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fragile

Member Since 02 Mar 2006
Offline Last Active Oct 11 2008 12:49 PM
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Topics I've Started

Interesting description of Fort Worth

05 October 2006 - 02:33 PM

From Bernard-Henri Levy's American Vertigo - Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville:

"No sooner said than done. Just after reaching Dallas, I take Route 30, the Tom Landry Highway, named after the former coach of the Dallas Cowboys football team. And here I am, in the midst of a most puzzling city, all parks, deserted hotels, highway overpasses with very few cars - here I am at the center of this empty city where neither the admirable Kimball Art Museum, by Loius Kahn, nor the Hotel Texas, where John and Jackie Kennedy spent their last night together, seem to attract anyone, and where everything looks as if it's actually been constructed around the Mussolini-style building and its whitewashed facade the comptroller had told me about, where a sign reads GREAT WESTERN GUN SHOW."


The "emptiness" he describes is right on the mark...I am always amazed at how large Fort Worth is, yet still has this feel to it, every time I'm there. Hell, even when I lived there it felt empty.

I'm still trying to figure out where the "Mussolini-style building" is...lol!

Edited for horrid grammar mistake...

1928 Fort Worth aerial

13 September 2006 - 06:03 PM

I picked up a 1930 City of Fort Worth Progress Report recently, sadly a couple of bookworms got there first, but I was thrilled when I got to the middle of the booklet:

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The first time I've ever seen a rail roundhouse!

Stryker in the local antique shop

10 September 2006 - 02:59 PM

After spending all of one minute deciding "should I or shouldn't I?", I picked up this signed Stryker at a Georgetown antique shop yesterday...after getting it home, I noticed it was hand-colored as well. It's going to need a little cleaning up/restoration but before I do anything to it...would anyone have any info or links pertaining to Mr. Stryker and his work?

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What sticks out, and in a sort of odd way, is the north side of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank building. A little too-blue. (My apologies for not knowing the recent names of these buildings, I'll never get them straight...) It was the Aviation Building that caught my eye in the antique shop!

Again, though, I'd really appreciate any info on these handcolored works, or really anything of Mr. Stryker's. Thanks for looking. =)

1892 Federal Bldg/Post Office

04 March 2006 - 04:58 PM

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Interesting, how the color was "toned down" from the building's true shade when they printed this card. I sometimes enjoy the guessing game that is played when seeing falsely colored images and trying to remember, "Was that roof red or green?"

I like how they matched the post office entrance to the building's original entrance on the east side.

1938 Public Library

02 March 2006 - 06:09 PM

I'm looking for good images of the 1938 Library and, well, the few postcards and books I have aren't very helpful. All the details are murky! Would anyone know of links or publications, or have any info on finding these?

As a side note: I've never seen interior photos of this library and, unfortuantely, never had the opportunity to see the inside before the 1991 demolition...I'd be curious about this aspect as well!

Thank you for taking the time to read this... smile.gif