Sundance Square

Location: Fortworth, Texas. 1980s Industrial City Center

Alongside its neighbors, Dallas and Arlington, the city of Fort Worth represents a part of the largest metropolitan area in the south. With roughly six million residents within an hour of downtown, the design of Fort Worth’s city center was in dire need of an update from its industrial, isolating 1980’s style. Charter Awards juror Jeff Speck praises the way David M. Schwarz Architects “managed to create an entire district of real, walkable urbanism in the heart of a driving city.”

One of the most important criteria for the reorganization of Fort Worth was to utilize downtown’s potential for nightlife and transform it into a competitive space for retail, dining, and entertainment. In order to meet these goals, street parking was extended and made free on nights, weekends, and holidays. Bleak, windowless facades were reworked into friendly structures that no longer turn their backs on the public. A performing arts center and library were constructed with grand, modern details in order to engage the community with its architecture. Art galleries and open public spaces also serve to encourage visitors and residents alike to stick around after hours and experience all that Fort Worth has to offer.

In an interesting approach to market research, the master planner decided to advertise not-yet-designed residential buildings in the central district – and when telephones started ringing off the hook, it was evident that there were more opportunities than previously thought. Though many southerners are drawn to the idea of vast, private land, this guerrilla research proved that in growing cities, interest in urban living will always be viable.

Over the course of the last couple decades, David M. Schwarz Architecture and the local government have collaborated to transform downtown Forth Worth from a bulky series of parking garages into a warm, inviting public space deserving of the name “Sundance Square.” Hopefully, these positive changes will continue to convince others of what Jeff Speck has already noticed that “Texans are human after all.”

Transect Zone(s): T5 center.
Status: Complete
Project or Plan's Scale: Region
Features: Mixed uses.
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Project team designers: N/A
Project team developers: David M Schwarz Architects, Inc

Previous site status: Brownfield (former industrial)

Starting/Ending date of construction/implementation: -