FORT WORTH (Dallas Morning News) – A residential community is entering its third phase of development with the addition of 339 lots.
The 1,600-acre Walsh community near I-30 and I-20 will expand its Overlook Park and Lake Park neighborhoods with additional single-family homes and townhomes.
The construction also includes a fire station and early education center.
Townhomes start at $400,000 while luxury custom homes exceed $1 million.
The project is developed by Republic Property Group in partnership with Walsh Cos. The builders will be David Weekley, Drees Custom Homes, Highland Homes, Toll Brothers, Village Home, and GFO Home.
Leonard’s Museum moves to Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
by Marcheta Fornoff, Fort Worth Report December 25, 2023
For Fort Worthians of a certain age, Christmas time was synonymous with Leonard’s Department Store.
Frequently referred to simply as “the store,” Leonard’s stretched across seven downtown blocks, had its own private subway line and was known for elaborate window displays that rivaled Macy’s. Around the holidays, visiting Toyland and sitting on Santa’s lap was a right of passage for many.
The beloved store was a hub of activity downtown for decades, but was eventually sold to the Tandy Corporation and then to Dillard’s.
Starting in 2024, memorabilia from the beloved institution will move from the family-run museum at 220 Carroll St. to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in the Cultural District.
Beginning Jan. 25, Leonard’s will have a permanent display case at the museum as well as a part-time collections coordinator, supported by an endowment from Marty Leonard, daughter of the store’s founder.
If you go
What: Fort Worth Museum of Science and History When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday Noon-5 p.m. Sunday Closed Monday Where: 1600 Gendy St. Fort Worth Admission: Children ages 2 and younger, free Children ages 3-11, $12 Ages 12-64, $16 Age 65 and older, $14
“We are … the comprehensive Fort Worth history museum. Leonard’s had a huge impact on the community, not just in retail, but also the way it built these relationships with everybody who lived in town,” Fort Worth Museum of Science and History President Regina Faden said. “So, I think that if we’re the repository for the cultural heritage here, that’s a major part of it. … It made sense for us.”
The current Leonard’s Museum at 220 Carroll St. will shut its doors as the collection is transferred to the museum of science and history.
“At my age and where I am in life, I’ve been trying to make plans for it, so it wouldn’t go away, because it’s part of history and most anyone would agree with that,” Leonard said. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History “is a logical place when you think about it, and they were very excited about it.”
The display case will be ready just as foot traffic from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo picks up, but Leonard said the process of cataloging and transferring items from the Leonard’s Museum will likely extend through the summer.
However, one 24-ton artifact will not be moving. M&O Car No. 1, the only surviving car of the subway’s five-car fleet, will remain on display at One City Place, 300 Throckmorton St., in downtown Fort Worth.
In addition to its famed subway line, a toy train set was another popular attraction at Leonard’s Department Store. (Marcheta Fornoff | Fort Worth Report)
Leonard’s was founded in 1918, by John Marvin Leonard, commonly referred to as Mr. Marvin. Eventually, he would be joined by his brother and business partner, Obidiah Paul Leonard, known as Mr. Obie.
After Marvin grew up, he went to work in Dallas for a grocer and eventually got the idea to start his own business.
“He didn’t want to go into competition with the guy he worked for in Dallas,” Leonard explained. “I think that tells you something about his character. … That’s the reason he came to Fort Worth.”
The store’s ambitions and offerings expanded nearly as much as its footprint. At Leonard’s you could buy groceries, work pants, a sewing machine and lawn mower. You could also cash your paycheck, get a hunting license, have a deer cleaned and prepared after a hunting trip, and ride a monorail mounted on the store’s ceiling and glide above the merchandise below.
Patrons could ride “Santa’s Rocket Express,” an overhead monorail in Leonard’s Department Store. (Courtesy photo | Special collections, University of Texas at Arlington Library)
But for the family, it wasn’t just about making a sale. It was about serving the community, Leonard said. After a major flood hit the city, the store offered to pick up, repair or replace items that had been damaged in the storm — for free.
Beyond that, when babies were born, the store would give out gifts like rattles, hair brushes, shoes and silver spoons. Residents new to town would get a “Howdy Neighbor” box filled with wares like drinking glasses, coasters, measuring cups, an egg separator and an ashtray, along with a pound of coffee, loaf of bread and map of Fort Worth.
