On Thursday, those heritage-minded folks at Historic Fort Worth handed out buckets of awards to people who have worked to keep Cowtown a distinctive sort of place in the face of growing homogenization.
Some were big projects, others quite modest but nonetheless praiseworthy. And there were categories for the written word.Hollace Weiner, a Star-Telegram reporter-turned-historian and author, was one of four writers honored with a Preservation Achievement Award. Weiner got hers for a well-researched history, The First Hundred Years of Rivercrest Country Club.Weiner's very thorough tome -- and heavy, at 544 pages with more than 900 color pictures -- used works of art long stored in the vault of the Modern Art Museum. It noted that a top NCAA swim coach, Don Easterling, got his start in Fort Worth, and that Olympian Babe Zaharias made her transition from track to golf thanks to a Fort Worth tournament designed to boost her career.Michael McDermott received his award for the book Fort Worth's Fairmount District, Star-Telegram writer Steve Campbell was cited for his piece on Texas' endangered courthouses, and Chris Vaughn, a former reporter at the paper, was honored for an article on the unusual house on Charron Lane, designed by noted modernist architect A. Quincy Jones, which faced demolition before being sold.Property owners also earned kudos.The ACH Child and Family Services Campus received a Preservation Project Award for its sensitive rehab of the former Masonic Home (1899-1931) at 3712 Wichita St.Globe-trotting photojournalist Alyssa Banta was cited for restoring the "highly neglected," circa-1907 Bomar Apartments at 1507 Alston Ave.The city of Fort Worth received an award for rehabbing a 1930s shelter at Inspiration Point at Marion Sansom Park; Tarrant County for its work on the courthouse clock tower; St. Mary of the Assumption Church on West Magnolia Avenue for restoring its elaborate stained-glass windows; and TCU for transforming a 1920s gym into a state-of-the-art dance facility while maintaining the Erma Lowe Hall's historic character.Two couples received Residential Rehabilitation Awards -- Brian and Sheila Portward for their work on a 1910 house in the historic Fairmount neighborhood and Trent and Elizabeth Prim for the sensitive expansion of their home on Bunting Avenue on the near west side.Commercial buildings also made the honors list. John Franko's 1948-era dentist's office at 3616 Tulsa Way and the former service station that became Parkhill's Jewelry and Gifts on Park Hill Drive got Great Steward Awards. The John Roach family owns the now pumpless building.Arlington job fairA job fair is being hosted in Arlington on Thursday by ArlingtonAnswers.com, with 50 or more employers expected to attend with more than 2,000 open positions.The job fair will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church, 801 W. Bardin Road. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Additional information can be found online at arlingtonanswers.com/job-fair.In addition to employers on-site, community resource agencies will provide workshops on networking, interviewing and resume writing, with a computer workroom and advisers. There is no charge to attend.Some of the employers registered to attend include Bell Helicopter, American Eurocopter, AEGIS Communications, Arlington Police Department, Edward D. Jones, Farmers Insurance, Green Mountain Energy and Integrated Airline Services.New wine storeTotal Wine & More, an independent retailer of fine wine, spirits and beer, said it is expanding its presence by opening a second Texas store at 5200 S. Hulen St. in Fort Worth later this fall.It also has a new location in Dallas.Total Wine & More offers more than 8,000 individual wine labels, 3,000 spirits and 2,500 beers.The retailer said the Fort Worth store will host regular wine, beer and spirits tastings themed around wine-producing regions and seasonal topics. The store will also feature an in-store classroom for themed private tastings, consumer education courses and organization meetings.Total Wine & More operates 85 superstores in 13 states, with expansion reaching 14 states by year's end, it said.College Park deliColorado-based Smiling Moose Deli plans to open at the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park district in November, its second North Texas location.Former Dallas Cowboy Daryl "Moose" Johnston is a partner in the chain. In 2011, the company opened a store in Carrollton. Other locations are planned for Frisco and Denton next year, according to Jennifer Frank, managing partner of Smiling Moose Deli DFW."We love the college environment and the diversity of the restaurants in the College Park district," Frank said.Smiling Moose Deli has leased 2,100 square feet off Pecan Street and becomes the seventh College Park restaurant, UT Arlington said.Coolberry Frozen Yogurt is expected to open this month immediately north of where the deli will go. Digg's Taco Shop is scheduled to open to the south, also in November.Smiling Moose Deli at UT Arlington will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727sabaker@star-telegram.comJim Fuquay, 817-390-7552jfuquay@star-telegram.comBarry Shlachter, 817-390-7718barry@star-telegram.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
