John T Roberts
01 March 2002, 09:53 PM
As I'm sure most of you know, I am a resident of Fort Worth and have a web site similar to Troy's called Architecture in Downtown Fort Worth (http://www.fortwortharchitecture.com) and a forum called the Fort Worth Forum. (http://pub32.ezboard.com/bfortworthforum) A couple of weeks ago, the Fort Worth Business Press featured the architecture profession and called to see if I would grant them an interview. I did and here is what was published.
‘Mr. Roberts’
Fort Worth Native a walking history of downtown buildings
By Shannon Canard
Fort Worth Business Press
On any given day, John Roberts can be found leading a personal tour of downtown Fort Worth.
Like a train with linked passenger cars, he winds his way up Main Street, across 7th to the west and back north toward the courthouse. He stops along the way at the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall, gazing with admiration at one of his favorite buildings. He points proudly at the three markers on the Sinclair Building, designating it as a part of the National Register of Historic Places, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a City of Fort Worth Landmark. Roberts, a
registered architect with the firm Halbach-Dietz, has a long time appreciation of architecture, dating from a time he was a young boy. He’s a native of Fort Worth, born 44 years ago and raised among the department store heydays of the city, when family friendly giants such as Leonard’s, Cox’s, and Monnig’s ruled the strip.
And Roberts watched the stores close, one by one. He watched the theaters shut, the buildings being boarded up, and people leave the central business district for the suburbs.
“It was sad downtown, full of vacant storefronts, empty buildings,” he says. “A lot of the buildings were in bad shape.”
But then the Bass Family started renovating Sundance Square in 1979, starting with the block of Main St. that is now home to Riscky’s Bar-B-Q. The early work spread with the construction of what is now the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, and the City Center towers in the 1980’s.
It has been a domino effect since. Boards have come off the storefront windows, veneers have been removed to reveal original finishes, and people have returned to downtown to live and play, as well as work.
Roberts has been right in the middle of all of the changes He made downtown architecture more than a hobby; it became his business. During college, the focus of his master’s thesis was downtown architecture and became the source for much of his expertise about the city today.
His architectural contributions can be appreciated at The Flying Saucer in the historic Land Title Building. Roberts worked on the second story interior. He has also worked on the Cabo restaurant on Houston St., and many interior remodels at City Center.
He’s developed a web page, www.fortwortharchitecture.com, and an Internet bulletin board, Fort Worth Forum, for downtown afficionados to chat and learn about the city. “I’ve received compliments from people in Fort Worth and from those who’ve moved away. People like it,” Roberts said.
Fernando Costa, planning director for the City of Fort Worth, speaks highly of Roberts’ enthusiasm and love for the city’s architecture. “John has been exceedingly helpful to us. His Web site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the architecture of Fort Worth. We use the Web site in our research and often refer others to it to learn more about the city’s architectural history and promote development within our community.”
On a fine, mid-afternoon day in February, Roberts is offering a quick tour of some of his favorite landmarks. We start at the new Ashton Hotel on Main St., the original home of the Fort Worth Club. We perused the interior and checked out the work of Robert W. Kelly.
“They’ve done a wonderful job renovating a building where nothing original was left on the ground floor,” Roberts says, listing the many tenants and remodeling incarnations of the building.
As we left the Ashton and strolled the windy streets making our way over to the W.T. Waggoner Building on Houston, Roberts pointed out the intricately carved terra cotta reliefs adorning many of the downtown structures. “Architects would get laughed at for suggesting that type of detailed work now,” he says. “It’s not cost effective.”
He also makes note of a few buildings, including the Shamrock, which houses Chili’s, that in his opinion was not restored properly. “Here’s how not to restore an old building,” he says sadly shaking his head. “Very bad.”
With the sun on our backs and the convention center just ahead, we found ourselves in front of the Flatiron Building, one of Fort Worth’s most interesting structures, according to Roberts. Modeled after the Flatiron Building in New York City, the triangular shaped building was one of the city’s first steel-framed structures.
The highlight of our tour is the Kress Building, a beautiful Art Deco structure from 1936, which is undergoing renovations as the new home for the Fox and Hound Pub. Once a department store with entrances on Main and Houston streets, the Kress has been boarded and neglected on the Houston St. side until recently.
