The former home of the Star-Telegram at West Seventh and Taylor streets in downtown Fort Worth will come back to life Friday -- at least on the second floor.
Executives of Bob Simpson's MorningStar Partners energy company will begin moving into the nearly century-old building as extensive renovation continues on other floors.Simpson, a founder and former CEO at XTO Energy and a primary owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, bought the building early last year from the newspaper, which moved to leased space across the street in the Commerce Building. XTO was sold to Exxon Mobil in 2010 for $31 billion.Simpson, who led detailed restorations of several downtown buildings while at XTO, is taking the same care and expense with the Star-Telegram building. More than 100 people who attended a Downtown Fort Worth Inc. breakfast Tuesday in the building's cavernous basement, where printing presses once stood, were given a sneak peek.The second-floor makeover includes new carpet, African mahogany trim and marble tile but leaves in place the wood-lined former publisher's office, where Amon G. Carter once sat, and his conference room. Architectural touches in other executive offices remain though the walls have been moved out to make the spaces bigger.The building's entrance is being moved from the corner of Seventh and Taylor farther west along Seventh, where it was originally located when it opened in 1921. Windows will be installed along Taylor Street, where pedestrians once looked through to see the presses run. The old pressroom will be converted into a parking space. There are also plans for room to display artifacts and mementos from the life of Carter and the Star-Telegram.About a dozen MorningStar employees will make the move, with more likely to follow. In June, MorningStar formed a joint venture with XTO called Cross Timbers Energy to develop some oil and gas properties.-- Steve KaskovichFrom Enron to home brewFor $20 -- $10 if you're lucky enough to get one of those flash-sale Internet offers -- Brenden "Stubby" Stubblefield will teach you the basics of home brewing, an amateur art that Jimmy Carter's one-term presidency made legal and ended up launching many a professional craft brewing career.The 21/2-hour class, which includes a crash course on beer styles and ingredients, is held at Stubby's Texas Brewing, a 3,000-square-foot home brew shop that Stubblefield opened in July 2011 at 5200 Airport Freeway, Haltom City.Some people just want to learn about beer, others are eager to try to make their own, he says. Stubby's sells starter kits from $79. For information call 682-647-1267.A home brewer since 1996, Stubblefield got interested when a microbiology class at Texas Tech used a lab session to turn yeast into beer."I actually paid attention that week," said Stubblefield, 39, who had a brief tryst with Corporate America as an energy consultant for ill-fated Enron before returning to an early love, building hot rods and airbrushing graphics.He has earned regional honors for his own home brewing, including an English Strong Bitter, but found himself dissatisfied with the selection and products at other stores. So he opened his own.The venture, which also trades in winemaking supplies, has gone from one employee -- Stubblefield -- to 10 part-timers. He hopes to add 2,000 square feet because of online demand. (His e-commerce site: www.TexasbrewingINC.com.) He noted that a Miami customer paid $45 to overnight $10 worth of a coveted style of English malts.Not bad for launching the concept with about $50,000 -- some from a silent partner he calls Mom. In hindsight, he says, he should have had three times as much but still hit nearly $500,000 in gross revenue his first year.A second location is under consideration, possibly north or east of Fort Worth."Right now we're studying all our demographics," Stubblefield said. "Our biggest competitor right now is online."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
