Fort Worth Then and Now

“The TCU Press is not affiliated with Thunder Bay Press and this book is not a part of its ‘Then and Now’ book series.”

Fort Worth evokes fond memories of its places, people, and events. Residents and sojourners alike have favorites that help define what makes the city special for them. Perhaps the favorite site was a downtown intersection where the “people-watching” was grand, or some remember a school playground with its impressive array of jungle gyms and slides. Although the details fade with time, memories of a location don't change substantially—the way the place looked, a sense of how people used it, or the feelings it evoked. In reality, though, things do change, whether the alterations involve only minor details or major changes to the landscape, movement patterns, and buildings.

Fort Worth Then and Now explores the changes that have taken place in the city by comparing a historic photograph with a contemporary image taken at the same place or in the same setting. Over time, some scenes have changed so substantially that they are scarcely recognizable, yet others retain many of the elements that would have made them familiar to current residents and to past generations. This approach allows the reader to compare memories with a view made generations ago and evaluate the two.

Take down the overhead freeway, and most people familiar with Fort Worth would recall a Lancaster Avenue that was more human in scale and flanked with buildings that are local architectural landmarks. Yet, the historic photographs of this gateway boulevard show an odd mix of pleasing urban design and gritty commercial practicality. The pictures lead to speculation: will the Lancaster Avenue of memory be-come a reality once the proposed landscaped boulevard is substituted for the concrete hulk that has defined the corridor for the past forty-four years?

Fort Worth Then and Now follows the tradition of “repeat photography” projects that have examined the working methods and images of Western explorer photographers such as William Henry Jackson and Timothy O'Sullivan. Historians, preservationists, cultural geographers, and genealogists have also become interested in the technique to document the effect time has had on the urban landscape. Richly illustrated with historic photographs and new images destined to become benchmarks for Fort Worth in 2001, Fort Worth Then and Now is certain to work its own magic in shaping memories of the city.