Parks

Paddock Park

Dedication

1917

Size

0.8 acres

Additional amenities

Bike Racks
Trash Receptacles

Fun facts and History

Paddock Park, or Paddock Place as it was sometimes called, is located immediately north of the Tarrant County Courthouse. It is composed of one long narrow block on which the county’s jail facility once stood. In his park plan of 1909, George Kessler recommended the acquisition of this block for park purposes in order to provide a more appropriate setting for the stately Tarrant County Courthouse. The site was acquired in 1917 and received its name in 1922. Like the nearby viaduct, the park was named in honor of B. B. Paddock (1844-1922), a multi-faceted man who was a lawyer, editor of the Fort Worth Democrat, an author and historian, railroad promoter and businessman, and four-term mayor of Fort Worth (1892-1900). Plans for the park’s development were included in Hare & Hare’s 1930 park master plan. Using WPA funding, improvements were made to the park in 1935-36 (a WPA plaque is located next to stairs in the park). In the 1950s, thought was given to selling the park to the county for a building site but these plans were abandoned. A statue of Charles Tandy (1918-1978), prominent Fort Worth businessman, was erected in the park in 1980. The statue was relocated to the Texas Christian University campus in 2009. The park currently has 0.8 acres.[1]

The heavy traffic on Belknap made it difficult for pedestrians to access the park which isolated it and made it underutilized. As plans for the renovation of Heritage Park were developed, thought was given to addressing the issues at Paddock Park. Bonds approved by voters in May 2022 earmarked $13.5 million for the renovation of both parks to increase connectivity to the Trinity River, restore the National Register-listed Heritage Park Plaza, and to increase vehicular and pedestrian safety and improve connectivity.[2]

[1] Patricia L. Duncan, “Paddock, Buckley Burton,” Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpa03), accessed December 26, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association; “Charles David Tandy,” fact sheet on the Charles David Tandy sculpture, Fort Worth Public Art, courtesy Jenny Conn (FWPA), January 28, 2014.

[2] Mantas, “Voters overwhelmingly support road and park bonds.”

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

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