Transformation of Fort Worth’s T&P Station features historic artwork, improved lighting
December 3,2024
See full Fort Worth Report article by Emily Wolf here.
Fort Worth’s T&P Station has welcomed visitors to the city for nearly a century. Now, a recently completed public works project is shining light on some of the historic figures that have stepped off a train throughout the years.
Among them are Elsa and Inge Kokotek, sisters who escaped Nazi Germany and traveled to Fort Worth in order to begin their new lives in America. For the Kokotek sisters, Fort Worth was the final stop in a yearslong journey that included a stint in France.
Elsa and Inge boarded the train in order to come live with their aunt and uncle, and their smiling faces upon arrival were captured in a black and white photo. When Stephanie Leung, Inge’s daughter, received a voicemail in 2022 about the historic photo, she wasn’t sure what it was about — or whether she wanted to respond.
The call came from Hollace Weiner, director of the Fort Worth Jewish Archives. Weiner was calling to ask for permission to use the photo in a public art installation inside of the T&P Station — part of a larger public works project, called T&P Passage, that also added lighting, improved wayfinding signage and a walkway between downtown and the train platform.
Before Weiner’s voicemail, Leung didn’t even know the photo existed. She and her brother, Mark Kessler, had few photos of Inge from that time period. Their cousin Carol Pearson, Elsa’s daughter, was also unaware that her mother’s arrival was captured on film.
Eventually, Leung decided to give Weiner a call. And, over the ensuing months, she, Kessler and Pearson worked with Weiner to write a caption for the photo. Along the way, the family found more records of their mothers’ lives.
“Our moms never really talked about it,” Leung said. “We’ve been really fortunate to learn a few things.”
Now, the photograph of Elsa and Inge is one of 11 that will greet people walking through the passageway inside T&P Station. Leung, Kessler and Pearson were among several of Elsa and Inge’s friends and family members that attended a Dec. 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the T&P Passage project.
Fort Worth City Council member Elizabeth Beck, who spoke at the ribbon cutting, said the public art featuring the Kokotek sisters and other former T&P passengers will help educate visitors about the history embedded in the station.
“The public art really lets you learn a little bit about Fort Worth’s history, the role it played throughout what are some significant events, not just in Texas history, but in world history as well,” she said.
Beck said the other T&P Passage improvements, like the increased lighting and the new signage, also help make the area safer and more welcoming for visitors and residents alike. The $1.75 million project was funded through the Ccity of Fort Worth’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone District Eight.
Downtown Fort Worth Inc. President Andy Taft said it has been a long time coming.
“We had to deal with COVID, we had personality changes, and we worked with a lot of folks,” he said.
Among those partners was Trinity Metro, which provides TexRail and Trinity Railway Express service at the T&P Station. Richard Andreski, CEO of Trinity Metro, said the new additions to the station represent something bigger and bolder for the city’s future.
“The walkway opens up access to the blossoming downtown — in the Texas A&M Innovation District, rejuvenated water gardens, new hotels and an expanded convention center,” he said, referencing the construction of a new Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus in the area.
The station is one of the first places where people step foot into Fort Worth, he said, and the new T&P Passage ensures the first impression will be a good one.
And while many of the art pieces greeting residents have historical significance, one has everlasting symbolism. Fort Worth artist Ariel Davis created “Looking Up: A View of the Lone Star Sky,” a ceiling mural that greets passengers as they enter and exit the train platform. Keen eyes will notice the mural’s negative space is framed by clouds to create a star.
“I’ve used stars in my work quite a bit,” Davis said. “It has a couple of different meanings, the biggest of which is the Lone Star sky.”
Davis said there is a rich history of murals featuring the sky in Fort Worth, and she feels lucky to build on that tradition. Painting a ceiling, she continued, feels monumental. Her new mural joins existing art pieces she designed on the station’s shelters, which show local residents wearing their favorite Fort Worth-themed shirts.
“It means a lot to me to do something in a public space, which has the potential to connect us in a universal way,” she said.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Location Mentioned: T&P Station