It’s time to develop a plan to save and adapt all of Fort Worth’s Farrington Field

Tough times call for bold solutions. It was true during the Great Depression of the 1930s when Fort Worth schools needed a fully functional stadium, and it’s true today when we have an opportunity to renovate Farrington Field for 21st century use. Farrington Field is an historic landmark. That status is official – the stadium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places last month.

While listing on the National Register designates Farrington Field as one of the nation’s most significant structures, it won’t save it from complete or partial demolition. The people of Fort Worth have to do that, and a thoughtful plan to adapt Farrington Field to meet 21st century basics is needed.

Before Farrington Field existed, Fort Worth schools used two facilities, but neither were adequate for both football and track – especially for events held at night. School athletic director E. S. Farrington lobbied for a new stadium, but it was not until 1937 that the application to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was successful. Farrington died in November 1937, and the school board approved plans for the stadium and agreed to name it for Farrington in January 1938. The city of Fort Worth sold the land to the school district with a reverter clause stipulating that the property would be returned to the city if it was not used for recreation or athletic purposes.

Fort Worth architect Preston M. Geren Sr.’s firm was chosen to design the Classical Moderne stadium, but two of his employees, A. George King (who later designed Casa Mañana’s geodesic dome across the street) and Everett L. Frazior, are credited with the actual design. Fort Worth sculptor Evaline Sellors’ bas reliefs of a male football player and female relay racer complement the monumental design of the stadium and signify its use as an athletic facility.

Farrington Field hosted football games not only for Fort Worth’s public high schools, including I. M. Terrell’s Panthers, but also for the private Catholic Laneri High School and the Masonic Home and School of Texas, district and state championship matches, and a handful of pro football exhibition games. It has also been used for track and field meets for both male and female athletes, the 1949 centennial celebration of the founding of Fort Worth, a 1963 memorial service for President John F. Kennedy, and school commencement ceremonies.

The WPA funded the construction of four “super” or monumental stadiums in Texas, but only two survive, Farrington Field and the 1940 Alamo Stadium in San Antonio. Historian Susan Kline, who wrote the National Register nomination, states that, “Due to its monumental size, prominent location in the Cultural District, and importance as a sports and events venue for the city’s public schools and the community at large, Farrington Field is arguably the most recognized WPA project in the city ... [and] a superb example of the integration of architecture and public art.”

Willis Winters, a preservation architect and the former director of the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, guided the updates at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. He knows how to update: add elevators, club seating, bathrooms, a media box, and concession stands while preserving the integrity of an historic facility like Farrington Field. The stadium’s size and outdoor design could be a strength in the long term, considering not only football, or track and field, but uses such as soccer, cricket, rugby, and concerts.

Winters sums up the stadium’s significance, saying, “This is such an iconic structure for Fort Worth. It contributes to the extraordinary architectural character of the surrounding district. Farrington Field has solid bones that can easily be adapted and upgraded to accommodate modern, multi-purpose functionality. It doesn’t take much vision to accomplish this successfully.”

The “highest and best” use is not always financial. It may be time to widen the scope and consider a request for proposal process to identify a private management partner that would renovate and manage Farrington Field as a multi-purpose venue. The facility could be a revenue generator for the school district.

It’s time to appreciate Farrington Field for the Cultural District asset it is and embrace a bold solution that preserves its architectural integrity and value as a public outdoor venue while adapting it for contemporary activities.

Carol Roark is an archivist, historian, and author with a special interest in architectural and photographic history who has written several books on Fort Worth history.