The Fort Worth Community Arts Center will remain closed for the foreseeable future as city officials confirm no decisions have been made about its fate.
Chief Fort Worth spokesperson Sana Syed said city staffers are working alongside the new economic development director to determine the scope, budget and engagement process needed for restoring the Cultural District building. The center closed a year ago as city officials said it needed about $30 million in repairs.
Important to the city’s review process is finding what city funding could be available for a new proposal. Those dollars have not yet been identified, Syed said. A timeline for when the city could start redevelopment will be established once the internal review is complete, she added.
“Our priority is ensuring a safe, sustainable facility that reflects the needs of Fort Worth’s arts community,” Syed 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 latest update on the Fort Worth Community Arts Center comes days after advocates spoke at City Council’s public comment meeting asking for its revitalization to be prioritized. Some artists expressed disappointment with city leaders for not moving forward with leasing the arts center to Texas Christian University.
Syed said city management appreciates those who came forward to share their perspectives, adding that their input will inform how the city evaluates next steps for the arts center.
“We remain committed to a transparent and inclusive approach going forward,” she said.
Arts center faces deficiencies, officials say
TCU officials reached out in April and spent several months assessing the 77,000-square-foot space, Syed said. The university was exploring the center as a temporary site when the school’s Ed Landreth Hall undergoes renovations next year.
Preliminary lease discussions began in July. City staff put those discussions on hold Sept. 3 after “significant questions” emerged about the building’s overall condition and the investment needed to safely occupy it, Syed said.
The community arts center, opened in 1954, has extensive structural, mechanical and safety deficiencies tied to its age and deferred maintenance. Staff identified issues with outdated electrical and HVAC systems, roofing and moisture concerns, accessibility and code-compliance gaps and the need for asbestos abatement.
The building also is in need of flood-remediation work in the sub-basement, Syed added.
“Because of these conditions, the facility cannot be safely occupied without significant rehabilitation,” she said.
No lease agreement was finalized, and no agenda item was prepared for City Council consideration.
TCU spokesperson Greg Staley recently said the university found other accommodations.
Artists plan to continue advocacy
Wesley Kirk, a longtime advocate for the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, said the city’s decision not to restart the redevelopment process soon is his biggest worry.
“They keep moving the goal posts and keep adding more delays so that people in leadership forget about all those passionate speeches that moved them into recognizing that we need to preserve it,” he said.
He and other arts advocates are expected to meet Dec. 17 at The Pool Near Southside to collect data on what is needed for the arts center’s redevelopment. City management’s decision doesn’t deter his group’s efforts to fight for the building’s future, Kirk said.
“I feel strongly that the community can push for the change that we need and push for the proper input we need for the building to be a success for the city,” he said.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
