08.18.2023

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Today’s Forecast

55º | Mostly cloudy | 10% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:32 a.m. | Sunset 5:36 p.m.

If we build it, they will come

Five-minute History: Fort Worth’s interwar construction boom

Fort Worth City Hall was constructed on Throckmorton Street in 1938 after the original city hall was demolished. | Photo courtesy of UTA Libraries

Welcome back to our five-minute Fort Worth history series. This month, we’re diving into the major construction and growth that took place between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II.

Catch up quickly with an overview of the major businesses and industries that brought Panther City into the 20th century.

💧 Infrastructural innovations

Like many US cities, Fort Worth’s interwar period was a time of growth + the expanding city needed resources to sustain it and infrastructure to protect it.

In 1916, a dam was completed on the Trinity River’s West Fork, creating Lake Worth. The $1 million reservoir served as both a water supply and recreation area for residents. The project included Casino Park, complete with a boardwalk, bathhouse, rides, and ballroom.

The success of Lake Worth and the need for further flood control prompted a $6.5 million bond program in 1927 to build Bridgeport and Eagle Mountain Lakes + the eventual construction of Benbrook, Grapevine, and Arlington Lakes.

FTW-lake-worth-aerial-1940s — Lake Worth was constructed to help control flooding from the Trinity River + in January 1940 it iced over.
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Image courtesy of UTA Libraries

🏗️ Crane watch

Despite the economic downturn of the Great Depression, some of the city’s most notable landmarks were constructed in the 1930s.

Construction ranged from civic projects — like the US Courthouse (1934) and City Hall (1938) — to transportation headquarters like the T&P Station and Warehouse (1931).

There was also a rise in cultural icons meant to be enjoyed by the public like the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (1934) and Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum and Auditorium (1937).

FTW-casa-manana-1936 — The world-famous Casa Mañana theater only lasted four years but was rebuilt in 1958 with the dome we know today.
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Photo courtesy of UTA Libraries/Star-Telegram Collection

🎭 100 years in the making

Texas’ 100th birthday was celebrated in oversize Lone Star fashion with both the Central Centennial Exposition at Dallas’ Fair Park and the Texas Frontier Centennial in the Cultural District in 1936.

For the festival Amon G. Carter commissioned the original Casa Mañana, which was the world’s largest rotating stage surrounded by a moat for water displays. The “House of Tomorrow” produced Broadway and Wild West shows before it was deconstructed so scraps could be used for the impending war.

Events

Friday, Aug. 18

2023 Build Fort Worth Expo | Friday, Aug. 18 | 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. | Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth | $100 | Learn about public and private construction projects that are changing the skyline + meet the contractors and firms who are making it happen.
Line Dancing | Friday, Aug. 18 | 8:30-11:30 p.m. | Guitars and Cadillacs, 4750 Bryant Irvin Rd., Fort Worth | $6 | Let’s go girls — grab your boots and hit the dance floor.
Metal Shop: A Classic Rock Cover Night | Friday, Aug. 18 | 9:30 p.m.-12 a.m. | Fat Daddy’s Sports & Spirits Café, 781 W. Debbie Ln., Mansfield | $13 | Let your freak flag fly while Metal Shop rocks their face off to Guns ‘n Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Metallica + more.*

Saturday, Aug. 19

Yoga & Strings | Saturday, Aug. 19 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Arts Fort Worth, 1300 Gendy St., Fort Worth | $40 | BYO mat and join the all-levels flow set to live violin music.
Ted Nugent | Saturday, Aug. 19 | 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth | $20-$75 | The guitarist is bringing his “Farewell Tour” to the world’s largest honky-tonk.

Sunday, Aug. 20

Brunch & Board | Sunday, Aug. 20 | 9-11 a.m. | Kendra Scott, 5217 Marathon Ave., Fort Worth | $65 | Sip a mimosa, construct a beautiful charcuterie board with Art of Grazing, and shop new Kendra Scott collections.
Texas Rangers | Sunday, Aug. 20 | 1:30 p.m. | Globe Life Field, 734 Stadium Dr., Arlington | $25-$537 | Watch the Rangers take the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers + enjoy $1 scoops for Blue Bell Ice Cream Sunday.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Travel

The cheapest US destinations to fly to, according to travel experts

A plane flying over a blue sky, possibly to a cheap US destination, with palm trees below.

