The Will Rogers Coliseum is in the home stretch of its first major overhaul in decades, a roughly $50 million effort that crews are hustling to finish before the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo opens its gates. The 1936 Art Deco workhorse of Fort Worth’s Cultural District has hosted generations of rodeos, horse shows and concerts, and the current renovation is designed to modernize its guts and freshen its public spaces while keeping the arena’s historic character intact. For longtime Stock Show regulars, the promise is better sightlines, improved accessibility and some long-awaited basic comforts.
As reported by the Dallas Business Journal, the price tag is estimated at about $50 million and the schedule is calibrated around this year’s Stock Show & Rodeo. That coverage describes the work as the Coliseum’s first major upgrade in decades, with crews zeroed in on the concourse, restrooms and core mechanical systems. The Business Journal story, published Jan. 13, 2026, cites city and project officials who say they are working against the clock to hit the event timeline.
What the overhaul covers
According to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s project overview and public materials, the renovation package includes a reconfigured concourse, long‑overdue restroom upgrades, replacement of major HVAC and electrical systems, new fire and life-safety equipment and the addition of multipurpose rooms on the Coliseum’s south end. Plans also call for bringing back some of the 1936 shine on the outside, including removal of an obsolete awning, installation of historically accurate doors and returning the original aluminum ribs when the roof is replaced.
Timeline and the Stock Show
The Dallas Business Journal reports that crews are putting the final touches on the building so at least portions of the Coliseum can be used during the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Event listings put the Stock Show run at Jan. 16 through Feb. 7, 2026, with organizers planning a mix of rodeo performances and Auditorium entertainment across the grounds. If the Coliseum were to sit out, many rodeo performances would shift to nearby Dickies Arena, but officials say the refreshed spaces inside Will Rogers are expected to host select shows this season.
Who is paying and who is building
City and Stock Show leaders say the project is financed through a blend of city allocations and contributions from the Stock Show, with the nonprofit Stock Show organization taking the management lead. That partnership and oversight role are outlined in the Stock Show’s own newsletter and city materials, while state permit records filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation list a Phase 1B registration with a March through November 2025 window and an estimated $38 million cost for that phase. City procurement and council records also show Sedalco Construction Services tied to related Memorial Center contracts in recent years.
Why it matters to Fort Worth
Built for the 1936 Texas Centennial, Will Rogers Coliseum has anchored regional equestrian and rodeo schedules for nearly a century, and officials say striking a balance between preservation and modernization is crucial for promoters and longtime fans alike. The current work is part of a larger push to prepare the original 1936 buildings for their centennial and to keep the complex commercially competitive. A detailed look at the initial phase of the project was run last August, per Hoodline.
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