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.
Thanksgiving is around the corner. Here’s when your students are out of school
by Jacob Sanchez, Fort Worth Report November 6, 2023
Aromas of turkey roasting and pies baking will permeate the air for Thanksgiving — and that means no school for students across the Fort Worth area.
Most districts have the entire week of Thanksgiving off, but a couple start the break days earlier.
Here are the dates to remember:
Nov. 16: Student holiday in Aledo ISD
Nov. 17: Student holiday in Aledo ISD, early dismissal in Castleberry ISD
Nov. 20-24: Thanksgiving break in the Aledo, Burleson, Castleberry, Crowley, Everman, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw, Fort Worth, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Keller, Lake Worth, Northwest and White Settlement school districts
Nov. 27: Class resumes
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via 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.
More than half of renters in Fort Worth are cost-burdened, new census data shows
by Sandra Sadek and Emily Wolf, Fort Worth Report October 19, 2023
Every month, 52-year-old Zolanda Cravin is faced with the same question: What will she have to cut out this month to ensure she can pay her bills?
Cravin, who works in Fort Worth ISD’s security and safety department and rents an apartment downtown, makes $24,000 a year and brings home $1,653 each month.
That money doesn’t stay in her account for long. Every cent is already budgeted: her rent costs $1,190 each month; her car payment is $478; and electricity costs her an average of $300 each month. Her bills cost more than she’s bringing in — forcing her to make difficult choices.
“I’m actually not paying [one bill] to pay something else,” Cravin said. “I’m stressed out.”
Like Cravin, over half of renters in Fort Worth — nearly 55% — spend more than 30% of their income on rent, according to the latest numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Most financial experts agree people should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing.
Mary-Margaret Lemons, president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions, blames a housing stock that has not kept pace with the city’s population growth. Combined with wages that have remained stagnant for years, people are forced to live paycheck to paycheck.
“We’re behind on both single-family and multifamily production. We have people competing at all different income levels for the same units,” Lemons said.
Being cost-burdened means many of these renters are locked in a vicious cycle, unable to move up the ladder and become homeowners.
Cravin was making $20,000 before a pay raise in September, but the $4,000 income boost still isn’t enough to make her homeownership dream a reality.
Not all cost-burdened renters feel equal pressure
While housing costs are a serious problem, Amy Connolly, assistant director for Fort Worth’s neighborhood services, cautioned that the census numbers are a bit more complicated than they initially appear.
When the city looks at populations that are cost-burdened with rent, staff must take students, voucher holders and those who make above a certain income out of the equation — granular populations that aren’t represented in census cost-burden data.
“Theoretically, if you have a higher income, even though you’re rent-burdened, you may be rent-burdened because you just have a nicer apartment, right?” she said. “You just decided to live in a particular area of town where your rent is higher, and so you’re willing to make that sacrifice.”
Excluding the groups Connolly mentioned, the city of Fort Worth estimated that about 32,000 residents were truly housing cost-burdened in 2021.
The Huntley Apartments, 100 Harding St., are located near downtown Fort Worth. The Huntley Apartments are listed as a partner complex by Fort Worth Housing Solutions. The agency has 38 mixed-income properties in high opportunity areas, according to its website. They have 6,797 units within those 38 properties. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
Mortgages, interest rates put Fort Worth homeowners on the ropes
Homeowners are also affected by housing cost burdens, albeit in a different way than renters. About 24% of Fort Worth homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs like mortgage payments, according to census data.
“We used to say all the time that homeownership was cheaper than renting. We can’t say that anymore,” said Donna VanNess, president of Housing Channel, a nonprofit agency that helps people build wealth through homeownership.
High down payments, high interest rates and mortgages are some of the factors making homeownership unattainable.
Trying to close the housing gap with new construction alone would be too expensive, Connolly said. For example, if the city wanted to build 32,000 new units, the public cost would range between $1.1 billion and $2.9 billion.
“We have to make investments that are strategic because there’s just not enough public money to get the private market to do it. And it has to come with a subsidy,” Connolly said.
Across Tarrant County, affordable housing is disappearing. Join us Dec. 6 – we’ll explore solutions at our next event.
“This is something that is a big endeavor for Fort Worth,” Lemons said. “We haven’t really gotten to this granular level since I’ve been in the seat.”
