Fort Worth ISD’s S.S. Dillow Elementary could become a public park
An elementary school in Fort Worth that’s endured structural issues and fire damage is slated to become a city park after its demolition.
S.S. Dillow Elementary in the Fort Worth Independent School District was approved for demolition and asbestos abatement by the school board on Tuesday night, and officials will negotiate with the City of Fort Worth to turn the property into a public park. The school in East Fort Worth on Avenue N was permanently closed at the end of the 2024-25 school year due to structural issues related to a suspected water leak beneath the slab foundation of the building. Last month, a 2-alarm fire caused further damage to the building, which took two and half hours to contain with more than 80 firefighters responding to the blaze.
Fort Worth ISD records note that the fire “further increased the severity of the situation and underscored the urgency to act on this request and proceed with abatement and demolition,” which will cost the district up to $1,035,000.
School board members unanimously approved this action without discussion, in addition to authorizing negotiations and entering into a lease agreement with the City of Fort Worth for the park conversion. District records noted that the property could be reverted to a school facility in the future “should demographic trends dictate the need for additional enrollment capacity in the area.”
“The residential area near the campus and the surrounding neighborhood has been identified as lacking easy access to a city park. The transition of the property to the care and management of the city of Fort Worth for operation as a public park will allow the property to continue serving the community as a recreational space. The property will revert to district control for use as a school facility in the future should demographic trends dictate the need for additional enrollment capacity in the area,” Fort Worth ISD records state.
The school was built in 1937 and had an enrollment of 430 students in the 2023-25 school year. It was named after Samuel Selkirk Dillow, a historic civic leader in Fort Worth’s Polytechnic Heights neighborhood.
