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Report looking at the future of Fort Worth Community Arts Center delayed until June

Several artists spoke during the public comment session of the 1300 Gendy task force on March 30. The task force will present their final report to City Council on June 6.
Marcheta Fornoff
/
Fort Worth Report
Several artists spoke during the public comment session of the 1300 Gendy task force on March 30. The task force will present their final report to City Council on June 6.

The future of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center remains up in the air.

During their April 25 meeting, City Council members approved a request from Arts Fort Worth to delay the final report on the building located at 1300 Gendy St. in the Cultural District. The report was originally expected on May 2, but will now be presented on June 6.

Arts Fort Worth, the nonprofit that manages the city’s public art program, is the primary tenant of the city-owned building alongside several other nonprofits.

The site is one of a handful of places being considered for the city’s forthcoming African American museum. But a 2022 assessment of the facility found a number of problems with the building’s plumbing, electrical and mechanical infrastructure.

At the time of the report, the estimated cost to address those issues totaled $26 million, but at a recent meeting Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa said that number is likely higher now due to inflation.

At an April 27 meeting the group discussed plans for redevelopment and will meet again on May 24 to review and approve the final draft of their report.

More than 300 community members attended a public meeting on March 30, where several people shared what the building means to them and urged the task force to continue supporting a public space for emerging artists.

During that same meeting, District 7 council member Leonard Firestone, who represents the Cultural District and chairs the task force, reassured the audience.

“It’s not a question if we use the building for the arts, it’s a question of how best to use the building for the arts,” he said.

Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. 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.