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Placemaking 2008
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Bass Performance Hall
A crown jewel of downtown Fort Worth, The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance
Hall not only enhances the beauty of downtown and dramatically improves the city's
cultural offerings...it puts Fort Worth on the map as an international performing
arts destination. It opened to wide acclaim in May of 1998, and was called "one
of the 10 best opera houses" in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine.
Bass Performance Hall designers faced numerous challenges in building a world-class
performance space on a single city block measuring 200 by 200 feet. Through careful
planning and remarkable creativity, they constructed an architectural marvel...a
structure that is as famous for the towering limestone angels outside as the fabulous
acoustics inside.
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Sustainable Development 2008
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Sundance West and Sanger Lofts
Today, residents embrace the urban lifestyle in downtown Fort Worth like never before.
Two groundbreaking developments led the way for residential living and mixed use
development in downtown...Sundance West and Sanger Lofts.
The 12-story Sundance West, which opened in 1991, was the first new apartment building
to be constructed during the revitalization of downtown. The Sanger Lofts were built
in 1929 as a department store and converted to apartments in 1993. When these two
developments opened, downtown Fort Worth had few mixed use developments, certainly
none that included parking, office, retail and residential. Any uncertainty about
public interest in living downtown was quickly put to rest when both of these mixed-use
projects opened fully leased. Their success led to an explosion of residential construction
in downtown Fort Worth and proved that compatible uses can work together.
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Urban Design 2008
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Fort Worth Convention Center
To make our city a leading destination for meetings and conventions, the City of
Fort Worth spent $75 million to expand and renovate the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The two-phase project added a new grand ballroom...more than 40,000 square feet
of meeting rooms...and an additional 70,000 square feet of exhibit space. Antiquated
meeting spaces were upgraded and the building was given a beautiful new, pedestrian-scale
façade that is broken into storefront-like segments with entrances at each cross
street.
The renovation and expansion of this facility has been a major factor in attracting
new convention and tourism dollars into our city...and has led to increased hospitality
activity on the south end of downtown...including the development of the Omni Fort
Worth Hotel and the redevelopment of the Sheraton Hotel and Spa.
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Promotion/Marketing 2008
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Home Tour Downtown
To attract more condominium and town home buyers and their agents to the center
city, Williams Trew Urban partnered with local developers to host a free, guided
tour of the city's downtown properties. The marketing program communicated the broad
spectrum of urban living in Fort Worth, from loft apartments to boutique luxury
condominiums. A variety of communications tools were used, including postcard mailers,
newspaper ads, posters and an e-mail campaign. More than 1000 people took part in
the event.
Following the event, all participating developments reported that the tours resulted
in sales and a greater awareness of downtown Fort Worth living opportunities. Congratulations
to Williams-Trew Urban, the winner of the.
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Preservation and/or Adaptive Re-Use 2008
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The Blackstone Hotel
Built in 1929, the Blackstone Hotel was the city's first Art Deco skyscraper. At
23 stories, its stepped and spired top has been a prominent part of the city skyline
through the decades. However, as downtown was being revitalized in the 1980s and
1990s, the Blackstone stood vacant...a decrepit, vacant landmark amidst new development
in a blossoming downtown. In 1999, the hotel re-opened as a Courtyard by Marriott.
The renovation, which required a significant public/private partnership, resulted
in more than 200 guest rooms...improved public areas...2,000 square feet of meeting
space...and retail on the ground floor. Extra care was taken throughout the project
to preserve the historic integrity of the building.
Today, the hotel is a vital Main Street anchor and a thriving part of Fort Worth's
hospitality scene.
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Chairman's Award 2008
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Tom Struhs
Tom Struhs is one of Fort Worth's true visionaries, and one of the first to believe
in the tremendous opportunities for downtown living in Fort Worth. His early developments
downtown were modest, beginning with Cassidy Corner...a two-unit duplex. He followed
it with two more developments in the Pecan Place area before undertaking his biggest
project yet...Trinity Bluff...which will be UpTown Fort Worth's signature mixed-use
development.
To assemble the 30 acres of land for this ambitious project, Tom went door-to-door,
visiting with every property and home owner. He told them his vision for the area...made
sure they were taken care of financially...and helped families who experienced hardships.
He also knew that Nash Elementary was a beloved part of the community, and has delivered
on his promise to help the school improve and flourish.
The area was also badly in need of updated infrastructure, and Tom has worked tirelessly
with city staff to craft sophisticated public/private partnerships to address these
issues. It takes a rare developer to assemble an area of downtown land of this size
and complexity. In fact, it's often said that only Tom ...with his integrity, honesty
and plain-spokenness...could have done it ... or would have dared to try.
Today, you can see his vision taking shape on the bluffs of the Trinity...a vision
that's certain to have a positive impact on Fort Worth for years to come.
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President's Award 2008
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Barney Holland
The quality and vitality of downtown Fort Worth has been an inspiration to countless
people who live, work and enjoy the center city. One of those people is Barney Holland.
His pride and passion in downtown Fort Worth led him to a transform an aging building
on the eastern edge of downtown into a beautiful new headquarters for the Barney
Holland Oil Company. He took special care to create a structure that complemented
the surrounding architecture and fit within the historical context of Fort Worth.
The Holland Building is a welcome sight to visitors entering the eastern gateway
to downtown.
In 2008, Barney celebrated the 80th anniversary of his company, one of the oldest
and largest privately held businesses in Fort Worth that's still in the hands of
the founder's family. The Holland Company has survived numerous challenges...from
the Great Depression to OPEC embargoes...and is today a growing, profitable contributor
to the Fort Worth economy.
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