What’s being built on Henderson at I-30? We looked inside. (Hint: It includes restaurants)

Inside Look stories give Star-Telegram subscribers exclusive sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes reporting. Story suggestion? Editors@star-telegram.com.

The historic Fort Worth Public Market , with its iconic 85-foot tower on the southern edge of downtown, is slowly coming back to life after two decades of sitting empty.

But unlike when the Henderson Street building first opened in 1930 for farmers and merchants to sell their goods, the extensively renovated Public Market will likely have restaurants for the public and amenities for the residents of a new senior living complex that’s under construction just behind it.

Construction on the $45 million project at 1400 Henderson St. began in June 2023 and is expected to be done in August 2025. This week, the Star-Telegram got a look inside the 94-year-old building where construction crews are working to preserve as much of the original structure as possible.

Jess Green, senior vice president of Wilks Development , said the project is 40% complete. The Cisco-based developer is leading the revitalization of the historic property that’s sandwiched between Interstate 30 overpasses and ramps.

The Fort Worth Public Market opened in 1930 and had space for 145 farmer or vendor stalls and 30 permanent retail shops. Farmers pulled their trucks into sheds and displayed their produce on tables.

The market closed in 1941 and sold three years later to R.C. Bowen, who ran the Bowen Bus Co. for many years. He leased the building to a series of companies, including a World War II aircraft manufacturer, Cadillac Plastics and Photo Etch, another aircraft-components manufacturer. The market has been vacant since Photo Etch left in 2004.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Mediterranean-style building with a terra-cotta roof and three corner towers was included on Historic Fort Worth’s most-endangered places list in 2008 and 2011.

A new senior living community at Fort Worth Public Market

A five-story, 199-unit senior living community called The Harden — named after the original developer John J. Harden — is being built directly behind the historic market building. Community amenities will include a pool, deck, outdoor space, clubhouse, parking garage and fitness center.

Green said the Public Market’s proximity to the Medical District and I-30 makes it a wonderful location for seniors, who may not be as focused on the walkability of a neighborhood as other demographics.

“We think this will be a great community for them,” he said.

Units facing I-30 were specially designed to eliminate noise from the highway. Wilks Development did acoustical studies, submitted their designs to third-party consultants and plans to install special noise-dampening windows.

Pre-leasing for apartments will likely start in early 2025.

Due to its historic status, nothing on the Public Market’s facade can be changed. The Public Market will not be physically connected to The Harden, but some of the community’s outdoor space will bridge the gap between the two structures. Steel beams in one future covered outdoor space featuring part of the Public Market’s facade are laid out the same way original wooden beams were in blueprints.

The market building will house some of the senior community’s amenities, like a fitness center. Valet parking will be available on the side of the building facing Henderson Street.

Wilks Development is planning on bringing in one or two restaurants to fill 15,000 square feet in the Public Market building, and recently began marketing its search for commercial tenants. The Woodmont Company will handle leasing for the property. Green said commercial space will ideally be filled by a casual lunch-oriented restaurant and an upscale dining experience.

‘It’s unlike any other construction project’

Green said Wilks Development had many ideas for the Public Market when the company purchased it in 2014 . The developers considered many uses but ultimately decided senior living and restaurants would best preserve the building’s historic nature. He described the Public Market as a legacy project for Wilks Development.

“It would be easy to tear this down and build something new, and you can do it cheaper, but that’s not what we would ever do, and that’s not what we had in mind,” Green said.

Green said Wilks is open to developing more historic properties but doesn’t yet have plans for another space.

Wilks has been using the Public Market’s original blueprints to guide their restoration of the building. Despite having the valuable resource, renovating a historic property comes with challenges.

Before breaking ground, Green said he spent two years working on applications and plans, needing to get approval at different stages from various city and state organizations. When Wilks finally got construction permits, Green said it felt almost like completing the building.

“It’s unlike any other construction project, normally taken,” Green said. “You would normally be done a lot quicker, and a lot easier, with a lot less comments.”

Wilks Development will receive historic preservation tax credits from the state after an audit is done upon the building’s completion.

Fire damaged the Public Market building in July 2022, but didn’t destroy its terra-cotta facade. Green said the fire didn’t impact the construction schedule and, though soot stains are still visible on the walls, dealt minimal damage to the structure.

Green said initial utilities work for the project, which took four months, was some of the most difficult utilities work he’s ever done. Old city records for the property said some water lines were a completely different size than the Wilks team planned on and discovered when they dug them up.

All of the Public Market’s original windows, many of which have numerous broken panes, will be removed and sent to a preservationist for repair. Any windows damaged beyond repair will be replicated.

The walls will be stripped of old graffiti, chipped paint and plaster wainscoting. Original hardware, including some handrails, will be restored. Boarded up stained glass spelling out “Public Market” on the building’s iconic tower, will be restored and lit up at night for passerby to admire.

The entirety of the Public Market’s roof is being replaced. Original terra-cotta tiles needed to be removed from the roof for repairs, and some were broken in the process. Luckily, Wilks was able to find some of the exact same tiles, which had been removed from a different historic building.

He acknowledged there may be more bumps along the road until the project is complete, but Green, focused on restoring the market to its former glory, plans on taking them in stride.

Get TX Politics in your inbox.