call<\/a> for a transparent structure with a central tower at Main and 9th streets, a plaza connecting to General Worth Square, and terraces designed for outdoor events with downtown views.<\/p>\nInteriors will incorporate flexible spaces with Texas-inspired elements like leather, mesquite wood, blackened metal, and exposed structural steel, plus custom patterns drawing from local motifs such as cattle brands, the city\u2019s longhorn logo, and Texas sunsets.<\/p>\n
Upon completion in early 2030, the project will provide 257,268 square feet of exhibit hall space, 60,917 square feet of meeting rooms, 74,033 square feet of ballroom space, and 16 loading docks, allowing for larger conventions or two major events at once.<\/p>\n
The design draws from downtown\u2019s material palette of brick, limestone, copper, steel, and patina finishes, offering a contemporary design rooted in what city officials describe as \u201cThe Modern West.\u201d Atlanta-based TVS leads the architecture, interiors, and planning, working with Fort Worth\u2019s Bennett Partners. The construction manager at risk joint venture of AECOMHunt, Byrne Construction, and EJ Smith Construction, which handled the $95 million Phase 1 completed in December, will continue. Local firms Broaddus & Associates and Elements of Architecture oversee project management.<\/p>\n
Demolition of the old arena, now superseded by Dickies Arena, is set for early 2027, with mobilization starting in summer 2026 and the final event there in September 2026. The center will stay operational throughout construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Phase 2 expansion positions Fort Worth to not only attract more conventions and meetings, but also to deepen engagement with downtown businesses and residents,\u201d said Mayor Mattie Parker. \u201cAs a key part of the transformation of the southeast quadrant of downtown, the new center will anchor a hub of economic growth and higher-education partnerships, and its beautiful design will showcase the Modern West brand that has helped make Fort Worth a stand-out destination among our peer cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plans stem from updated studies projecting nearly doubled convention business, incorporating client focus group feedback, the nearby Texas A&M Fort Worth campus under construction across Commerce Street, downtown residential growth, and post-pandemic tourism shifts.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur customers shared their feedback, and we responded,\u201d Bob Jameson, president and CEO of Visit Fort Worth, said in a news release. \u201cFrom flexible space configurations that allow for more breakout sessions to ceiling heights required for sports competitions, the expansion and renovation will provide modern amenities and an authentic Texas experience attendees are seeking. Even within the ballroom, guests will immediately feel that they are in Fort Worth, Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur construction partners, exclusive service providers and our City Public Events team successfully navigated conventions and sporting events with very high Net Promoter Scores from clients during Phase 1,\u201d said Mike Crum, director of the city\u2019s Public Events Department. \u201cNow that we have 13 new docks, a state-of-the-art catering kitchen and a straightened Commerce Street, operationally we are set to continue exceeding expectations and already are booking business into 2030 and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Development involved input from Downtown Fort Worth Inc., the Downtown Design Review Board, and a city advisory committee of elected officials, business leaders, and community representatives.<\/p>\n
Since opening in 1968, the city-owned center has hosted thousands of events, including sports, concerts, political rallies, conventions, and trade shows. It was expanded in 2003 to nearly 400,000 square feet of meeting space, serving as downtown\u2019s premier venue. <\/p>\n
More details, including staff contacts, floor plans, a virtual tour, and event calendar, are available at https:\/\/www.fortworth.com\/convention-center\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Artist rendering of Phase 2 of Fort Worth convention Center transformation | Image by City of Fort Worth\/media…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":573441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,37387,249115,12047,7371,53385,7372,228838,358,124951,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-573440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-america","tag-city-government","tag-convention-centers","tag-downtown-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-convention-center","tag-fortworth","tag-public-infrastructure","tag-texas","tag-texas-development","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116030795245842762","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}