City officials explored leasing the to Texas Christian University, but those plans did not move forward.
Some local arts advocates say they鈥檙e disappointed city leaders did not pursue the offer to revitalize a building they say served as a .
Chief city spokesperson Sana Syed said TCU officials approached Fort Worth鈥檚 property management department this year and discussed potential opportunities related to leasing the arts center on a temporary basis.
Ultimately, city management decided not to proceed after a review of longer-term impacts and questions about the condition of the building, Syed said via email. She declined to answer additional questions, stating that city staff involved with the center were out for Thanksgiving break.
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, located in the Cultural District, as the city-owned property is in need of roughly $30 million in repairs. A 2022 assessment of the 77,000-square-foot building .
TCU spokesperson Greg Staley said the university was exploring the center as a temporary site when the school鈥檚 . The hall is a 79,000-square-foot building containing classrooms, practice and rehearsal areas and an auditorium that was the original home of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
The university has since found other accommodations, Staley said.
Council member Macy Hill, who represents the northwest area of the city where the community arts center is located, declined to comment, deferring to Syed鈥檚 statement. Mayor Mattie Parker did not provide a comment by publication time.
Wesley Kirk, a longtime advocate for the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, said it was disappointing that the city did not take advantage of what he considered to be a 鈥済olden opportunity鈥� from TCU. The university鈥檚 support could have prevented the building from deteriorating any further, he said.
He and other arts advocates are expected to meet Tuesday night at Amphibian Stage in the Near Southside to discuss the history of the community arts center and ways to advocate for its future.
鈥淚t has been a year and a half since the arts community has gotten a tangible update on what the redevelopment process of the building will look like,鈥� Kirk said. 鈥淭he longer that it stays empty, the more expensive it will be for us to get it back, and the harder it will be to make up for the damages done to the community in its absence.鈥�
If you go:
What: The Future of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center
When: 6-8 p.m. Nov. 25
Where: Amphibian Stage, 120 S. Main St., Fort Worth
Admission:
The city鈥檚 property management director, Marilyn Marvin, said Fort Worth is working toward a long-term solution that could include redevelopment of the site. She didn鈥檛 provide examples of possible plans for the building.
The Fort Worth Community Arts Center opened in 1954 at 1300 Gendy St. as a space with nine galleries and two theaters for artists in what is now the city鈥檚 Cultural District, which features nearby museums and galleries.
A city-appointed task force for the center in fall 2023, but several months later. Parker at a City Council meeting that year that the building would continue to serve the arts community.
Arts Fort Worth managed the building for over two decades before determining that repairs were too significant and .
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or .
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