Fort Worth in HDR, Part 2 of 3

[FortWorthology]

A full shot of the Fort Worth Club.

The Bob R. Simpson Building from 1910. The Simpson Building was afflicted by an awful '70s modernization that left its base replaced by concrete panels. When XTO Energy bought the building a couple of years ago, they stripped off the '70s base and worked off period photos to meticulously restore the original 1910 base. The restored base is seen here. The clock on the corner is original, and was found in the building's storage areas during restoration. The entire base had to be recreated new - nothing was left under the concrete. What you see here is the result of painstaking analysis of period photography by the project's architectural firm Carter + Burgess and XTO's insistence on using authentic materials.

XTO did a fantastic job recreating the intricate detailing of the original base. You can also see a bit of the building's freshly restored crown at the top.

The Simpson Building alongside its block mate, 714 Main, built in 1920. 714 Main has been vacant since 2004, but XTO has bought it and is currently restoring it for more office space.

The Fort Worth Club with the First Christian Church from 1910.

The Shelton Building at 8th & Houston, built in 1900 but sporting the Moderne remodeling job it has had since 1937. The ground floor is a Kinko's, and the vacant upper floors are to be reopened as condos in the not too distant future. The buildings alongside it are all pre-1920s structures that are common on this southern stretch of Houston Street. Most now house nightclubs and restaurants, along with the Peters Brothers hat store. This area of downtown is starting to be known as "SoDo" (South Downtown) and is becoming quite a popular destination in its own right.

The Atelier Building on 8th Street, from 1905. It is an architect's office. To the left is the edge of the old Thompson's Book Store Building from 1910, now trendy night spot Bar 9.

Close-up of the Thompson's detailing.

Thompson's and Atelier.

Shelton and Thompson's.

Looking back at the Sundance Square area from SoDo, we see (tallest to shortest) one of the City Center towers from the '80s (offices), the Sinclair Building from 1930 (offices), the STS Building from 1925 (offices), the Kress Building from 1936 (apartments), and the Grant Building from 1939 (now a bar).

The Fort Worth Club, The Tower (built 1974 but completely redesigned and redeveloped in 2005 after nearly being destroyed by a tornado - originally offices, now condos), the Chase Building (2002, offices) and a sliver of One City Place (former Tandy Center office tower, now awaiting condo redevelopment).

The old Barber's Book Store building at 8th & Throckmorton, built in 1910 but sporting an Art Deco remodeling from 1935. The building now houses the Downtown Grocery Market & Deli and Back Door Bookstore.

[krazeeboi]

Gotta love the architectural diversity found in DT Fort Worth. You guys have some real jewels.