Gazing up the side of the terra cotta facade, the bold, gold toned letters of the Kress reflect the light, as perhaps they did long ago.
Roberts’ tours are on a request basis and free.
Contact Canard at scanard@bizpress.net
‘Mr. Roberts’
Fort Worth Native a walking history of downtown buildings
By Shannon Canard
Fort Worth Business Press
On any given day, John Roberts can be found leading a personal tour of downtown Fort Worth.
Like a train with linked passenger cars, he winds his way up Main Street, across 7th to the west and back north toward the courthouse. He stops along the way at the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall, gazing with admiration at one of his favorite buildings. He points proudly at the three markers on the Sinclair Building, designating it as a part of the National Register of Historic Places, a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a City of Fort Worth Landmark. Roberts, a
registered architect with the firm Halbach-Dietz, has a long time appreciation of architecture, dating from a time he was a young boy. He’s a native of Fort Worth, born 44 years ago and raised among the department store heydays of the city, when family friendly giants such as Leonard’s, Cox’s, and Monnig’s ruled the strip.
And Roberts watched the stores close, one by one. He watched the theaters shut, the buildings being boarded up, and people leave the central business district for the suburbs.
“It was sad downtown, full of vacant storefronts, empty buildings,” he says. “A lot of the buildings were in bad shape.”
But then the Bass Family started renovating Sundance Square in 1979, starting with the block of Main St. that is now home to Riscky’s Bar-B-Q. The early work spread with the construction of what is now the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, and the City Center towers in the 1980’s.
It has been a domino effect since. Boards have come off the storefront windows, veneers have been removed to reveal original finishes, and people have returned to downtown to live and play, as well as work.
Roberts has been right in the middle of all of the changes He made downtown architecture more than a hobby; it became his business. During college, the focus of his master’s thesis was downtown architecture and became the source for much of his expertise about the city today.
His architectural contributions can be appreciated at The Flying Saucer in the historic Land Title Building. Roberts worked on the second story interior. He has also worked on the Cabo restaurant on Houston St., and many interior remodels at City Center.
He’s developed a web page, www.fortwortharchitecture.com, and an Internet bulletin board, Fort Worth Forum, for downtown afficionados to chat and learn about the city. “I’ve received compliments from people in Fort Worth and from those who’ve moved away. People like it,” Roberts said.
Fernando Costa, planning director for the City of Fort Worth, speaks highly of Roberts’ enthusiasm and love for the city’s architecture. “John has been exceedingly helpful to us. His Web site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the architecture of Fort Worth. We use the Web site in our research and often refer others to it to learn more about the city’s architectural history and promote development within our community.”
On a fine, mid-afternoon day in February, Roberts is offering a quick tour of some of his favorite landmarks. We start at the new Ashton Hotel on Main St., the original home of the Fort Worth Club. We perused the interior and checked out the work of Robert W. Kelly.
“They’ve done a wonderful job renovating a building where nothing original was left on the ground floor,” Roberts says, listing the many tenants and remodeling incarnations of the building.
As we left the Ashton and strolled the windy streets making our way over to the W.T. Waggoner Building on Houston, Roberts pointed out the intricately carved terra cotta reliefs adorning many of the downtown structures. “Architects would get laughed at for suggesting that type of detailed work now,” he says. “It’s not cost effective.”
He also makes note of a few buildings, including the Shamrock, which houses Chili’s, that in his opinion was not restored properly. “Here’s how not to restore an old building,” he says sadly shaking his head. “Very bad.”
With the sun on our backs and the convention center just ahead, we found ourselves in front of the Flatiron Building, one of Fort Worth’s most interesting structures, according to Roberts. Modeled after the Flatiron Building in New York City, the triangular shaped building was one of the city’s first steel-framed structures.
The highlight of our tour is the Kress Building, a beautiful Art Deco structure from 1936, which is undergoing renovations as the new home for the Fox and Hound Pub. Once a department store with entrances on Main and Houston streets, the Kress has been boarded and neglected on the Houston St. side until recently.
Gazing up the side of the terra cotta facade, the bold, gold toned letters of the Kress reflect the light, as perhaps they did long ago.
Roberts’ tours are on a request basis and free.
Contact Canard at scanard@bizpress.net