vid_80_80.gif (11898 bytes) Southside Preservation Hall

1519 Lipscomb Street
Fort Worth, TX 76104

Map
Pressed tin design from sanctuary ceiling
1518 Lipscomb House
(Check link above for updates to the ongoing restoration of the house at 1518 Lipscomb Street.)
Architect William Clayton Meador (left), with his daughter Willye Mae, son-in-law John Wesley Simmons, and wife Martha. Picture taken at their Fairmount house at 1112 Lilac. Many thanks to great grand-daughter Laurie Simmons for sharing this photo with us!

The Central Methodist Church broke ground on what is now Southside Preservation Hall in 1909. Designed by W.C. Meador, the sanctuary was completed in 1911 by the famous construction company Butcher and Sweeney. The contractors built many notable landmarks in Tarrant County including Will Rogers Coliseum and TCU Stadium.
     In 1922, Porter Hall, which now houses the ballroom, was built on the northeast corner of the property. The three-story education building was added in 1923. In 1949, with the addition of air conditioning, acoustic tiles were used to cover the pressed-tin barrel-vaulted ceiling in the sanctuary.   A two-story wing was added in 1954, and in 1955 Pearl Nored Fincher donated the Martha Nored Chapel (now the Rose Chapel) in memory of her mother.
The Central Methodist Church congregation left the neighborhood in 1969, due to the decline of the surrounding area and its membership.   The building was originally scheduled for demolition, but was instead sold to the Panther Boy's Club (note: this was
Bell Tower Window
Replacement wood frames for the bell tower windows have been built to the same pattern as 1911.  Plans call for replacements of all the sactuary windows with new frames and stained glass.

Many Thanks to a wonderful anonymous donor for her generous donations for the bell tower restoration. She was a member of Central Methodist Church.

BEFORE GIRLS were allowed to be members) for $125,000 in 1972.  The club built a boxing ring in the sanctuary, Porter Hall became a small gym, and the chapel and education building were used mostly for storage. The two-story wing housed the Panther Teen Dance Center and offices.
      Unable to finance needed renovations, the Panther Boys and Girls Club requested permission to bulldoze the buildings in 1995. When the impending demolition came to the attention of the Fairmount area, members of the preservation community banded together and formed the Southside Preservation Association. The building was donated to SPA by the Boys Club.  Countless volunteer hours have been spent clearing tons of debris from the building.  Graffiti has been eradicated. Broken and boarded windows are being replaced. Fresh paint and landscaping are bringing new life to this beautiful building.     HallSign.jpg (6912 bytes)
      It’s amazing what a combination of elbow grease, volunteers and generous donations will accomplish. The building was born at the turn of one century. It’s been slated for demolition three times. But with a lot of help from people like you, Southside Preservation Hall will shine into another century.



Flowers in the Hall Courtyard Photo Exhibit

Historic Preservation

If you are interested in neighborhood restoration and preservation, check out these web sites, Fort Worth's Fairmount Southside Historic District or the Preservation Resource Center (PRC) in New Orleans. Preservation Resource Center's "Operation Comeback" and "Live In A Landmark" programs have been instrumental in the saving of hundreds of historic homes from demolition and decay and also in the restoration of pride in the communities. By doing this, they also helped stop decline in the inner city and utilized the valuable existing infrastructure rather than promoting costly urban sprawl.

Below is a reading list that helps explain the importance of historic preservation in economic and sensible city planning and development. For those not "sold" on historic preservation, these books may encourage a new way of thinking. (Some books are available for checkout from SPA -- just drop by the Hall most weekend mornings).

  • The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. A must read for anyone interested in re-developing cities, especially in historic areas - written in 1961 and still right on target. (Be sure to read the chapter about "The need for Small Blocks"). [book reviews and synopsis] 
  • The Living City by Roberta Brandes Gratz. How America's cities are being revitalized by THINKING SMALL IN A BIG WAY (be sure to read the chapter - 'Streets have Value'). [book reviews and synopsis] 
  • Edge City - Life on the New Frontier by Joel Garreau. Discusses trends in how Americans live, work and play [book reviews and synopsis] 
  • Changing Places: rebuilding community in the age of sprawl by Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie, 1997.
  • Home from Nowhere, by James Howard Kuntsler (article in Sept. 1996 Atlantic Monthly -- complete article is available at the link above).
  • Home from Nowhere: remaking our everyday world for the twenty-first Century by James Howard Kunstler, 1996.[book reviews and synopsis] 
  • Geography of Nowhere: the rise and decline of America's man-made landscape by James Howard Kunstler, 1993. [book reviews and synopis] 

These books may sound boring, dull and heavy - nothing could be farther from the truth. They are entertaining, humorous and very readable. Most folks have not taken the time to try and analyze what works and what doesn't, choosing instead to just live with whatever city planning is thrown their way. All of these books provide living examples of good and bad city planning.