Since the Hilton Hotel Annex has started construction, it made me think about all of the buildings built in the city that were designed with the ability to have more floors added on top at a later date. Over the course of time, some of these buildings eventually had the upper floors built and they are still standing. Others did the expansion, but the buildings were later demolished. Another set of buildings never were expanded vertically and they were eventually demolished without the additions ever happening. The last group are the buildings that are still standing, yet the planned floors to be added on top were never built. Below is a list of such structures in the city. I know that I have missed some, so as I remember them, see photographs of them, or come across the information, I will add it to the list. Also, if some of you know about these buildings, please add them to the list.
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center 1994 Addition - Built at 4 stories; designed for 7 - Expanded to 7 stories in 2006.
Bewley Building - NE Corner 7th & Throckmorton (Sanguinet & Staats) - built at 3 stories in 1907 and designed for an unknown number of extra floors; planned expansion in 1910 for 3 more floors; actual addition of 2 floors; demolished in the 1970s at 5 stories.
Biltmore Garage/Hilton Hotel Annex – 815 Commerce – built at 4 stories in 1928; designed for 15 floors; expanded to 13 stories and upper floors built as hotel in 1968.
The Cassidy – 407 Throckmorton – 2 level underground parking; designed for 22 story residential; built 6 stories of retail/office/residential penthouse in 2014.
Old Civil Courts Building – built at 5 stories in 1958; designed for 10 stories; demolished in 2013 at 5 stories
Dunn's "Mansion" Garage/500 Commerce - built at 3 stories in 1924; designed for 6; completed top 3 floors in 1935. Partial 7th floor added in 1990.
Equitable Savings Association – 811 Lamar – built at 3 stories; designed for 10; demolished in 2002 at 3 stories.
Fort Worth Press – 501 Jones – built 1 story designed for 2. Expanded to 2 stories.
Fort Worth Public Library - 9th & Throckmorton - built at 3 stories in 1939; designed for more floors to be added on top. Demolished in 1990 at 3 stories.
Fort Worth Public Library – 3rd & Lamar – built 2 stories underground in 1978; designed to be expanded above grade; 2 floors added on top in 1994.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Building – 400 W. 7th St. – built 4 stories in 1920; designed for 7. Today is still 4 stories, but expanded multiple times horizontally.
John Peter Smith Hospital Main Entrance Building - built at 2 stories; designed to handle more floors, possibly 12 total; building is currently 2 stories.
Jane and John Justin Tower - Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital - built at 10 stories and opened in 2022; designed to be 14 stories.
Lone Star Gas – 908 Monroe – built at 4 stories in 1929; designed for 8; 3 more stories were added in 1957.
Leonard’s Department Store – West side of 200 Block of Houston St. - built 3 stories in 1930; designed to be 9 stories; demolished at 3 stories in 1979.
Meacham Field Terminal Building - built at 2 stories; designed for 5; remodeled and expanded to 3 stories in 2015.
Medical City Alliance - 3101 North Tarrant Parkway - Built at 3 stories; 2020 having two more floors added.
Medical City Fort Worth's ER and Patient Tower - 800 9th Ave. - Built and opened in December 2018 at 3 stories; designed for 7.
Miller’s Mutual Insurance – 900 Monroe St. – built at 2 stories in 1921; designed for 5; expanded to 4 stories in 1946 and is still standing.
Monnig's Department Store - 500 Houston St. - Monnig's took over the block of three story buildings one by one. These buildings were built in the early 1900's and were not designed to have more floors added on top. By the 1950's, the store needed two more floors. They were added by reinforcing the foundation of the buildings and retrofitting the existing structure. The two floors were added on top of all of the buildings and they were demolished at 5 stories in 1991.
Mutual Savings and Loan – 815 Throckmorton St. – built at 6 stories; designed for 11; demolished in 1998 at 6 stories.
Parker-Browne Co. - 1212 E. Lancaster - built at 3 stories in 1924; designed to have more floors added. Currently 3 stories.
Public Safety & Courts Building - 1000 Throckmorton - built at 4 stories in 1938. I believe it was designed for 10 stories. Currently 4 stories.
Red Cross – 2nd & Taylor – built at 2 stories; designed to handle more floors; demolished at 2 stories.
Sanger-Harris/Foley's/Macy*s Hulen Mall – built 2 stories; designed for 3; currently 2 stories but expanded with a one story addition on the east in 1990. Third floor exterior walls are already in place. The building appears to be 3 stories from the exterior.
Sanger Brothers Building - 515 Houston St. - built 8 stories in 1925; designed for 10 stories. Currently still at 8 stories.
Sanger Lofts – 410 Houston – built 5 in 1929; designed for 8; currently 6 stories
Stripling’s Houston Street Building – SE corner 2nd & Houston – built 3 in 1910; designed for 7; 1918 completed at 7 stories; demolished at 7 stories in 1979
Southwestern Bell Telephone/AT&T Building – 1926 Building at 11th & Throckmorton – built at 3 stories; designed for 8; in 1929, 3 stories were added; in 1965, two more floors were added bringing the building to full height of 8 floors. In 1949, an addition to Southwestern Bell was built in the center of the block, immediately to the north of the 1926 building. It was built at 4 floors and designed for 12. In 1965, 4 more floors were added on top, and in 1971, another 4 stories were added. The building currently exists at 12 stories. In 1958, a 9 story building expanded the complex to Houston Street. It was designed to eventually be 16 stories. In 1965 2 more floors were added on top, and finally in 1971, the building was expanded to its full height of 16 stories with a five story addition.
Southwestern Bell Telephone/Texas A&M Law School – 1515 Commerce – built 2; designed for 16; currently 2 stories.
St. Joseph Hospital – 1401 S. Main – 1959 Addition – built at 5; designed for 12; completed at 12 stories in 1965 and demolished in 2012.
Tarrant Savings/Star-Telegram Classified Bldg. - 5th & Taylor (Hedrick & Stanley) - built at 4 stories & basement; designed for more floors to be added; demolished in 2009 at 4 stories.
Mrs. Dan Waggoner Bldg. - NW Corner of Houston and 6th - built at 4 stories, designed for 9, completed at 9 stories and demolished at that height in the 1970s.
Western National Bank/Houston Place Lofts - 910 Houston - built at 6 stories in 1906; designed for 8; top 2 floors added in 1918. A partial 9th floor was added at some later date.
Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co. - 509 W. Vickery Blvd. - built at 3 stories in 1924; designed for 7; 4th floor added in 1946.
Woolworth Building – 501 Houston – built 3; designed for 10; currently the building is 3 stories.
I am not including the old Continental National Bank in this list because it was a special circumstance with the halting of construction of the building during the Korean War, partially completing it, then resuming construction with a new taller design and digital clock. If you want more information on its history, you can check out the building page on the main site.