Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

Omni Hotel Fort Worth
On January, 17, 2009, Fort Worth's skyline changed forever whent the Omni Fort Worth Hotel opened for busines. The hotel stands adjacent to the Fort Worth Concention Center and Water Gardens and adds to the appeal of Fort Worth as an convention destination

The Omni needs the street graciously, programming the Houston Street frontage with bistro entrances, sidewalk cafes and wide sidewalks. These pedestrian amenitites are complemented by the building's materials - warm stone and contemporary glass - and the builidng's dramatic design - creating sense of place that invites visitors to linger and enjoy their overnight stays in Fort Worth - indoors and out.

The design speaks to Fort Worth's western heritage in a thoroughly modern structure, making the Omni a place that is both comfortable and inspiring.

Texas and Pacific Lofts
Texas and Pacific Lofts towers above Fort Worth's reclaimed Lancaster Avenue

The Texas and Pacific tower first opened in 1931 as the headquarters for the Texas & Pacific Railroad. In 1999, the T restored the original train terminal to its former grandeur but the upper floors sat for years, awaiting redevelopment.

During Lancaster construction, the Texas & Pacific Lofts opened, transforming the empty historic office building into 136 contemporary lofts in the restored 12-story tower and 92 lofts in the new 4-story addition, which mimics some of the original building's design and turret elements. The Texas and Pacific Lofts now house downtown residents, breathing new life into the south end of downtown and anchoring the Lancaster redevelopment vision.

The long neglected landmark is both a home for new downtown Fort Worth residents and a beautiful station for the Trinity Railway Express, providing rail service to the mid-cities and downtown Dallas.

Sanguinet Building
Originally named after a prominent Fort Worth architect of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Sanquinet Building, is a celebration of Fort Worth's rich architectural past. Outside, it features a classical, early-century style and a beautiful decorative brick pattern that blends perfectly with its surrounding yet merits admiration in its own right.

The building offers more than 180,000 square feet of office space, with over 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, activating the sidewalk night and day. The parking garage, tucked behind the building, elevates the status of parking signage to a new level. 

Home to tenants including CHASE Bank, P.F. Chang's, Taverna and Piranha Killer Sushi, the building is an excellent blend of form and function. 

The Walking Guy
Fort Worth is recognized as having one of the most walkable downtowns in the nation, but how do you communicate that fact in a marketing campaign in an interesting way?

The answer: The Walking Guy. He's the guy who appears on the traffic signal when the light turns green...and he has come to life and taken up residence in Sundance Square.

The Walking Guy provides an eye-catching platform to promote all of the positive features of Sundance Square. the integrated campaign uses print ads, social media, e-mail blasts, direct mail and radio to tell the story of his ongoing adventures in Sundance Square. The Walking Guy even has his own Facebook page.

The campaign has helped Sundance Square build stronger customer relationships and drive traffic to restaurants, shops and entertainment venues inside and outside of Sundance Square

Worthington National Bank
Built in 1914, the Burk Burnett Building was designed by famed Fort Worth architects Sanguinet & Staats. It was the city's first true skyscraper.

Today, almost a hundred years later, it houses Worthington National Bank, and has been beautifully restored with extraordinary attention to historical accuracy and detail. In fact, the project has already been awarded the Texas Historical Foundation Judge James Wheat Award and the Texas Bankers Foundation Cornerstone Award.

Worthington Bank's deisng placed special emphasis on restoring the Burk Burnett Building banking lobby as closely as possible to its original appearance. The bank also adopted a western theme to reflect Fort Worth's proud history. Thanks to these tremendous efforts, their white marble lobby is now a showplace of historic architecture in downtown Fort Worth.

Molly the Trolley
More people than ever are coming to Downtown Fort Worth each year for conventions and vacations. Making our center city more enjoyable and easier to use is important to our success in the competitive convention industry. In 2009, several organizations joined to provide a new shuttle service: Molly the Trolley. This whimsical take on Fort Worth's longhorn mascot is a rubber-tire trolley that appeals to visitors and locals alike.

Molly links alls of downtown's major hotels by traveling a circular route, allowing visitors, employees and residents to conveniently travel throughout downtown - for free. The downtown trolley route runs seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Molly was introduced at an attention-getting media event a week before the service began. the Fort Worth Herd led a fleet of seven "Molly's" down Main Street in Fort Worth. The event concluded with remarks from Mayor Moncrief and received significant coverage in the media.

Molly has quickly become a big success and receives high praise from riders. With any luck, Molly will keep on rolling for years to come.

Heritage Trails
Heritage is tremendously important in Fort Worth. Locals take pride in our past, and visitors are entralled by it. The Heritage Trails project provides an entertaining and educational way to delve deeper into downtown Fort Worth and its cultural history.

This self-guided walking tour of downtown features information kiosks and freestanding sidewalk markers that include historical photos, drawings and stories. The crown jewel of the project is the beautiful bronze sculpture of fort Worth's famous sleeping panther, located at the Tarrant County Administration Building at Main St. and Weatherford. Each element of Heritage Trails can be easily identified by the distinctive cubistic longhorn.

This project like so many in Fort Worth, was a collaborative effort, led by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the City of Fort Worth and the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Amon G. Carter Foundation
During his life, Amon G. Carter made an enormous impact on Fort Worth, Texas. Today, his legacy continues to enhance our community and our lives through the work of the Amon G. Cater Foundation.

Many visitors projects in our city were made possible by the Carter Foundation, including the Amon Carter Museum, the awe-inspiring Fort Worth Water Gardens, and Heritage Plaza, Fort Worth's contribution to our nation's bicentennial celebration.

But the impact of the Carter Foundation goes far beyond remarkable structures and artworks. Each year, the foundation provides much-needed support for organizations in many areas...education...health and medicine...humanities and arts...and social services.

The Foundation has played a significant role in countless local projects.

However, for every large gift there are scores of smaller grants. The Directors of the Foundation recognize that financial support and encouragement can allow a fledgling organization to continue and flourish, or a community to begin a grassroots effort which touches and affects many lives.

Ruth Carter Stephenson and the Foundation Board continue tradition begun by Amon G. Carter, providing leadership, inspiration and invaluable financial assistance to a host of worthwhile commmunity programs.

As Fort Worth grows and evolves, one this is certain: the spirit of Amon G. Carter and the generosity of the Carter Foundation will continue to improve Fort Worth and the lives of those who live here.