Downtown Fort Worth Walking Tours
The history of West Lancaster Avenue gets interesting in 1876 with the arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Through the years the street has had some highs and lows but currently development is on the upswing. This two hour tour includes lots of surprising facts about the south end of downtown Fort Worth.
The 1899 station was actually the third passenger depot for the T&P. The original station was located beneath today's I-35. This station burned in 1904 but was rebuilt. In 1931 it was replaced by the current T&P building. The lot was sold to Frank Kent and was a Ford & Cadillac dealership until the mid 1980's. The family still owns the land and is seeking to redevelop it as a hotel.
Built in 1889 just south of the railroad tracks on the T&P reservation The Spring Palace was intended to promote tourism and settlement in Texas. People arrived by train from all over the world to view the Texas products on exhibit. One year and a day after the Spring Palace opened it was destroyed by fire. Al Hayne's monument on Lancaster still stands today to pay tribute to the hero and only victim of the Spring Palace Fire.
Shown here making a left turn on Lancaster from Main Street, the Interurban provided transportation between Fort Worth, Dallas, Cleburne and other surrounding cities. With the advent of the automobile the once popular Interurban lines disappeared from Fort Worth streets.
This 1952 aerial photograph shows the Al Hayne Monument, the former route of Main Street and The Frank Kent dealership along with the Bowen Bus Terminal on the north side of Lancaster.
No longer visible, these former tracks of the Interurban were still seen on West Lancaster in the 1950's. On the right are the T&P Warehouse, Post Office and T&P Passenger Terminal.
Though long ago abandoned, the T&P Warehouse may someday get a second life as luxury Condos. The project is considered by developers to be the centerpiece of the redevelopment of the southern end of downtown.
