Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. Heaquarters

When originally constructed, this elementary school was called the Sixth Ward School.  In 1904, it was renamed Stephen F. Austin Elementary School.  It closed in 1977, and was purchased in 1980 by the Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company.  The original section of the school was constructed in 1892 and was designed by Fort Worth Architects, Messer, Sanguinet, & Messer.  A 1909 addition by Sanguinet & Staats more than doubled the size of the building and matched it so carefully, that the structure appears to have been constructed at one time.  In 1958, a small kitchen wing was added on the south side of the building.  The old school is a Romanesque Revival building and features red brick trimmed in white limestone.  The building is symmetrical with a large arches framing the recessed entries.  When Williamson-Dickie purchased the school, they converted it into their corporate headquarters.  Growald Architects of Fort Worth designed the adaptive re-use of the structure in 1980.