‘Structural issues could have damaging effects.’ A look inside Fort Worth’s T&P Warehouse
More than $2 million in structural repairs are recommended for the historic Texas and Pacific Warehouse in downtown Fort Worth.
The warehouse on the south end of downtown has sat at the corner of West Lancaster Avenue and Jennings Avenue since the 1930s, but the property has been vacant for several decades. Meanwhile, revitalization takes place nearby and development is booming around the property.
Over the years, the owner has touted plans for redevelopment, but none have come to fruition.
Fort Worth city officials began conducting a structural inspection of the eight-story property in March. The city’s Local Development Corporation reviewed findings from engineering firm Frank W. Neal and Associates in a new report Tuesday afternoon.
Engineers found extensive amounts of cracked or broken concrete and exposed or corroded rebar, according to the report. The firm said the structural issues could have “damaging effects in the future” if left unattended and recommended repair within the next one to three years.
The basement and first floor had large amounts of shallow standing water while cracked concrete on other floors allows more water to get inside the building, the report said.
The firm also noted that around 3,500 square feet of concrete and rebar were damaged so severely they create “localized structural integrity issues in the warehouse.” The report recommended certain areas, where corroded rebar and spalled concrete is severe, be demolished within the year.
The structural repairs would cost an estimated $2.15 million, the report said. The estimate does not include the cost of additional water infiltration recommended.
The city’s March inspection was the first of its kind after the T&P Warehouse faced years of code compliance issues. Property owner Ola Assem purchased the building in 1998 through the company Cleopatra Investments. At 600 feet long by 100 feet wide, the building was once a railroad transportation warehouse.
To address Fort Worth’s population growth in the 1930s, T&P Railway Company spent $13 million to develop a three-building complex that included an outbound freight terminal, a 13-story passenger terminal and the eight-story inbound freight terminal that is the vacant property today, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
When air travel became the more popular means of transportation in the 1950s, the buildings were shut down. Since then, the original passenger terminal at 221 Lancaster has been renovated into Texas and Pacific Lofts, a condominium complex with fitness and business centers and access to the Trinity Railway Express Commuter Train within the building.
In the surrounding south downtown area, Texas A&M just began development of the expected $320 million Fort Worth campus, a $217 million expansion of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel is slated to begin next spring and the Fort Worth Convention Center is awaiting a major renovation.
Meanwhile, the T&P Warehouse, purchased by Assem for $6.4 million, remains vacant. The property is appraised at $1.2 million.
Talks of converting the warehouse into apartments, a hotel, a restaurant or retail space have arisen multiple times over the years but never materialized. Developers have expressed interest in working with the owner to revitalize the building. Leaders from Historic Fort Worth and Downtown Fort Worth Inc. have called for Assem to sell the property.
With penthouse structures on the roof and a basement, the building has now been on Historic Fort Worth’s endangered at least eight times. Over the years, the property owner faced concerns of neglect, including a large tree growing on the roof, water standing in the basement and decorative elements falling to the ground, according to Historic Fort Worth.
The building was designated as one of the state’s Most Endangered Places in 2015 by Preservation Texas. City code inspectors nearly condemned the building for several of the same reasons back in 2017. The property once had a tax exemption, but the city also withdrew the agreement in 2019.
The report included nearly 40 photos that show damaged areas within the building:
This story was originally published June 27, 2023 at 5:08 PM.
