Iconic Fort Worth landmarks with uncertain futures top 2026 Most Endangered Places list
Some of Fort Worth’s most historic landmarks — either shuttered or at risk of demolition — are on a local preservation nonprofit’s radar in hopes of rallying financial support for the iconic properties.
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Texas & Pacific Warehouse, Mary Elizabeth Apartments and the staircase at the site of the former Swift & Co. Meatpacking Plant are the four properties picked for Historic Fort Worth’s 2026 Most Endangered Places list.
The nonprofit’s annual catalog began in 2004 and brings citywide attention to sites it believes should receive newfound investment, redevelopment or historic designation.
Historic Fort Worth board chair Alyssa Banta said this year’s list — smaller than its usual roundup of roughly seven to 10 properties — is focused on landmarks nonprofit leaders viewed as “hot topics right now.”
Last year’s list featured nine properties: five Fort Worth ISD schools, Farrington Field, Mount Gilead Baptist Church, Oakwood Cemetery Chapel and Primera Baptist Church.
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, located at 1300 Gendy St., has been closed to the public since the end of December 2024. The building has been on the endangered list four times.
The 77,000-square-foot building first opened in 1954 and served as the epicenter for local artists and theater performers to grow their careers.
Arts Fort Worth managed the building since 2002 before stepping away due to the property’s needed $30 million repairs. In the two decades the organization oversaw the center, city leaders allocated $200,000 annually for management and repairs of the building.
Since its closure, arts advocates have pushed for reinvestment in the facility before it reaches demolition by neglect. City management briefly explored leasing the building to Texas Christian University last year, but plans didn’t move forward.
In late December, chief Fort Worth spokesperson Sana Syed said the building would remain closed for the foreseeable future as city staffers work to determine the scope, budget and engagement process needed for restoration.
“Our priority is ensuring a safe, sustainable facility that reflects the needs of Fort Worth’s arts community,” Syed previously said. “Ultimately, any plan will need to identify, beyond capital funding, how ongoing maintenance and operating costs will be obtained to ensure long-term sustainability.”
The T&P Warehouse located between Lancaster Avenue and Interstate 30 has been almost completely vacant for 50 years. The building has been under the same private ownership since 1998 and has been featured on Historic Fort Worth’s endangered list seven times.
The massive eight-story building was constructed in 1931 by railroad legend John Lancaster. At its prime, the facility served as storage and distribution space for items transported by the railroad. In recent years, the T&P Warehouse has stood as a “symbol of frustration.”
Historic Fort Worth board member Martin Dahl said the nonprofit believes it is time for a “suitable project” to be developed at the building since no vision has come to fruition.
“Today, the commanding T&P Warehouse is a vital link to Fort Worth’s railroad heritage and the development of the Lancaster corridor,” he said. “Vacant buildings are never safe from vandals, fires and other negative impacts.”
The staircase and Victorian-era wall at 709 NE 23rd St. stand as relics of the former Swift & Co. Meatpacking Plant. This is the first year the landmark is included in the list, because the Fort Worth Stockyards are expanding, Banta said.
The 235-acre meatpacking plant opened in 1902 in what was then known as Niles City. In its prime, the business employed 3,000 Americans and European immigrants, according to Historic Fort Worth.
Very little remains of the plant except for an administration building, some walls and the staircase, which served as an employee entrance from the parking lots across 23rd Street.
The final historic building on the endangered list is the Mary Elizabeth Apartments at 2008 Hemphill St.
The apartment consists of two mirror-image 1920s buildings and a central courtyard near the Fairmount Historic District. The property has fallen into disrepair in recent years due to frequent vandalism and fires. The complex is currently uninhabitable and has been boarded up by Fort Worth’s code compliance department.
Each landmark presents a unique set of circumstances, Dahl said, but there is hope they could be restored with their history intact.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
The Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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