Capps Park

Dedication

1910

Size

4.4 acres

Additional amenities

Backstop
Benches
Drinking Fountain
Electrical Boxes
Grills
Observation Deck
Pet Station
Stand Alone Swing

History

Named for William Capps and given to the city by him, Capps Park in located on Fort Worth’s south side and consists of an entire block. Capps was a prominent attorney and real estate developer. In 1902, he purchased all but five blocks of the Porter Heights Addition and subdivided it as South Hemphill Heights. On February 8, 1910, he deeded Block 39 to the city for park purposes on the condition that it pay $16,000 as the cost for paving the streets around it.

Early improvements included the planting of trees near the streets and the installation of a sundial. In 1915, the largest public tennis court in the city opened at Capps Park. Capps Park received a shelter (or band stand) in 1929 that was designed by Wilford S. Bogue and erected by O. B. Johnson. The shelter consists of two pergolas connected by a concrete platform which could be used as a bandstand or stage. The north and south sides are each accessed by a flight of stairs. Beneath the platform were storage and dressing rooms (these rooms were closed off at an undetermined date). Similar to structures at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, it is faced with Palo Pinto sandstone. In 1981, the concrete platform, stairs, and pergolas were reconstructed. In 1999, Chris Powell’s three-piece stone sculpture titled “to be with me” was installed at the north end of the park. Other improvements over the years include playground renovations in 2004 that were funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Urban Park and Recreation Recovery grant funds and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Community Development Block Grant funds.

View animal, plant and insect species observed at Capps Park and make some of your own observations through iNaturalist. See link under the "Related information" Section.

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