The Heritage and Paddock parks in downtown Fort Worth are on track for a major facelift, with the BNSF Railway Foundation injecting a cool million into the renovation pot; the funds have been bestowed upon Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives Inc. (DFWII) to jazz up the aging green spaces that sit, somewhat forlorn, north of the Tarrant County Courthouse. And now, thanks to BNSF, that vision is $1 million closer to reality, according to a recent announcement by the City of Fort Worth.
This is not just about slapping on some new grass and calling it a day, the project promises to inject new life into the parks with water features, lights, accessible elevated walkways, seating, play equipment and the obligatory landscaping—but that's not all, because there will be educational displays, public art, and performance spaces which, let's face it, every park worth its salt needs these days. Remember those pedestrian improvements we're always banging on about? Well, they're on the docket too. "These parks will bring people back to where Fort Worth began. From the top of the bluff to the river, these public spaces will be reclaimed for everyone to enjoy," Mayor Mattie Parker was quoted as saying in the city's press release.
Tying back to a bygone epoch, the project has its roots in inspiration from the late Ruth Carter Stevenson, who had the gumption to rally civic leaders to the cause of Heritage Plaza after it shuttered in 2007 over safety concerns—a shout-out to the plaza's significance as a listed urban landscape masterpiece by Lawrence Halprin is well deserved.
