Fort Worth considered leasing community arts center to TCU. Here’s why it didn’t

City officials explored leasing the now-closed Fort Worth Community Arts Center to Texas Christian University, but those plans did not move forward.

Some local arts advocates say they’re disappointed city leaders did not pursue the offer to revitalize a building they say served as a centralized space for young artists to showcase work.

Chief city spokesperson Sana Syed said TCU officials approached Fort Worth’s 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, closed its doors to the public last December as the city-owned property is in need of roughly $30 million in repairs. A 2022 assessment of the 77,000-square-foot building found problems with its plumbing, electrical and mechanical infrastructure.

TCU spokesperson Greg Staley said the university was exploring the center as a temporary site when the school’s Ed Landreth Hall undergoes renovations next year. 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’s 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 “golden opportunity” from TCU. The university’s 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.

“It 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,” Kirk said. “The 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.”

The city’s property management director, Marilyn Marvin, said Fort Worth is working toward a long-term solution that could include redevelopment of the site. She didn’t provide examples of possible plans for the building.

The Fort Worth Community Arts Center opened in 1952 at 1300 Gendy St. as a space with nine galleries and two theaters for artists in what is now the city’s Cultural District, which features nearby museums and galleries.

A city-appointed task force explored two proposals for the center in fall 2023, but those plans were ultimately rejected several months later. Parker assured residents 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 continuing operations was not financially sustainable.

David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.

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