‘We don’t want to live in generic America.’ These are Fort Worth’s most endangered places
Fort Worth’s department for historic preservation is one of the city’s top 10 most endangered places, according to preservation nonprofit Historic Fort Worth.
This is the second time the department has made Historic Fort Worth’s top 10 list, which aims to educate the public about historic buildings and steer property owners toward grants and tax credits that aide in restoration efforts.
Fort Worth has roughly 8,500 properties on its list of endangered places, but only one full time staff member to keep up with a list of state requirements keeping the city eligible for grants and a 25% state tax credit.
Dallas, by comparison, has 4,000 listed properties and five full-time staffers. San Antonio has 11,000 properties and 21 full-time staff members.
“We need the city to be a champion for historic preservation,” said Jerre Tracy, executive director of Historic Fort Worth.
She argued the city’s historic buildings make Fort Worth unique and that preserving these sites is a net economic benefit in preservation dollars and visitors to the city.
“We don’t want to live in generic America,” Tracy said.
Fort Worth is one of 75 cities and counties that participate in the Texas Historical Commission’s certified local government program. Participation allows designated historic sites to apply for grants ranging from $2,000 to $30,000.
Designated properties can also receive tax credit that will reimburse builders 25% of construction costs to preserve historic buildings.
However, the city has to remain in compliance with a list of program requirements, which the city’s lone full time preservation officer Justin Newhart said is getting increasingly harder to do.
“It was a lot simpler when the city had 2,000 properties and two full time staff,” Newhart said. “But it’s a struggle to keep up with the number we have now.”
Newhart recommended the Fort Worth increase the number of historic preservation officers in a December 2021 report to the city council. The city is considering Newhart’s request as part of the upcoming 2023 budget cycle, Assistant city manager Dana Burghdoff wrote in an email.
Historic Fort Worth’s 2022 list of endangered places
- Fort Worth’s department for historic preservation.
Garda Park (park below the dam for Lake Como on Merrick Street)
Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church & Parsonage, 1100 and 1104 Evans Ave.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 4:13 PM.
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