johnfwd

Here's a Dallas Morning News article, posted by MSN, on a planned Class AA office tower of comparatively smaller dimensions in this growing area of the city.

https://www.msn.com/...46235ea58&ei=24

I hope the grass lawn, trees, and sidewalks become a reality.  This, and the new buildings, will perk up a really drab part of downtown.

Rode my bike on the Trails from southwest to downtown, very early this morning.  I saw two pedestrians and two bicyclists along the way, which surprised me.  I guess the feeling of an early spring is increasing outdoor activity.  I also passed what was either a lame dog or coyote.

Yes.  I agree they should be painted yellow for greater visibility, particularly at night.

Fort Worth, Inc. has an interesting article on the diminishing live music scene in Fort Worth.  See link below.

https://fortworthinc...2026E7643790G2W

 I was particularly distraught by the closing of The Twilite Lounge, because our little group would go on Tuesday nights for trivia and karaoke, not just music.  And an attorney friend of mine, who was a frequent attendee, would use this venue to promote fund-raising for area charities.

Maybe this thread should read the next area of Fort Worth that should be revitalized.  My choice would be the west Camp Bowie Boulevard strip from, maybe, Alta Mere to 820.  Of course, this kind of dismal-looking commercial strip is not unique in Fort Worth. But the same could have been said about West Seventh before its 2010-era renaissance.  What brought this to mind was the other day when my client and I had lunch in the vicinity.  My client owns commercial property in the area and he was looking to buy a building for sale.  I showed him the old Gentleman's Cabaret & Restaurant.  He wasn't impressed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!

Rightly or wrongly, we tend to judge the past by today's moral standards.  Pity the poor young man of the Wild West.  Little education, most likely job position being as a drover, gun slinger, or outlaw.  Maybe a sheriff's deputy.  Not likely a long life span.  And lacking cultural entertainment in towns like Fort Worth, what else but saloons and brothels?

Every time I pass this project on the way to my office in southwest downtown I am heartened by the fact that this formerly dismal-looking location is going to change its appearance for the better.

Thought about posting this in "City Issues," but it does affect future urban design.

Historically, downtowns in our country started as forts (e.g. Fort Worth) or trading posts (e.g., Detroit), or shipping import centers like New York or Houston.  Modern downtowns evolved and grew with ever increasing and taller buildings for economic and socio-cultural reasons and because they served as central locations for office, commercial, and residential development.  

Anecdotally speaking, downtowns are having an identity crisis.  Changes in technology and transportation, as well as the way we now choose to work and live, are having a gradual but profound effect on the future of downtowns.  I'm guessing that skyscrapers these days may be more a product of hubris than of economics.  We've discussed in this forum about the horizontal trends in corporate campuses, meaning they tend to relocate on large tracts away from downtowns.

The 21st Century means more electronic communications, not the least of which are platforms like Zoom, so that workers may in the future not be needed as much in an office building.  As an attorney, I haven't needed to be close to the downtown courthouse for filing documents because e-filing is now mandatory.  And the pandemic gave a lot of judges the discretion to have hearings via Zoom rather than in person.  

The trend in Fort Worth's downtown seems to be more residential than office. What will we do with all those tall office buildings that become vacant in the distant future?

I know this isn't a popular suggestion, but is a full blown central library really a necessity in this electronic age?  When I took classes at UNT Dallas, the campus library wasn't much larger than a classroom.  There were some print reference materials with access points for electronic resources.  Would the money necessary for a large central library on valuable downtown or cultural district real estate be better spent on improving and increasing the number of neighborhood or regional libraries with a focus on print materials for young people, maker and STEM spaces, and access for electronic resources?  Are there opportunites to partner with other organizations like the local colleges/universities and school districts to provide these spaces?

This, I think, is the down-sizing trend for all facilities in the new electronic information age.  And, consequently, it probably is more suitable to share space in City Hall or other smaller building.

Whenever I get a chance on a Friday early morning, I take to the Trails on my bike for a trek north to my office downtown.  It's amazing how close downtown looks from the Clearfork vantage point.  But it's about six miles away, I believe.

As a real estate attorney, I know the difference between condemnation and demolition.  What I was trying to say, and this is strictly my opinion, is that one reason why the city has been overly tolerant with the warehouse owner over many years is that this is a structure with a special historic status.

The gas pumps at QT have been open for over a week now.  I got some there this morning.  So far, my fears of traffic congestion have not been realized.  Seems most motorists are entering and exiting off Henderson, leaving NW 13th and Florence much as those streets were before the QT.

I always liked The Texas News report and, of course, weather by Harold Taft.