Despite housing advocates applauding the plan, some opponents were able to delay City Council’s vote to adopt it over specific concerns about one of the plan’s recommendations. The City Council ultimately adopted the plan at its Oct. 17 meeting.
The city is exploring other ways to address housing affordability beyond just density. Those include creating a land bank, a community land trust, mixed-use developments and finding other ways to help developers with the cost of building affordable housing.
“The biggest issue that this plan showed was that the biggest need is for capital,” Connolly said.
Staff is also looking to increase its Homebuyer Assistance Program from $20,000 to $25,000 per individual, which helps low-income families with down payment and closing costs.
Zolanda Cravin looks out of a window at the Amon Carter-Riverside High School. Cravin, like many other Fort Worth renters, is housing-cost burdened. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)
For residents like Cravin, change needs to come sooner rather than later. After she spoke with the Report about her struggles, Cravin received notice that her electricity is in danger of being turned off for failure to pay. She’s now seeking a second job to help pay her bills.
“I’m just making do with what I can,” she said. “I’m living off noodles and water and whatever I can get.”
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Fort Worth home prices fell again in August, and housing inventory continued climbing upward as the market continued to cool from last year when prices rose and inventory was limited.
The median home price in Fort Worth in August was $335,000, down 4.3% from a year earlier. But, with mortgage rates — which hit a multi-decade high in August — now above 7%, monthly mortgage payments have gone up significantly from a year ago.
In Fort Worth, closed sales have consistently been down year over year throughout 2023. The total of 2,187 closed sales in Tarrant County in August was down almost 10% from 2022. In Fort Worth, that number was down 4%.
“Until mortgage rates start to come down, buyers are going to continue to be limited in their price range and therefore their options,” said Bart Calahan, 2023 President of the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors and an agent at Roots Real Estate Co.
According to the latest RE/MAX National Housing Report,Dallas-Fort Worth ranks fifth in the U.S. for the largest decrease in home-sale prices year-over-year. The report showed the median home sale price in Dallas-Fort Worth is $400,000.
The Fort Worth area is a little lower than the Dallas area in terms of price, Steve Young with RE/MAX Associates of Arlington, said.
“We’re down a little bit from Dallas right under $400,000, maybe around $375,000, for the median home sale price,” he said.
The high interest rates and limited inventory are keeping some people out of the market, Young said. The market also favors out-of-town buyers who frequently come to buy with lots of cash, Young said.
“I’ve had more cash deals in the last four years than I’ve had in my 30 or so years of being in real estate,” he said.
Young advises buyers to have as big a down payment as they can afford.
“Right now, the market is still in the seller’s favor, so when I work with a buyer I have to tell them to be ready, things may get rough. But it’s gotten a little better, depending on where you’re buying,” he said.
Young and Calahan are hopeful that the inventory issues that have limited the supply of homes for sale may be lessening.
“In August, the housing inventory was 2.4 months,” said Young. “That’s not perfect, but it’s better than where we were last year.”
Calahan is pleased to see some home-building projects get announced that will increase inventory.
“We were a bit worried that the high interest rates might impact home building, but that hasn’t been the case here,” he said.
In August, Walton Global, which is developing large swaths of land around Chisholm Trail Parkway announced that Arlington-based homebuilder D.R. Horton purchased 151 acres in southwest Fort Worth for a residential development called Longhorn Estates. D.R. Horton plans to deliver homes on the site in late 2024,
The land is slated for residential development of 398 single-family homes, the first two phases of an anticipated four phases with nearly 1,000 homes. The property is just west of Crowley and about 20 minutes from downtown Fort Worth.
Over the next decade, Walton Global and D.R. Horton plan to deliver about 4,600 single-family homes in the southwest Fort Worth market, as well as another 2,000 to 3,000 multi-family homes.
Developments in those areas of southwest Fort Worth were once too far outside the city for most families, Young said.
“With the Chisholm Trail Parkway, homeowners there can commute to work in downtown Fort Worth pretty easily,” said Young. “It really helps us because it gives the homebuyer a lot of options.”
Meanwhile, Hillwood Communities has started work on a project just west of Justin, near the Alliance area. Called Treeline, the 800-acre project is expected to bring 2,500 single-family homes to the area, which is in Northwest ISD. Homes there are expected to hit the market in 2025.
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