The Texas heat couldn’t dampen the mood at Thursday’s topping-out ceremony, which marked an important milestone in the first phase of the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion project.
City officials and other community leaders gathered to sign the final steel beam that was placed into the building’s vertical framework. The beam was signed by everyone. It was also decorated with the Fort Worth, Texas and Old Glory flags. In a nod to a tradition believed to bring good luck, a Christmas tree was also placed on top of the beam.
As the last component was carefully swung into place, where a large light box atrium entrance will be located in the southeast, the audience applauded.
The $95 million expansion project, which will be completed in two phases, is being overseen by AECOM Hunt, Byrne Construction Services and EJ Smith Construction, all of which signed a contract with the city last December.
Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in 2026 and includes the grand southeast lightbox atrium entrance, east-facing terrace, state-of-the-art catering kitchen, additional loading docks, and straightening of Commerce Street for a future hotel site.
The cost of Phase 2 is estimated at over $600 million and completion is scheduled for early 2030.
“The cranes you see here today are not just for the convention center,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck said at the ceremony. “We have explosive growth in this downtown area and it will be connected to the Near Southside and conveniently located near a transportation hub. So we will also be working with Trinity Metro to make sure we make it as easy as possible for visitors to come to our convention and enjoy our great city.”
Projects like this are important because of the amount of income from tourism, said Beck.
“My favorite thing to do is spend money in the city, other people’s money, because the more dollars we bring into the city through tourism, the less we rely on property taxes to fund all the great amenities that exist here in the city of Fort Worth,” Beck said.
Since 1968, the Fort Worth Convention Center (formerly the Tarrant County Convention Center) has hosted some of the biggest events and names in entertainment, attracting fans and supporters from all walks of life. Artists such as Ike and Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and even Pink Floyd have all performed in front of large audiences at the venue at one time or another.
The congress centre has hosted thousands of major national and international events in the fields of sports, trade fairs and congresses.
The City of Fort Worth, which owns and operates the convention center, expanded the original building in 2003. Currently, the convention center has nearly 37,000 square feet of total conference space.
“The city government knew over a decade ago that a convention center expansion was needed,” said Mayor Mattie Parker. “The leadership of Visit Fort Worth and Bob Jameson and their team started thinking about how do we get to this site today to have a topping-out ceremony. How do we convince voters to trust us with their money and HOT (Hotel Occupancy Tax) dollars to build out phase two? And it’s really about this amazing city that we’ve all come to love and appreciate and that is unlike any other city in the country.”
