Landmarks commission to consider requests for Stockyards project

Property owners planning a $175 million redevelopment project in the Fort Worth Stockyards are asking the city’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission for permission to add windows and doors to the facades of the century-old horse and mule barns on Exchange Avenue.

The request marks the first time in at least 15 years that major work would occur on Stockyards property along East Exchange Avenue. The last time was in 2000, when the former hog pens on the far east end of Exchange Avenue were redeveloped into the shopping and dining area called Stockyards Station.

The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame also moved into a north portion of the east horse and mule barn around that time.

The horse and mule barns, built in 1911, once housed more than 3,000 animals. But they haven’t been used in more than four decades and are falling into ruin.

Reactivating the barns is the first project in the planned multimillion-dollar redevelopment, which unleashed a firestorm last year from historic preservationists who raised concerns that not enough is being done to protect Stockyards property or its heritage.

The scope of the work focuses on repairing the decaying structures and removing materials and additions that are not original, as well as adding windows and doors to make them usable.

The commission will consider the request Monday at its regular monthly meeting.

The Fort Worth Heritage Development group, a partnership of Majestic Realty Group and Fort Worth’s Hickman family, is also seeking to upgrade the historic designation on the west horse and mule barn building, at 124 E. Exchange Ave., to “highly significant endangered.” The east barn, at 122 E. Exchange Ave., already has that designation, awarded by the Landmarks Commission in 2000.

Separately, Fort Worth businessman Philip Murrin is asking to upgrade the historic designation on three properties his family owns or has ties to on West Exchange Avenue and North Main Street.

The move to upgrade the designations by both property owners comes less than three weeks after a city task force approved a 54-page document that spells out design standards and guidelines for new development in a Historic Stockyards Overlay District. The task force began meeting nearly a year ago with a consultant and completed the report Sept. 23.

The report now requires City Council approval, and council members will be briefed Tuesday. The council won’t vote until December, after the Urban Design and Zoning commissions hold public hearings. The Zoning Commission will receive the report Wednesday.

Historic designation

In July, Majestic and the Hickman family unveiled a concept plan for their property that included transforming the two neglected horse and mule barns into 180,000 square feet of restaurant, shopping and office space.

Their entire project encompasses 70 acres and about 800,000 square feet of new space. Redeveloping the horse and mule barns could cost as much as $40 million.

The west barn building, at 124 E. Exchange Ave., and the Murrin properties have a demolition delay designation, the city’s lowest historic preservation designation. Under demolition delay, the property owner has to wait at least 180 days before tearing down a structure after a demolition permit is filed.

The highly significant endangered designation, adopted by the city in 1995, provides significant economic incentives for redevelopment. It doesn’t prevent demolition, but property owners must still appear before the Landmarks Commission when making changes to the property.

Moreover, because the Stockyards is a nationally registered historic district, the properties also qualify for state and federal incentives under the more-strict HSE designation.

The Murrin property includes 101-107 W. Exchange Ave., which is the O’Keefe-Long Commercial Building, and the commercial building at 115-125 W. Exchange Ave. Murrin is also asking for the designation on 2408 N. Main St., a former Masonic Lodge built in 1910. A year ago, a portion of the building collapsed in a quick, yet powerful late afternoon thunderstorm. Most of the brick has been salvaged, Murrin said.

Murrin said he’s seeking the upgrades in the hopes that other Stockyards property owners will do the same. He said he hopes that having more Stockyards properties designated as “highly significant endangered” will further more far-reaching historic preservation efforts.

But he’s also looking to take advantage of the tax credits that would become available.

“Our projects are difficult to do without it,” Murrin said. “That’s what they’re there for.”

Historic survey done

Michael Bennett, principal in the Fort Worth architecture firm Bennett Benner Partners, which is working on the mule barn project, said an Historic American Building Survey, which follows national standards established by the Interior Department, has been completed on the property.

Local historic experts and preservationists also have been consulted on the proposed work, Bennett said.

The owners only plan to remove one barn area, and that’s because it was added several decades after the original barn burned, he said. New window and door openings are planned for several sides of the buildings, including along Exchange Avenue.

“The barns were never intended for human occupation, only animal,” Bennett said. “There’s a lot of work to do.”

Most of the window and barn openings are boarded up. Those will be removed and any windows that can be repaired and reused will be, he said.

“We are committed to doing this right. Our client is committed to doing this right. The buildings have been horribly treated for a long time.”

Depending on the outcome with the Landmarks Commission, work could begin early next year, Bennett said.

This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Landmarks commission to consider requests for Stockyards project."