Enduring stories from Fort Worth's historic neighborhoods

Fort Worth's historic neighborhoods tell stories of resilience and transformation as the city develops.

University Place started as a small suburb near TCU with custom-built homes and social clubs; now, it continues community traditions through its book club. In Historic Northside, residents balance new business corridors and major Stockyards expansion, aiming to celebrate local culture even as new hotels and developments arrive.

The Stockyards itself faces big changes, with redevelopment projects like Mule Alley showing successful preservation of old barns and thousands of hand-laid bricks, while concerns linger about protecting the district’s authenticity.

Meanwhile, the struggle to preserve iconic homes on Samuels Avenue and landmarks like the Heroines of Jericho headquarters highlights ongoing debates about what to save and how neighborhoods can honor their past while embracing needed growth.

Former Butler Place residents Tremayne Kilgore, LC Timms, Joe Collier and Greg Wilson are photographed in the neighborhood where they grew up just outside of downtown Fort Worth on Tuesday, May 15, 2024. Butler Place was home to hundreds of residents despite the stigma of being in the projects and the violence surrounding them. Although the future of the neighborhood remains uncertain, demolition plans are in place for most of the area. By Chris Torres

NO. 1: AS FORT WORTH REDEVELOPS ITS OLDEST PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX, RESIDENTS LOOK BACK FONDLY

For many, life in this Fort Worth apartment complex rose above the stigma of public housing. | Published May 31, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

The University Place neighborhood began development in the years after TCU moved from Waco to Fort Worth in the early 1900s. By Steve Coffman

NO. 2: THIS FORT WORTH NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR TCU WAS ONCE THE SUBURBS, WHERE HOMES HAD OUTHOUSES

Houses in this Fort Worth neighborhood didn’t have basic services when they were built in the early 1900s. | Published May 4, 2024 | Read Full Story by Richard Selcer

The Grand High Court of Heroines of Jericho building on Monday, May 6, 2024, in Fort Worth. The Grand High Court of Heroines of Jericho was an African American women’s organization with chapters created shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation. The building was built in 1952. By Amanda McCoy

NO. 3: WHO ARE THE HEROINES OF JERICHO? AND WHY IS THEIR FORT WORTH HEADQUARTERS ENDANGERED?

The headquarters of the Grand High Court of Heroines of Jericho has been recognized as endangered by Historic Fort Worth. | Published June 11, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

The sun sets on North Main Street in Fort Worth where the “Vaquero de Fort Worth” statue stands at the plaza by Central Avenue. By Amanda McCoy

NO. 4: AS DEVELOPMENT BOOMS NEARBY, HOW DOES FORT WORTH’S HISTORIC NORTHSIDE RETAIN ITS IDENTITY?

Efforts are underway to preserve an independent identity for Historic Northside District. | Published July 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

Cowboys ride after escorting longhorns in the Fort Worth Stockyards on March 27, 2014, with the historic Armour building in the background. By Ron Jenkins

NO. 5: WILL FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS LOSE HISTORIC CHARACTER WITH $1B EXPANSION? HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

While city leaders are mostly impressed by a proposed nearly $1 billion expansion of the Stockyards, public reaction on social media has been less enthusiastic. | Published June 16, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kate Marijolovic

The Southside Community Center, located at 959 E Rosedale St, had $370,500 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds designated to improve and renovate the Southside Community Center but it will be allocated to the Healthy Homes for Heroes Veterans Home Repair program.

NO. 6: SOUTHSIDE HAD $370,500 TO RENOVATE ITS COMMUNITY CENTER. NOW, THE MONEY IS GOING ELSEWHERE

The city determined it would be difficult to bring the Southside Community center up to standards. | Published September 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

An older home on the 800 block of Samuels Avenue is surrounded by newer apartment complexes and townhomes on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Fort Worth. The city is weighing the demolition of the historic home. By image not found

NO. 7: DEBATE OVER HISTORIC HOME’S FUTURE HIGHLIGHTS FORT WORTH’S STRUGGLE TO PRESERVE PAST

The future of a famous historic home on Samuels Avenue presents a case study in the difficulties of balancing the need for new residential construction with the urge to preserve the city’s past. | Published September 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jaime Moore-Carrillo

As early as 1938, when this photo was taken, this near west side intersection at University and West Seventh was identified as dangerous. Still, it was safe enough that a man could stand next to a stopped roadster on Camp Bowie. That wouldn’t be true for long. By Courtesy

NO. 8: THINK THIS FORT WORTH INTERSECTION IS A NIGHTMARE NOW? IT’S BEEN DANGEROUS FOR 100 YEARS.

Four roads intersect in one place in Fort Worth. It’s always been a mess. | Published September 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Carol Roark

Developers from Austin want to convert Primera Baptist Church, pictured above, into an 82-unit “affordable” apartment complex. By Jaime Moore-Carrillo

NO. 9: DEVELOPERS WANT TO CONVERT THIS NORTHSIDE FORT WORTH CHURCH INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX

A historic church complex may soon be repurposed for multifamily use. | Published February 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jaime Moore-Carrillo

The Fort Worth Public Library has created a “Your Place in History: Historic Southside” project to document people’s memories and the history of the Historic Southside. By Courtesy

NO. 10: YOU CAN HELP PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF THE HISTORIC SOUTHSIDE IN FORT WORTH. HERE’S HOW

Here’s how you can help preserve the rich history of Fort Worth’s Historic Southside neighborhood. | Published February 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

NO. 11: ‘IT IS GOING TO BE A BEACON OF LIGHT.’ CITY APPROVES NATIONAL JUNETEENTH MUSEUM’S NEW SITE

Southside Community Center will move programs to Hazel Harvey Center. | Published February 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Kamal Morgan

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.