Historical Preservation

Please apply for a COA through Accela Citizen Access, the City of Fort Worth permitting system. Please make an account if you do not have one already. Applying via Accela Citizen Access allows you to directly manage the application by uploading documents and viewing holds and comments from staff. Please follow the instructions linked below to apply today. 

1. Current photos of the site 

2. Plans, drawings, and specifications for proposed changes

3. Material details

• This can include product specifications

4. Conditions assessment 

• Required for demolition or window alterations
• Conditions Assessment Template(PDF, 79KB)
• Window Condition Assessment(PDF, 811KB)

Step 1: Apply via Accela

You will receive an email from Accela letting you know your application has been accepted. You will be notified if you application is considered incomplete. 

Step 2. Staff review

Staff will review your application for compliance with the guidelines. Staff will provide comments if needed and engage with the application in the revision process. 

Step 3: Decision

Your application will ultimately be issued a signed Certificate of Appropriateness with stamped plans, or a denial letter.

Most cases can be approved administratively and do not require approval from the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission. HCLC review is required only for the following types of cases:

• New construction
• Demolition
• Waivers from the design guidelines
• Historic Designation
• Historic Site Tax Exemption verification

Step 1. Case placed on Meeting Agenda

To have your case placed on the agenda, you must fill out an application online by the third Monday of the month. Once staff has determined that your application is complete and requires commission approval, your case will be placed on the next available HCLC agenda. Staff will review the design and suggest any necessary modifications.

Step 2. Notification

Legal Notices: post card sent to property owners within 300 feet of the case property 10 days before the hearing. 

Legal Notice Post Card Example

Courtesy Notices: email sent to applicants and neighborhood association contacts within 1/2 mile of the case property

• Courtesy Notice #1: Sent 10 days before the hearing. 
• Courtesy Notice #2: Sent 3 days before the hearing. 

Step 3. The Meeting Agenda is posted to the City Calendar 

Meeting agendas are available on the Historic and Cultural Landmark Commission calendar page 

Step 4. Staff reports and docket posted to the Upcoming Cases Map

The staff reports for each case and the docket are posted on the Upcoming Cases Map three days before the meeting. 

Step 5. Commission Hearing

Historic and Cultural Landmark Commission hearings are held on the second Monday of the month at 2pm in the Council Chambers.

To speak you may show up in person or participate remotely via Webex. The Webex registration link can be found on the Upcoming Cases Map, the Meeting Agenda, and the City Calendar. 

Viewing: Television: Charter 190; One Source 7; Verizon 5; AT&T Uverse 99; City of Fort Worth Website Homepage: Watch Live Online; City of Fort Worth YouTube Channel. 

6. Post Commission

Decision Letter: The applicants listed on the application will receive a letter detailing the commission's ruling on the case. 

Certificate of Appropriateness: If the request is approved by the HCLC, an approved Certificate of Appropriateness will be issued. If the request is "approved subject to conditions" then the applicant must update the plans to reflect the conditions set by the HCLC before a COA may be issued. 

The Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission meets on the second Monday of every month. 

Please search "Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission" on the Fort Worth TV Video Library to view full recordings of Historic and Cultural Landmark meetings.

The HCLC is an eleven-member volunteer commission appointed by the Mayor and the City Council to review projects for certificates of appropriateness (COA) in historic districts and for individually designated properties, to nominate property for historic designation, and to assist in the implementation of the Citywide Historic Preservation Plan. Each member of the commission has demonstrated professional and/ or personal expertise in planning, historic preservation, law, real estate, architecture, or landscape architecture as required by the City Code and by the federal Certified Local Government Program. Most of the members also have some experience with personal historic rehabilitation projects of their own. The HCLC meets each month to review designations and applications for certificates of appropriateness.

The following criteria, as well as the criteria applied to evaluate districts for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, must be used to establish the significance and integrity of property or neighborhoods and their features, and to evaluate the eligibility of a property as a historic property or HC District:

a. Significance

1. Is distinctive in character, interest or value, and exemplifies the cultural, economic, social, ethnic or historical heritage of the City of Fort Worth, State of Texas or the United States.
2. Is an important example of a particular architectural type or specimen or embodies elements of architectural design, detail, material or craftsmanship that represent a significant architectural innovation in Fort Worth.
3. Has been identified as the work of an important architect or master builder whose individual work has contributed to the development of Fort Worth.
4. Has been identified with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City of Fort Worth, State of Texas or the United States.
5. Bears a significant relationship to other distinctive buildings, structures, sites, objects or areas, either as an important collection of properties of architectural style, or craftsmanship with few intrusions, or by contributing to the overall character of the area according to a plan based on architectural, historic or cultural motif.
6. Possesses significant archeological value, which has produced or is likely to produce data affecting theories of historic or prehistoric interest.
7. Is the site of a significant historic event.
8. Is designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, State Antiquities Landmark or an American Civil Engineering Landmark, or is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

b. Integrity

1. A property’s ability to convey its significance, taking into consideration the following seven factors: location, design, setting, material, workmanship, feeling and association, as set forth in National Register of Historic Places’ Seven Aspects of Integrity.

