This Blank Space is meant to be filled by diverse artists and businesses in Fort Worth
Armando Castelan completes a stroke with his brush and steps back to look at the mural he is painting on a building on East Lancaster in the Historic Central Handley District on the east side of Fort Worth.
The mural depicts a cowboy, a Pullman railway worker and families working on the railroad — all African Americans. The goal, said Castelan, is to portray a community that has worked hard in the face of adversity.
Castelan’s work is made possible by a new business called Blank Space Fort Worth which is using the building as an opportunity for Fort Worth artists, photographers, and businesses people who want to give back to the community. The building has three spaces to rent with renovated bathrooms, storage, and parking. It has space outside for events.
Blank Space Fort Worth, at 6609 E. Lancaster Ave., will have an open house and mural unveiling Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“We’re always looking for these types of places in these types of communities, just so that there is a way to introduce young people to art and then just to showcase artwork that has been created by people in the community,” Castelan said.
CommUnity Frontline founder Dante Williams created Blank Space Fort Worth for people of color to show their contributions to the city, whether that is through establishing a business, the arts, healthcare, or education. For many, they do not have the resources or places to display their work, he said.
CommUnity Frontline is a local nonprofit organization that focuses on racial justice issues on the east side of Fort Worth. Castelan is a local painter who, earlier in the year, painted a mural on the wall of Community Frontline’s headquarters at 2800 Yeager St. honoring Black businesses and icons of Fort Worth.
Williams wanted his building and a mural to depict the continuous contributions of African Americans and people of color in the development of Fort Worth’s history and culture.
“We want to try and highlight that on a big level or bigger stage, if possible, to just give and pay homage to a lot of those people, places, and things that have been around but it does not get talked about, that history is just not told,” Williams said.
Individuals or businesses interested in utilizing the 10,000-square-foot space can go to Blank Space’s website at blankspacefw.com or reach out by email at info@blankspacefw.com with details about how much space they need, what they want to do and the amount they can pay for the space.
Named after a Confederate major named James Madison Handley, the Handley neighborhood developed when the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived in 1876. The once booming railroad hub and the surrounding area is now home to over 3,000 people, with a population that is 34 percent Black and 45 percent Hispanic, according to the Census.
The Historic Central Handley District was designated as one of the city’s original urban villages in 2002, when the city allocated resources to redevelop commercialized districts. New sidewalks and streetscape improvements were made in the district.
Judy Taylor, president of the Handley Neighborhood Association, says her neighborhood and East Fort Worth have been overlooked by the city. She has pushed the city to have more commercial development in the area, remembering when Handley had department stores and sit-down restaurants.
Taylor would rather have a grocery store, restaurant, or something else to enhance the community instead of Blank Space Fort Worth.
“He has cleaned it up and made it look nice, but I don’t think the business is going to be helpful for the community,” Taylor said. “I don’t think it’s going to do anything for us.”
Williams says he hopes to bring in a dining option in the back of the building during events. He wants Blank Space Fort Worth to help bring people back into the East Lancaster area, where businesses can develop and spur activity in the community.
“You got these places where it’s just walkable, things happening where people can go hang out, have lunch here, come here for an event.” Williams said. “I can see this kind of thing becoming something like that. It just brings energy back to this side of town where people can engage and grow with each other.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
