A year later, still no answers on the fate of Fort Worth’s Community Arts Center
For over a year, local artists have been left with few answers about the future of the shuttered Fort Worth Community Arts Center, and they shouldn’t expect another update anytime soon.
The 71-year-old arts center in the Cultural District has been closed since December 2024 due to the need for $30 million or more in major renovations and repairs. The fate of the city-owned building, which hosted public gallery shows and theater performances, was hotly debated for nearly two years before it ultimately went dark.
Today, there’s still no plan for what to do with the landmark property at the corner of West Lancaster Avenue and Montgomery Street, nor any timeline for making that decision. Meanwhile, Fort Worth remains the only city in America with 1 million or more residents that lacks a public community arts center.
A city spokesperson gave a vague statement to the Star-Telegram this week about the future of the center.
“The City remains committed to the arts community and plans to establish forums for ongoing communication and dialogue as more clarity becomes available,” a spokesperson wrote. “The City of Fort Worth has shared information at a recent council work session detailing plans to utilize gallery spaces in libraries and community centers, including spaces that could support artist residency programs.”
‘A public trust’
The modern concrete building, designed by renowned architect Herbert Bayer, opened with fanfare in October 1954 as the Fort Worth Art Center, costing the equivalent today of $6 million.
About 1,300 people attended a dedication that featured the director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Francis Henry. He called the return on the city’s investment “phenomenal” in his 25 years of experience in museum building, and described the edifice as “beautiful.”
“Never forget that this new museum you are dedicating this evening is a public trust — a social instrument for the recreation, enjoyment and improvement of the people of Fort Worth,” Henry said during the ceremony.
Over the years, other museums also opened on the west side of Fort Worth, creating what’s now the Cultural District.
But years of deferred maintenance, repairs and upgrades caught up with the 77,000-square-foot arts center, which needs major plumbing, electrical and mechanical work.
‘Well now what?’
Wesley Kirk started the advocacy group Support Fort Worth Art after city officials “kept moving the goal posts back” on timelines and updates about the building’s future. He feels like the city is dragging its feet when it comes to finding a solution.
“The building has been severely underfunded from the beginning,” Kirk said. “Back around 2000, it became the Community Arts Center and the city offered the Arts Council a very unfair deal, saying that they were on the hook for all the maintenance, even though it’s a city-owned building. It’s the only building in the entire city like that where they own it but don’t take care of it.”
In 2023, the City Council appointed a task force to study the building and find potential uses for it. More than 300 people showed up to a public meeting to share personal stories about what makes the arts center so special.
But the task force ultimately found the building was too costly to save and recommended redeveloping it to start fresh — a new “world-class cultural hub” worthy of its illustrious museum neighbors. The city solicited proposals that included redesigning the property as an arts hub with commercial and residential components. The city rejected the proposals in May 2024.
“Though there was a lot to appreciate about both proposals and the work each developer put into them,” Mayor Mattie Parker said at the time, “we ultimately have not hit the mark for a home run project yet,” adding the city needs to be more clear in its vision for the building.
Kirk told the Star-Telegram after that May 2024 decision that he hoped the city would offer more specifics soon.
He’s still waiting.
“At that point, everyone was like, ‘Well now what?’” Kirk said. “We were told they were going back to square one, which everyone interpreted as they’re going to restart the redevelopment proposals, the whole process. And that was it. That was the last time we’ve gotten any information about the future of the building from the city.”
Artists have few options to show their work
With the future of the building in limbo, Arts Fort Worth, the primary tenant, moved to a temporary location in the Near Southside neighborhood. Arts Fort Worth has also not heard anything about the status of the Community Arts Center.
“Unfortunately, we do not know what is currently being planned for 1300 Gendy St.,” said Wesley Gentle, Arts Fort Worth executive director, in a statement to the Star-Telegram. “We do know that the property is under good care with the City of Fort Worth’s property management department. We are grateful that the City is maintaining the lawn to keep the grounds to the same high standard that visitors expect in the Cultural District.”
Staff departures in City Hall have contributed to delays in the process. In July 2024, former city manager David Cooke announced his retirement, as did assistant city manager Fernando Costa a year later. The city said that any redevelopment or repair plans were put on hold until replacements were hired.
In February 2025, the process hit another snag when Robert Sturns, director of the economic development, announced he would be leaving his role. It wasn’t until August 2025 that his replacement, Jessica Rogers, was hired and the redevelopment process could resume. But the city has still been mum about future plans for the building since then, despite artists showing up to speak during City Council meetings at nearly every opportunity.
Since the building’s closure, Fort Worth’s existing art spaces have been overwhelmed with artists who had shows planned at the Community Arts Center. New artists earlier in their careers have almost no opportunities to showcase their work, Kirk said.
“What’s been so amazing about the Community Arts Center is it’s the largest community art space and community art building in Texas,” Kirk said. “It is amazing having all of that under one roof, especially in the Cultural District. It’s a stone’s throw from world-class museums, but local artists rarely, if ever, get featured in those museums. So when we want to show the best work of the community arts in Fort Worth and the breadth and depth of talent that we have here, it’s at the Community Arts Center.”
Kirk said he has been able to talk to most members of City Council, and Mayor Mattie Parker at one point gave her word that she would make sure the space remains dedicated to the arts.
“As your mayor, I will not approve any (request for proposal) that does not maintain a priority and a requirement that includes that theater is maintained and you have a community arts space,“ Parker said during a 2024 council meeting. “It is imperative to me.”
Kirk said other council members understand the importance of maintaining the building and why it’s a vital to Fort Worth. City representatives have been present at Support Fort Worth Art meetings to understand their concerns and learn how to better serve the arts community, a city spokesperson said.
But it’s on Councilwoman Macy Hill, whose district houses the Community Arts Center, to lead the charge, Kirk said.
In a statement to the Star-Telegram, Hill acknowledged that the building is an important part of Fort Worth and the city must deliver a project that serves all community members.
“As the gateway to our Cultural District, 1300 Gendy Street represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Fort Worth,” Hill wrote. “We must deliver a project that serves all taxpayers, enhances the neighborhood, and generates the revenue to justify tens of millions of dollars in renovations and long-term sustainability. By aligning this redevelopment with our recently presented community visual arts plan, this effort will be pivotal to building a more vibrant community for emerging artists and ensuring our city’s culture continues to thrive in a business-friendly environment.”
Hill did not provide a timeline for when redevelopment or the building’s reopening could occur.