“I remember specific instances where people got emotional because it brought them back to their childhood. I’ve had people spend hours in here,” Lauren Leonard, Mr. Obie’s granddaughter, said of the Leonard’s Museum.
Throughout the museum’s existence, many visitors shared stories in its guest book.
One man wrote a memory of riding the bus downtown to shop at Leonard’s. He admitted to stealing some books that he couldn’t afford and attached $100 to his note.
“That was just last year,” Lauren Leonard said. “I wonder how long he’d carried that around after all of these years.”
Upcoming exhibitions at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
“Black Cowboys: An American Story” – Jan. 20, 2024 “Mexican Roots” – May 3, 2024 A yet to be named collaborative exhibit between the city of Fort Worth and the museum on redlining – fall 2024
Faden is excited about the different stories the museum can tell with its newly acquired collection.
“There’s many, many stories you can tell through retail at a retail store. Who’s coming in there? Who’s working there? How are things changing? You know, the things we buy and the things we wear and the things we use reflect changes … the way we live our lives,” Faden said. “So I think those will be some of the things that the curator, with the history collections people, will be working on again on a regular basis.”
The move to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History ensures that Leonard’s will be remembered for generations to come.
Countless people have shared their memories of Leonard’s with Marty Leonard, and one in particular shows how deeply connected the store was to its customers.
“A lady was in here, she did some looking around and came to me and said, ‘Marty, I have to tell you something. There’s just one thing missing here,’ and I said, ‘Oh, really. What’s that?” Marty Leonard said.
The answer? A box of Kleenex.
“I can say this without bragging because I didn’t have anything to do with it,” she said, “but Leonard’s was a place where people gathered for all kinds of reasons — not just to shop.”
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Increased homebuyer assistance and veteran opportunities on the horizon in Fort Worth
by Emily Wolf, Fort Worth Report December 5, 2023
Since 1997, the city of Fort Worth has helped low- and moderate-income residents become first-time homeowners through its Homebuyer Assistance Program. Eligible residents can get deferred forgivable loans of up to $20,000 to reduce downpayment and closing costs when buying a home.
Now, that program is likely to expand. In a work session Dec. 5, city staff presented plans to bump the maximum loan amount up to $25,000 per household. The idea was first raised at an October committee meeting and will go before the full City Council for approval Dec. 12.
In the past five years, the city has helped 243 homebuyers through the program, which is funded through federal dollars. In an informal report, staff cite the hot real estate market, high sales prices and population growth as reasons why the loan amount needs to be increased. About a quarter of Fort Worth homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs such as mortgage payments, according to previous reporting.
Chart courtesy of city of Fort Worth.
This isn’t the first time the city has bumped up the loan amount. In 2018, Fort Worth raised the maximum loan amount from $14,999 to $20,000.
The new increase comes as the city explores strategies to encourage housing affordability. In October, City Council members unanimously approved an affordable housing strategy that outlined a toolbox of actions the city can take moving forward.
Increasing veteran business opportunities
Veterans will soon have their own small-business program in the city of Fort Worth, according to an informal report presented to council members.
After City Council members Elizabeth Beck and Charlie Lauersdorf began pushing for greater support for veterans and their businesses in Fort Worth, city staff researched the feasibility of creating a small-business program for veterans. That research found enough existing resources to launch a program in the 2024 fiscal year that would support veteran-owned small businesses and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
The program would:
Promote, track and report city contract opportunities for veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.
Help veterans get certified through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and others.
Increase awareness of capital access and capacity building opportunities for veterans through education, training and outreach efforts.
In order to establish specific goals for veteran-owned businesses in the future, the city should hire a consultant to analyze the number of existing veteran-owned businesses “in the City’s established marketplace,” according to the informal report.
In addition to announcing its intention to create the new program for veteran-owned businesses, the city also posted a new position, the veteran affairs coordinator. Whoever is hired for that position will “serve as a liaison focusing on Veterans Affairs between the municipality and various government entities, including local, regional, state or federal government, as well as other public and private affiliated groups,” according to the job posting.
Lauersdorf appreciated the work done by city staff to make the program a reality.
“I think we have some really big things on the horizon,” he said.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Emily Wolf is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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