Fort Worth approves additional $28 million for Will Rogers Coliseum renovations
The Fort Worth City Council shored up funds to continue renovation work on the Will Rogers Memorial Center, part of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar effort to modernize and preserve the 89-year-old complex.
At its Aug. 26 meeting, the City Council authorized $28.6 million to help cover costs associated with renovating the Will Rogers Coliseum, the site of equestrian events throughout the year and where the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo’s Junior Steer Show takes place each winter.
The $28.6 million will be added to previously authorized funds to bring the total project cost to $50 million.
Mike Crum, director of Fort Worth’s Public Events Department, said that money will be used to expand the coliseum’s concourse and update restroom and concession areas, among other improvements. The renovations will be in keeping with the coliseum’s art deco style, Crum said.
The funds the council authorized on Aug. 26 will come from several sources. More than $12 million is being reallocated from other Will Rogers Memorial Center projects, using money that was earmarked in 2023. The city’s Culture and Tourism Fund, which is supported by hotel occupancy taxes, will contribute $7 million, and Event Facilities Fort Worth, Inc., the nonprofit organization affiliated with the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, is granting the city $5 million for the work.
The final portion, approximately $4 million, will come from surplus funds associated with the Will Rogers project.
The Will Rogers Coliseum renovations are one facet of a much larger effort to enhance the entire Will Rogers Memorial Center in time for its 100th birthday in 2036. Last year, the sheep and swine barns were renovated. Before that, the cattle barns got a refresh.
While the Will Rogers Coliseum is a centerpiece of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, its usefulness isn’t limited to a few weeks in January and February, Crum said.
“We run a full schedule of events in there. The demand for that building is significant, and it has great historical significance, not only in the Fort Worth community, but in the western and equestrian community.”
The venue has been closed since March for the renovation work, but Crum said he expects it to reopen by mid December at the latest, barring unforeseen circumstances.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 11:31 AM.