Putting the heritage back in Heritage Park

$34 million renovation of Heritage Park

Designs for the future Heritage Park. | Renderings courtesy of Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

The city is moving forward with a $34.2 million renovation of Heritage Park near the Tarrant County Courthouse to be the gateway to the future Panther Island development. Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. president Andy Taft presented the updated designs at the Tues., Oct. 4 city council meeting.

About Heritage Park 🌳

The park at 300 N. Main St. celebrates the founding of Fort Worth, referencing an 1849 US Army outpost on the bluff of the Trinity River that would one day become Cowtown.

Designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, Heritage Park Plaza was built to commemorate the US Bicentennial but was closed in 2007 due to safety reasons. Despite its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, the plaza has been surrounded by a chain link fence for 13 years.

The designs ✏️

Bennett Partners and StudioOutside are designing the renovated Heritage Park Plaza + MIG is managing the rest of the park revitalization. In addition to reopening the plaza, the plans include improvements for updated streetscapes and pedestrian crossings at Weatherford and Belknap Streets.

Paddock Park — which currently serves as a two-acre traffic median — will become a usable space at the foot of the Tarrant County Courthouse with a water feature that will connect downtown with the Trinity River.

A Canopy Walk will zig-zag down the bluff, mediating the slope to the river. Visitors will descend through the tree canopy and experience the unique history of the land that was once covered by the sea.

At the base of the Canopy Walk, a set of terraced Spanish-style stairs will step down to the Trinity River Trails as a place for rest and connection.

Timeline 🗓

Plans to revitalize the park date back to the 2014 bond package + the city has been working to raise money for the project since then. The next steps include fundraising and community outreach about the proposed designs.

Construction is expected to start in January 2025 + be completed in July 2026, with a grand opening estimated for November 2026.

What do you want to see in Heritage Park?

Tell us what design, art, or landscape features you’d like to see in the revitalized park.

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Today

Music Bingo | Thu., Oct. 6 | 7-9 p.m. | Cowtown Brewing Co., 1301 E. Belknap St., Fort Worth | Cost of Purchase | Relax with a local brew and all the fun facts you can think of.

Friday

Christopher Cross | Fri., Oct. 7 | 7 p.m. | Will Rogers Auditorium, 1 Amon Carter Square, Fort Worth | $26+ | Rock out to live music from Christopher Cross during his 40th anniversary tour.

Saturday

Bass Hall Tour | Sat., Oct. 8 | 10:30 a.m. | Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street, Fort Worth | Free | Reserve your spot to learn the history of Bass Hall with tours of the lobby spaces and audience chamber.
Family Festival and Celebration | Sat., Oct. 8 | 1-7:30 p.m. | Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth | Free | Celebrate art and community with family-friendly activities, films, and a performance by Abraham Alexander.

Sunday

Jimmie Vaughan | Sun., Oct. 9 | 8 p.m. | Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall, 122 E. Exchange Suite 200, Fort Worth | $23+ | The blues guitarist is taking the stage at Cowtown’s newest music venue in Mule Alley.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

90º | Mostly sunny | 0% chance of rain

Civic

Don’t forget — The last day to register to vote is Tues., Oct. 11 for the Tues., Nov. 8 general election. If you haven’t registered, check your eligibility and application requirements. All registered and ready to go? Check your polling location. 🗳
US Congressman Marc Veasey will speak at the Fort Worth Chamber’s Leaders in Government luncheon today at 11:30 a.m. at the Kimpton Harper Hotel. The Fort Worthian representative graduated from Texas Wesleyan University.

Traffic

The Transportation & Public Works Department will host a community meeting on Wed., Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. to discuss improvements along University Drive. The meeting will be held at the Fort Worth Zoo’s Education Building at 1989 Colonial Pkwy.

Biz

Accelerate Fort Worth Foundation — a local business incubator — has launched a grant for small businesses. The Small Business Accessibility Grant offers funds to offset fees for accessibility, connectivity, and mobility. Learn more + apply.
Local business The Dubs Group has partnered with Fans Meet Idols (FMI), a leader in the name/image/likeness (NIL) industry, to help student-athletes profit off their brands. The Dubs Group specializes in collegiate marketing and e-commerce. (Fort Worth Business Press)

Arts

Murals of famous TCU alumni are being painted across the US in honor of the university’s 150th anniversary next year. The first mural featuring John Devereaux — a member of the touring “Hamilton” cast — was unveiled in New York City on Tuesday. 🎨

Ranked

No. 15. That’s what the Fort Worth-Arlington area ranked nationally in Lodging Econometrics’ new report on the number of hotels in the works. In the second quarter of 2022, there were 65 projects totaling 8,005 hotel rooms on the books. 🏨 (CultureMap Fort Worth)

Sports

Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge broke the record for the most home runs hit in a single American League season in a game at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night. The baseball — home run No. 62 — was caught by local fan Cory Youmans + is worth at least $2 million. ⚾️ (NBC DFW)

Shop

Mum’s the word — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s annual Fall Plant Sale will take place on Fri., Oct. 7 from 2-6:30 p.m. + Sat., Oct. 8 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Grove. Peruse a wide assortment of trees, perennials, shrubs, mums, bulbs, and seeds. 🌻

Announced

By becoming an FTWtoday member, you’ll directly support our mission of offering our newsletter, social content, and website access for free to all Fort Worthians (read: no pesky paywalls). Learn more + sign up.

Outdoors

Notice an uptick in any of these feathered friends in your backyard lately? Keep them safe from colliding with your windows — a cause of death for millions of birds each year — by throwing up some decals like these. We love these leaf designs too to keep things festive for fall.*

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Events

Panther Island Ice canceled for 2022

Snow or no, there’s winter fun to be had in Texas. | Photo courtesy of Panther Island Ice

Panther Island Ice — the annual skating rink at Coyote Drive-In — will not return for its 10th season. The Tarrant Regional Water District announced this week that the successful 4,000-sqft rink — which brought in ~350,000 attendees over its nine-year run — has been picked up by the private sector and the TRWD-sponsored programs have been put on pause.

Since Panther Island Ice launched in 2013, it has hosted several community events, including the Skates Program, which taught children from 23 Fort Worth ISD elementary schools to skate. The program also supported Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center and the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

But you can still skate to your heart’s content this winter at the new Stockyards Rodeo Rink coming to the Fort Worth Stockyards next month. The 4,000+ sqft professional rink will be installed on the lawn of the Livestock Exchange Building from Fri., Nov. 25- Sun., Feb. 5, 2023. Stay tuned for tickets.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Kate.

Editor’s pick: In case you missed it — country music legend Loretta Lynn died on Tuesday at 90 years old. The “Queen of Country Music” appeared 11 times at Billy Bob’s Texas over the course of her career, performing her signature song “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” 🎙

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Fall back into Texas football traditions with homecoming mums.

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Editorial: Rebecca McRobbie, Kate Mazade, Dayten Rose, Emily Shea, Ashlea Hearn, Josh Kranzberg | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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