is the news that many of us have been waiting for. 

 

Thanks also to the late Mr. Jack White for his collection of historic photos of the Courthouse neighborhood.  Two of the photos in his collection gives us the best glimpses of what the west lawn of the courthouse looked like originally that I could find.

 

I hope that the lawn will be restored to the way that it looked originally.  Perhaps a fountain or a monument commemorating all the diverse peoples who have contributed to our county could be added.  

 

I am guessing that you might work in the Courthouse or that you have offices nearby; and if you do so work there, do you know if there are other photos that the county commissioners and engineers have of the west lawn before it was replaced by the now decommissioned civil courts building?  Many of us are anticipating breaking and update news from sources like yourself.

 

http://www.fortworth...dballvanzan.jpg

 

http://www.fortworth...sehighviewx.jpg

 

Keep Fort Worth folksy

[Austin55]

Here is another older picture from another Flickr user.

 

21 by YetiLoveMonkey, on Flickr

[renamerusk]

Austin, thanks for sharing that image.

 

In of itself, an interesting photo; but what is of more interests to me is a photo, if one exists, of the tree lined west portico lawn as it existed before the civil courts building was built. I do remember the look of the CC building before the facade was added to it --- Ugg!

[Austin55]

Yes, everyone I highly reccomend looking throught that users sets. They have some truly remarkable old pictures. 

 

 

Another pre-civil courthouse.

 

knight of p2 by YetiLoveMonkey, on Flickr



EDIT- Here is the Civ as it stands today,

DSC_0497 by Micro55, on Flickr

[lcbrownz]

There is a construction fence around the old Civil Courts Building. Is Tarrant County finally demoing it?

[John T Roberts]

Yes, they are actually demolishing the building.  The other two angels have been removed and they are being placed in storage.  I'm sure as the days progress, there will be more activity.

[double]

It's probably too late to ask this now, but I'd swear I recall that there was supposed to be some imperfection in the trompe l’oeil as a nod to the imperfection in the main courthouse building, which has a baluster installed upside down (on purpose, according to the Star-Telegram, if I remember correctly).

Did anyone ever locate that imperfection?  Google searches turn up nothing, but of course, Richard Haas did this work a long time ago...

 

[renamerusk]

....I recall that there was supposed to be some imperfection in the trompe l’oeil as a nod to the imperfection in the main courthouse building, which has a baluster installed upside down (on purpose, according to the Star-Telegram, if I remember correctly)....

 

 

Yes, there is a balustrade installed upside down at the Tarrant County Courthouse.  An official who works at the courthouse helped me to locate it some time ago.  My recollection is that it is on the Weatherford Street side of the courthouse in the section near to old civil courts building.

 

Hidden there but most definitely there.

[Austin55]

I very much want to see a picture of this architectural easter egg.

[double]

 

 

Yes, there is a balustrade installed upside down at the Tarrant County Courthouse.  An official who works at the courthouse helped me to locate it some time ago.  My recollection is that it is on the Weatherford Street side of the courthouse in the section near to old civil courts building.

 

Hidden there but most definitely there.

 

 

Yes, you're talking about the original courthouse building.  The trompe l’oeil was supposed to have a similar "easter egg" on it - though I'm pretty sure no one called it an easter egg back then.  

As for a picture of the upside down balustrade - someone posted a link to it on this forum back in 2008 ("Tarrant County Courthouse Mystery") but the link seems stale.  I searched Google images, however, and the picture can be seen. 

[JBB]

It's the first image that shows up on this search:

 

https://www.google.c...iw=1280&bih=568

 

It's sized down, but you can still see it clearly.  The image is from Webshots, which doesn't really exist any more.  That's the likely reason for the dead link.

[double]

CBS Sunday Morning program did a profile on Richard Haas.  They included this building's before and after images as examples of his work (I half-expected to see the Chisholm Trail mural, not pictures of a now demolished building).  I believe the voice-over said something about changing a utilitarian looking building into something beautiful. 

[Austin55]

Is the criminal courts still on track to meet the wrecking ball?

[renamerusk]

Is the criminal courts still on track to meet the wrecking ball?

 

Surely, you must mean the Criminal Jails Building c.1962 @ 300 Belknap St; and not the Criminal Courts Building c1918 @ 200 Belknap Street.

[John T Roberts]

The white brick 1962 building is formally known as the Criminal Courts and Jail.  The 1918 building is actually now known as the Criminal Justice Building. 

[dangr.dave]

These two buildings?

 

Criminal Courts and Jail, Fort Worth by dangr.dave, on Flickr

 

The Criminal Court Building, Fort Worth by dangr.dave, on Flickr

[John T Roberts]

Dave, those are the buildings.  The Criminal Courts & Jail was scheduled to be demolished.  The now Criminal Justice Building, formerly Criminal Courts constructed in 1918, is scheduled to remain.

[Austin55]

Yea I was referring to the white building as shown in the first post. We are 1 for 2 in tearing those down. The 1918 building is beautiful and should never be touched. 

[Austin55]

NBC talked has an article talking more about the demolition of the Criminal Courts & Jail building and proposed changes to the existing Thomas Wyndham building which was sold to the county. The Criminal Courts building will be replaced with a circular driveway. Fine by me!

 

[JasnoDTX]

Civil courts building looks just fine. That criminal courts building is indeed ugly af. Looks like a jail/refrigerator.