Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Peter Licata recently walked into Farrington Field alone.
As his eyes scanned the historic stadium’s facade, he thanked the gentleman who showed up to unlock the gates to one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Licata felt it was important to spend an hour walking the hallowed grounds to understand its legacy and its importance to Fort Worth, he told the board of managers Tuesday night.
That visit prepared him for a meeting that offered the clearest public look yet at how the district — now under state-appointed leadership — plans to move forward on a long-debated redevelopment of the historic stadium and surrounding land.
District officials and outside legal counsel presented the process behind a request for proposals issued in January, aimed at attracting private development around Farrington Field while preserving the stadium itself.
No decisions have been made, officials emphasized.
“This is a project with a single-minded focus,” Brian Newby, managing partner of law firm Cantey Hanger, told the board. “Ensuring that what happens with that facility is in the best interest of not only Fort Worth ISD but the entire city of Fort Worth.”
Newby outlined months of work that began under the elected school board before the state takeover shifted authority to the board of managers.
FWISD issued a request for proposals Jan. 20 seeking developers to purchase and build on seven tracts of district-owned land surrounding Farrington Field as part of a sports-anchored mixed-use project.
Two proposals were finalized in March, Newby said.
Those proposals have been scored, and staff are now developing recommendations — which were presented privately in executive session.
In next steps, the board of managers can choose to move forward, restart the process or reject proposals altogether.
If leaders decide to pursue a deal, they would under Texas law first have to declare the school district’s land “surplus property” before negotiating any potential sale or agreements with developers.
“No determination is going to be made until you have all of the evidence in front of you and you make that decision on behalf of the citizens of Fort Worth,” Newby told the board.
The stadium itself is not included in any potential sale, officials said. Any redevelopment would focus on surrounding land while preserving Farrington Field.
A stadium with needs – and value
The district’s push comes as Farrington Field faces tens of millions of dollars in needed upgrades, including accessibility improvements, elevator access, locker room renovations and safety fixes.
“If you are in a wheelchair and you want to go buy a ticket at Farrington Field, you’re going to have a difficult time,” Newby said.
At the same time, its location near the Cultural District makes it one of the district’s most valuable pieces of property — a dynamic that has fueled debate over its future.
The redevelopment concept aims to pair stadium improvements with adjacent private investment that could help fund those upgrades without tapping classroom dollars.
Last year, Fort Worth City Council approved a tax financing district that could help fund infrastructure improvements and a potential renovation of the stadium using future property tax growth in the area.
At Tuesday’s meeting, comments from multiple residents reflected both the emotional ties to the stadium and ongoing concerns about how redevelopment decisions will be made.
Elected trustee Michael Ryan urged the board to consider leasing the land instead of selling it.
“It gives us a great income stream,” Ryan said. “And if people default on whatever they’ve got going on, we get to take it back over.”
While district officials have said Farrington Field itself would be preserved, the current proposal includes Billingsley Field House, raising questions from preservation advocates about how the historic gymnasium will be treated in any final plan.
Martin Dahl, chairman of Historic Fort Worth’s public affairs committee, called on district leaders to preserve the stadium and the adjacent field house and ensure any development respects their historic designation.
“Ensure any future development respects the national standing these two facilities have already garnered,” Dahl told the board.
Following the presentation, Dahl told the Fort Worth Report he was encouraged that no decisions have been finalized but noted concern that only two proposals were submitted.
“That kind of ties your hands,” he said. “I would like to see more interest.”
Evan Farrington, grandson of the stadium’s namesake, also expressed cautious optimism while noting the limited number of proposals.
“Competition’s great,” Farrington told the Report. “You maximize what you get from the property when you have people competing.”
Still, he’s optimistic about the stadium’s redevelopment and said he hopes any plan preserves the stadium’s prominence while creating new opportunities for use.
“You cannot buy a historic football stadium like that,” he said.
For now, district leaders stressed the process is ongoing — and that the board of managers will ultimately decide whether and how to move forward.
Board President Pete Geren, whose grandfather designed Farrington Field, acknowledged the weight of the decision ahead.
He recalled a line from Fort Worth author and sportswriter Dan Jenkins, who once noted that the city is unique in having its high school football stadium and rodeo arena right in its Cultural District.
Geren remembers “glorious days” at Farrington Field — and some that were less so — he said.
“We take our charge very seriously in what happens with that crown jewel,” he said.
Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader advisory council. FWISD manager Courtney Lewis is a member of the Report’s business advisory council. 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.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
