Community and culture take center stage at State of Historic Northside

Community and culture take center stage at State of Historic Northside

Published on November 12, 2025

On Saturday, Nov. 8, State Rep. Ramon Romero (District 90), District 2 Councilmember Carlos Flores and President of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber Ericka Garza welcomed residents and stakeholders alike to Artes de la Rosa to hear an update on Fort Worth's Historic Northside.

The event celebrated the past several years of progress in the district, while also laying out plans for its future that remain community-led and neighborhood-focused.

By leveraging Main Street's four-point approach to community transformation, the Historic Northside is working to build upon its strong foundations, which center people and culture at the heart of its revitalization strategy.

Background

As part of the event, former president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber and member of the Historic Northside Advisory Board Anette Landeros sat down with former Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa to reflect on the progress of the Historic Northside District and the momentum that continues to build.

In 2022, the Historic Northside was named one of the City of Fort Worth's two pilot programs with Main Street America, following a competitive application process. The program - managed by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - was intended to create a sustainable place-based organization to support the historic preservation of the buildings, community and culture in the area located between the Fort Worth Stockyards and Panther Island.

But as the initiative began to take shape, it became clear that the program would also be shaped by important community feedback and discussion, including concerns of displacement and neighborhood affordability.

"We're thrilled that Main Street provided a platform for these conversations, but it was really the community who took it further," noted Landeros. "We needed to see if it was possible to do both neighborhood development and commercial revitalization in the same program, and the answer was 'yes.'"

During the initial three years of the pilot program, the Historic Northside District served 443 businesses and 10 property owners and raised more than $530,000 in additional funding - in addition to the program funds from the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber. They've also held numerous workshops, kickstarted the beloved Sonidos del Summer concert series, and brought together multiple community partners like TCU, MLB/Texas Rangers and others to bring services and drive investment to the community.

In June, the City of Fort Worth extended the pilot program by another two years.

Along the way, the Historic Northside connected with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and brought together a national panel of experts to make recommendations on ways to help preserve the affordability and cultural identity of the neighborhood.

"If we lose the area's history and culture, we lose the heart and soul of the Northside," said Costa. "The community is a historic gateway that welcomes folks from all backgrounds and whose culture is reflected in the architecture and activities in this part of Fort Worth."

"ULI told us to think big," he continued. "Just as big as what's happening at Panther Island and the Stockyards. It can happen here too."

Highlights from the annual report

Next, Dee O'Neal - project manager for the Historic Northside Main Street initiative - gave an overview of recent successes and the momentum building in the district:
More than $6.4 million in aligned private investment has occurred along the North Main corridor over the past three years.

• Over that same time frame, the Historic Northside has had over 440 touchpoints with locally owned small businesses through events, workshops, consultation, referrals and technical assistance.
• Volunteers have also committed more than 2,000 hours toward supporting the initiative, and the district's transformation strategy has been developed.
• Several building restorations are either underway or have been recently completed within the district, which are bringing vacant and underutilized spaces back into use - including Marine Central, the Vinnedge Building, the Fred Rouse Center for Arts & Community Healing, Alan's Lids, the Mercado Building and the Percy Building.
• The Historic Northside District partnered with TCU Roxo to create a unique visual identity and branding for the district inspired by the colors of ballet folklórico and the hand-painted signs that line the neighborhood's storefronts.
• Sonidos del Summer events have brought thousands to Marine Park - more than 8,800 people in 2025 and close to 24,000 people over the past three years.

The event concluded with a panel and Q&A featuring Flores, Landeros and Costa, as well as Dennis Chiessa, associate professor of architecture at UTA; Sarah Geer, principal at the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, and Martha Collins, revitalization manager at the City of Fort Worth.

Next steps

There are several future projects that are both being considered or are in the development pipeline for the Historic Northside district.

First, the Historic Northside's Design Committee has proposed four overlay districts across the Main Street corridor based on community feedback, which would each serve a complementary role in preserving the area's culture while supporting opportunities for growth.

• The Landmark District is designed to protect and celebrate the area's history, architecture and cultural identity. It would contain historic preservation standards, and new construction would be guided to fit the character of the neighborhood.
• Two Conservation Districts - one north of the Landmark District, leading to the Stockyards, and one to the south, leading to Panther Island/Downtown. These areas would also have guides around building height, construction materials and setback, which will help keep a consistent look and feel across the corridor.
• The entire corridor would be zoned as a Mixed-Use District to support the creation of homes, shops, offices, community spaces and other small-scale development, along with walkable spaces. The zoning would also prevent misaligned development from intruding upon the current industrial-zoned parcels.
• The entire area would also potentially be supported by a Public Improvement District (PID), if sufficient support is collected by petition.

These proposed districts are currently being workshopped within the community through a petition-led proposal - which, if they move forward, would be brought to City staff for consideration within the year.

Another project is the recent announcement of the creation of a Community Action Committee with paid community members to help continue trust-building and raise awareness of available resources for the neighborhood.

Residents, businesses, property owners and other stakeholders who live, work or visit the Historic Northside can contact Dee O'Neal via email to learn more about the Community Action Committee or to find out more about the work going on in the district.

Learn more about the Historic Northside by visiting their website or following them on Facebook or Instagram.

Photo: Dee O'Neal (far left), project manager for the Historic Northside district, moderates a panel featuring Anette Landeros, Sarah Geer, Dennis Chiessa, Martha Collins, Fernando Costa and Councilmember Carlos Flores of District 2.

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