Tea at the plaza, anyone?

History of Montgomery Plaza in Fort Worth

You can see the red “Montgomery Plaza” sign from miles away. | Photo by @FTWtoday

Panther City loves to tell old tales, and we have several historic landmarks with legendary stories that are part of our city’s culture and embedded in our everyday lives.

For example, if you’re sitting in traffic on West Seventh, looking out the window to the north, you’re actually staring at nearly 100 years of history.

We’re walking back in time with one of Cowtown’s most iconic everyday buildings: Montgomery Plaza.

Way back when 🕰

In 1928, retail and mail-order company Montgomery Ward built one of its nine regional centers on West Seventh Street near the Trinity River.

Constructed by Thomas Sneed Byrne — now Byrne Construction Services — the eight-story, U-shaped building was Mission Revival style with a curved parapet and arching windows.

The two towers were split down the middle with a rail line to allow trains to be unloaded directly into the warehouse, but the facade was one solid block.

Archival photograph of Fort Worth underwater — As one of the tallest buildings in the neighborhood, Montgomery Plaza rose out of the floodwaters.

In 1949, 11 inches of rain fell in Fort Worth, overflowing the Trinity River and flooding most of the town. Flood waters rose to the second floor of the building.

Montgomery Ward filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and the property was left vacant.

Renovation + reopening 🏗

In 2004, KIMCO Realty and Weber & Co. began to redevelop the property, cutting a six-story hole through the front facade, and creating the M-shaped profile we see today.

The developers opened an 80-ft bricked promenade through the center for outdoor dining and parking.

Back to the future 🛍

Now, the property includes retail on the ground floor with 240 luxury residential condominiums above. The seventh and eighth floors still connect the two halves of the building and the 1-acre resort-style rooftop deck is one of the largest in Texas.

Check out what retail and restaurant tenants are currently housed in the Fort Worth landmark or peruse available condos for a chance to live in history.

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Wednesday, Nov. 23

Drinksgiving | Wednesday, Nov. 23 | 7 p.m. | Magnolia Motor Lounge, 3005 Morton St., Fort Worth | $10 | Kick off your holiday weekend with a couple of cold ones and some tunes from ‘90s cover band The Dick Beldings.

Thursday, Nov. 24

Fort Worth YMCA Turkey Trot | Thursday, Nov. 24 | 8 a.m. | Frost Bank, 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth | $15+ | Work up an appetite with the 41st annual run benefiting community programs.

Friday, Nov. 25

Home for the Holidays | Friday, Nov. 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street, Fort Worth | $48+ | The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra delivers another magnificent installment of family-favorite holiday traditions and Christmas carols.

Saturday, Nov. 26

Cowtown Cowgirl Christmas Holiday Market | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 1-5 p.m. | The Ruche Collective, 1612 Park Place Ave., Fort Worth | Cost of purchase | Shop dozens of local vendors during Small Business Saturday and enjoy holiday cocktails.

Sunday, Nov. 27

Arispop Culture Pop Up | Sunday, Nov. 27 | 1-6 p.m. | Wonderful Memories, 4301 Fair Park Blvd., Fort Worth | Cost of purchase | Shop for holiday gifts from local vendors.

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.

EVENTS ALL HOLIDAY SEASON

Weather

56º | Scattered showers | 40% chance of rain

Eat

In case you aren’t still stuffed from Thanksgiving dinner, stop by The Bearded Lady (300 S. Main St.) Friday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for Black Friday Brunch. Fuel up for shopping with cocktails and craft beer with specialty menu items. Plus, peruse the Wandering Roots Market for deals. 🍺

Art

The Kimbell Art Museum has acquired a rare French painting and is displaying it to the public for the first time ever. Titled “Still Life with a Bowl of Strawberries, Basket of Cherries, and Branch of Gooseberries,” the 1631 painting by Louise Moillon was discovered in March. 🎨 (Fort Worth Business Press)

Civic

Welcome to the team — the Fort Worth Fire Department has graduated its most diverse class of recruits. Of the 24 recruits, 71% are members of minority groups, five are working mothers, five are veterans, and six are related to active or retired members of the FWFD. 🚒

Biz

Apex Capital Corp. — a top-ranking financial institution — has moved its headquarters to City Center Fort Worth. The company was located in The Western Place off Bryant Irvin Road but opened at 301 Commerce St. yesterday.

Number

13,810. That’s how many pounds of litter 40+ volunteers collected from the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood last week. Join the city’s next cleanup in the Carter-Riverside neighborhood on Saturday, Dec. 10. 🗑

Real Estate

Corinth Land Co. and Prattco Creekway Industrial (PCI) purchased three properties in the IH-20 West Business Park, which currently house Lesiker Construction, Cheer Connection of Texas, and Summit Casing. This is the partnership’s ninth acquisition of industrial space in North Texas.

Stat

63% of first time homebuyers admitted to bidding for a home they didn’t really want. That’s nearly two in three homebuyers. Here’s why that may be.*

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THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Kate.

Editor’s pick: Fort Worth ISD has a new playground. Students at Seminary Hills Elementary School (5037 Townsend Dr.) opened the playground with a sweet ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ribbon was a paper chain made with thank you notes to the volunteers. Check out the photos. 💌

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Fort Worth is creating its first Urban Forestry Master Plan. Find out what that means.

Connect with us.

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

Sales: Camille McLeod | Advertise with us.

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