Skip to main content

Schwarz Culture and Cowboys

Culture & Cowboys

How did an architect raised in the suburban sprawl of Los Angeles with an office in Washington, D.C. wind up nearly single-handedly transforming downtown Fort Worth, Texas? Teaming up with fellow Yale University alumnus and businessman Ed Bass, of a prominent Texas family, Schwarz has spent the last 30 years executing his master plan for the Texas city that locals affectionately call “Cowtown.”

35 miles from Dallas, 260 miles from Houston, and with a population of 800,000, Fort Worth has transformed itself into a destination for culture and architecture. With a rich history in oil and farming, Fort Worth’s museums, galleries, theaters, and recreation facilities have brought new life to a once sleepy downtown.

Aside from Schwarz’s work, the city is also home to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. This event takes place each year in the Will Rogers Memorial Center. With an opening parade that shuts down schools, the rodeo runs for three weeks and welcomes more than one million visitors each year. Directly across the street from the Will Rogers Memorial Center is a block of art galleries – the Kimbell Art Museum, The Modern, and Amon Carter Museum. These privately owned collections serve to merge culture with cowboys in Fort Worth.

A large part of downtown Fort Worth was imagined, designed, and built by David Schwarz and Ed Bass. This includes apartments, retail space, the town square, offices, and a lavish, state-of-the-art performance hall – the Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Performance Hall completed in 1996 – which is now home to the Fort Worth Symphony, Fort Worth Opera, Casa Mañana Musical Theater, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

The Westbrook: multi-use building in Sundance Square
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

The Commerce Building: multi-use building in Sundance Square
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

The Chase Bank Building: multi-use building in Sundance Square
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

Lon Evans Correctional Center: Tarrant County Jail
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

Tarrant County Family Law Center: Tarrant County Courthouse
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

The Maddox Muse Center: Rehearsal and Recital Hall across from Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing

The Cassidy Building: multi-use building in Sundance Square
Photo Credits: Steven Hall at Hedrich Blessing