A local city plans to spend $34 million to renovate and revitalize one of its most historically valuable parks.
Designed and built in 1849 by the U.S. Army to celebrate the founding of Fort Worth, Fort Worth’s Heritage Park was initially established as an army post. The landmark site is located on several hundred acres in downtown Fort Worth, nestled behind the Tarrant County Courthouse on Main Street.
In 2007, the City closed Heritage Park to the public amid undisclosed safety concerns and erected a chain-link fence to prevent park-goers from visiting the historic site.
Since its closing, community leaders have worked to address environmental challenges in tandem with creating the renovation project that will see the park refurbished and reopened in late 2026, according to project schematics submitted to City Council Tuesday.
“This is a very exciting project,” Downtown Fort Worth Inc. president Andy Taft suggested. “People will be bringing their kids, their families, their friends from out of town to all of these places we are going to create.”
The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday was briefed on design concepts for the park. Taft and his team produced the project’s designs and explained the goal of creating a gateway between downtown and the future Panther Island.
“Right now, this is an isolated place,” Taft said. “When Panther Island gets built, this is going to be in the middle of everything. We’ll be a little ahead of the curve, but we’re going to create something special for everyone.”
Renovations to the park will include new infrastructure geared toward maintaining an open-air environment for visitors to gather, hang out, and enjoy the scenery. Some infrastructure additions include a winding canopy for shaded walks to the river and a large patio for social gatherings.
“We’re going to put the heritage back in Heritage Park,” Taft said.
What do you bet it will be overrun with homeless vagrants right after it opens? Just like the new park in Dallas