All changes to the exterior of the property require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) before permits may be issued. This confirms that all work done on the property upholds the historic significance and integrity of the property. Changes to the property that require a COA include but are not limited to the following:

Historic Designation applications are due the third (3rd) Monday before the next scheduled Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission (HCLC) public hearing. The HCLC meets the second (2nd) Monday of each month at 2:00PM in Council Chambers located on the second (2nd) floor of City Hall at 200 Texas Street.

The Historic Designation for Individual Sites application can be filled out in pdf and emailed to Design.Review@fortworthtexas.gov or turned in hard copy to Development Services located on the second (2nd) floor of City Hall at 200 Texas Street.  

A property may be nominated for designation as Highly Significant Endangered (HSE), Historic and Cultural Landmark (HC), or Demolition Delay (DD) by the City Manager, City Council, Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission, the owner or the owner’s authorized representative. Nominations shall be submitted to the Historic Preservation Officer. Nomination by the City Council or the Historical and Cultural Landmarks Commission shall be in the form of a resolution requesting that the Historic Preservation Officer submit the nomination to the Historical and Cultural Landmarks Commission. Nomination by the City Manager or the owner shall be by completion of a nomination form promulgated by the Development Services Department. There is no application fee.

Step 1: Application guidelines

Upon submission of the completed application, you will be placed on the next available scheduled HCLC meeting as a public hearing action item. Incomplete applications will not be accepted or forwarded to the HCLC for action. A completed application will consist of a description of the property, criteria for designation, and address and legal description for the property all this information is indicated on the application form.

Step 2: Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission Public Hearing

The application shall be heard within 45 days after it is deemed complete, or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable. The HCLC may continue the case for a reasonable time if the Commission finds that all parties who have an interest in the structure or property are not present or that additional information is needed by the HCLC in order to evaluate such application. At the HCLC public hearing, the owner or owners, interested parties, local preservation groups and technical experts may present testimony or documentary evidence which will become part of a record regarding the historic, cultural, architectural or archeological importance of the structures or property.

Step 3: City Council Hearing

The City Council shall give notice and conduct its hearing on the HCLC’s recommendation concerning the proposed designation within 45 days of receipt of the recommendation of the HCLC, or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable. 

Properties designated as Historic and Cultural Landmarks (HC) are eligible for a 10-year tax freeze of the assessed value of the land and improvements for the year previous to improvements, and Highly Significant and Endangered (HSE) properties are eligible for a15 year tax freeze. Additionally, well maintained historic properties typically have higher home values than non- historic properties.

See Historic Site Tax Exemption or contact staff for more information. 

The Historic Preservation Officer is an employee of the City of Fort Worth appointed to work specifically with the HCLC and owners of historic property. The HPO can provide technical assistance to property owners such as assistance in finding qualified craftsman, resources for researching the history of your home, answer questions about tax incentives for historic properties, assist you in putting together an application for a designation or certificate of appropriateness, and making design choices to fit your home’s structure. The HPO also makes professional recommendations to the HCLC and City departments relative to historic preservation.

Central Handley was designated as a Fort Worth historic district in 2001 and entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. This commercial district was built between 1910-1930 and was home to a bustling tourism business for the early part of the 20th century, as people took the Interurban streetcar to visit the nearby Lake Eerie trolley park and amusement hall. Travelers could also take the Interurban to Handley and then take a Texas and Pacific train to other parts of the country. 

Central Handley uses the Secretary of the Interiors Standards and Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings. 

• View a district map(PDF, 138KB)
• Central Handley National Register of Historic Places(PDF, 8MB)

Chase Court, a private street of homes located between the 1700 block of Hemphill and Lipscomb streets on Fort Worth’s south side, has been described as “an unspoiled pocket of urban charm in an area long commercialized.”

Established at the turn of the century, Chase Court is made unique through its tall black ornamental metal gates at either end of the court flanked by large, cement pillars.

The area also fills open spaces with cedar trees and crepe myrtles.

Elizabeth Boulevard named after the wife of its developer John Ryan, was the City’s first historic district and is also listed on the National Register.