Start dreaming of your next vacation. | Photo by Tom Cattini via Pexels

Our partners at Going search for cheap flights for a living (and then email you about them for free). Check out their list of the cheapest destinations in the US to fly to, including:

No. 3: San Francisco

Last year, the Going team found 89 flight deals here.
Fun fact: San Francisco International Airport has direct flights from 88 US cities.

No. 2: Los Angeles

Going finds ~10 deals per month to LA — like Chicago to LA for $138 roundtrip.

See the No. 1 cheapest place

News Notes

Eat

Longtime Camp Bowie staple West Side Cafe has new leadership. Joel Hancock, who has managed the eatery for 20 years, purchased the cafe from the family of late founder Tracey Sanford. Hancock teamed up with Bourke Harvey and Gigi Howell, who run JD’s Hamburgers and Margie’s Italian Kitchen. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Civic

The Tarrant County commissioners voted to lower the hospital district tax rate from $0.22 to $0.1945 per $100 of value next year. The commissioners directed the hospital system to rewrite its 2024 budget after the JPS Health Network’s decision earlier this week to maintain the previous rate. (Fort Worth Report)

Development

The 150-year-old University Christian Church at TCU is planning a $12 million renovation. According to a state filing, the project will start at the beginning of October and finish the following fall. The renovation will include new finishes, mechanical updates, reconfiguring spaces, and relocating a stairwell.

Biz

Nominate local executives for the Fort Worth Business Press’ annual Top 100 awards by Wednesday, Aug. 30. The program recognizes executives for their accomplishments and leadership.

Arts

The Kimbell Art Museum’s year-long 50th anniversary celebration wraps up Saturday, Sept. 9 with a symposium on the featured designers. The free event includes a panel discussion titled “Komendant and Kahn: Engineer and Architect,” led by experts in the architecture, engineering, and art history fields.

Announced

TCU announced a new scholarship for Native American students. The Four Directions Scholars Program provides two full-ride scholarships to students who hold citizenship in a federally recognized tribe. Applications are open for students starting in the fall of 2024. (Buffalo’s Fire)

Active

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will meet with the Fort Worth Bicycling Association today at 12 p.m. to discuss a cycling bypass at Benbrook Lake. The USACE closed the route between North and South Holiday parks last month after numerous accidents.

Finance

One card, all the perks. A $200 welcome bonus, unlimited cash back, and 0% interest into 2024 all with no annual fee almost sounds too good to be true — but this card has it all.*

Eat

🍔 Who’s hungry?

Who’s hungry? Burger Week stacks up next week

Our mouths are watering already. | Photo by @themeatboard

Our mouths are watering at the lineup for the 5th annual Fort Worth Burger Week. Over 25 local eateries will serve $6 specialty burgers from Monday, Aug. 21 to Sunday, Aug. 27 + proceeds will support the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

Don’t miss the Kick-Off Party on Saturday, Aug. 19, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Fort Brewery. The first 150 guests can snag a free Burger Week goodie bag and a pair of Billy Bob’s Texas concert tickets.

But wait, there’s more. Take a discounted ride on a Trinity Metro bus or ZIPZONE to get your burger for a chance to win a prize. There will be daily giveaways and a Grand Prize of a $1,000 Big Green Egg ceramic grill, courtesy of FWGrills.

The official Burger Week Passport that outlines all of the hunger-satisfying sandwiches, details, and business hours will be released today, but we’ve got a sneak peek of the participating restaurants.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Kate

From the editor

"Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” wraps up on Sunday at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The traveling exhibition displays sketches and memorabilia from the beloved Charles Schultz cartoon. Skip the summer heat and head indoors for a holiday exhibition.

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