The Fairmount/Southside Historic District is representative of the early 20th-century streetcar suburb, with a diversity of house forms, related institutional and commercial properties. Fairmount/Southside is situated on the near south side of Fort Worth, approximately two miles south of downtown. Boundaries of the area form a rectangle of about 375 acres (or 0.6 square mile) Fairmount was developed as a middle class residential area between 1890 and 1938, with the largest concentration of houses dating from 1905 to 1920. The predominate building is the single-family residence, with wood frame bungalows being the most common configuration. Variations on the Four Square form are scattered throughout the District. Fairmount/Southside’s grandest homes are concentrated in the eastern sections of the Districts and reflect a variety of stylistic influences. In the survey made as part of the nomination for National Register of Historic Places status, there were found to be 1,016 Contributing buildings, one Contributing structure and 425 Non-contributing buildings.

This information is from the nomination submitted as part of the application process, which resulted in the listing of the Fairmount/Southside Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

• District Map(PDF, 281KB)

The Historic Preservation Committee of the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, in conjunction with the City of Fort Worth Preservation and Design Staff, have been working to create new design review guidelines for the Fairmount Southside Local Historic District. The new standards were created to convey the best methods and practices for preserving historic structures while clarify rules.

Standards and Guidelines

The standards and guidelines(PDF, 7MB) are in draft format until adopted by the City Council

The deep history of land ownership and development reaches back to the 1850s. In 1906, a suburban developer from Denver began platting a neighborhood and created a boulevard linking it to the downtown area.

"Chamberlin Arlington Heights" was launched, but no houses were built on what is now the Tremont block. World War I proved to be a blessing for the next developers. Robert McCart bought up acreage and donated it to the U.S. Army for troop training. With the construction of Camp Bowie, the Army contracted for installation of water, sewer, electric power, and telephone lines in 1917. The camp closed at war’s end, leaving those elements of infrastructure. This led to the second, and successful, development era of the 1920s and 1930s.

The block became part of the Hill Crest Addition to the City of Fort Worth; construction of homes finally began in 1925 and continued into the late 1930s. World War II halted the process, but postwar homebuilding filled all but one of the few remaining lots by 1947.

• Design Guidelines(PDF, 95KB)

• District Map(PDF, 90KB)

Historic Carver Heights was the first neighborhood developed by black professionals for black professionals, and therefore the development pattern of the neighborhood is strongly tied to the cultural significance of the neighborhood as a professional middle-class suburban neighborhood.

Historic Carver Heights is an auto-oriented development. Therefore, the patterns of development are based on a street pattern favoring the auto, not the pedestrian. Much of the neighborhood is characterized by curvilinear streets without sidewalks.

Construction in the neighborhood began around 1950. The oldest structure documented in the neighborhood is from 1947, but the era of significance of the district is between 1950 and 1965, when the majority of the houses were built. The district features classic mid-century American architecture, which falls into three primary styles:

Linden Avenue’s sixth and eleventh blocks stand within the Queensborough Addition to the City of Fort Worth, part of the Arlington Heights neighborhood.

This facing block is bound on the east by Belle Street and on the west by Clover Lane.

There are three primary styles of architecture found within the district:

• Arts and Crafts
• Tudor or European Revival
• Minimal Traditional

The Queensborough Addition was first platted in 1907 and bordered the Texas & Pacific Railroad yards. During the late 1920s and 1930s, it developed into a community of railroad and industrial workers.

The 4000 block of Linden Avenue is an example of how architectural styles transitioned during the 1930s, as the Great Depression caused a compromised style and a departure from decorative detailing.    

• Linden Avenue Historic District Boundary Guideline(PDF, 218KB)
• Linden Avenue Historic District Map(PDF, 247KB)

Mistletoe Heights was designated by the City in 2002 and is an excellent example of a middle to upper class early 20th century neighborhood.

• Guidelines(PDF, 955KB)
• Map(PDF, 159KB)
• Resource Survey(PDF, 323MB)

Historic Morningside consists of a valuable collection of early 20th century houses and neighborhood commercial buildings. The neighborhood consists largely of a planned community developed by John C. Ryan in the image of his other successful developments, Ryan Place and Elizabeth Boulevard. The three primary styles of architecture found among contributing structures within the district are Tudor Revival, Arts and Crafts, and Minimal Traditional. These styles are manifested within large institutional structures like Morningside Elementary School and in smaller residential forms of cottages and bungalows.

• District Guidelines (English(PDF, 297KB) | Spanish(PDF, 304KB))
• District Map(PDF, 208KB)
• Resource Survey(PDF, 205MB)

The Terrell Heights Historic District is comprised in part of the Near Southeast National Register Historic District. The history and significance of this area is described in the document Historic Resources of the Near Southeast Neighborhood: Final Survey Report.

• District Guidelines(PDF, 2MB)
• District Map(PDF, 245KB)
• Terrell Heights Resource Survey(PDF, 841KB)

The Stockyards is divided into three districts: the historic district, the transition district, and the edge district. Only the inner most district is considered historic. Please visit the Stockyards webpage for more information.