Parks

Rosenthal Pocket Park

Dedication

1979

Size

1.53 acres

Additional amenities

Basketball court
Bench
Electrical box
Grill
Park lighting
Parking lot
Playground area
Shelter
Stand-alone swing
Table

Fun facts

Rosenthal Park was created in the late 1970s-early 1980s through a joint effort of the City of Fort Worth and the Dan Danciger Jewish Center, formerly located at the site of Southwest Christian Elementary School. The City purchased a few lots in the Wedgwood Addition that abutted the Jewish Center to serve area residents. Five acres were leased from the Jewish Center and developed as parkland. Early improvements benefited from the Department of the Interior’s Land and Water Conservation Fund Program under plans and specifications developed by Carter and Burgess. The improvements included a softball diamond, multi-use court, a parking lot, and landscaping. The park was originally known as Wedgwood H1 and later Danciger Park. In 1982, members of the Danciger Jewish Center petitioned the Park and Recreation Advisory Board to name the park after Ben H. Rosenthal (1896-1965). Rosenthal founded the Western Dressed Beef and Provision Company in 1921 which became Standard Meat Company in 1935. He was a prominent member of Fort Worth’s Jewish community serving as president of the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth, and on the board and vice president of Congregation Beth El. City Council approved the name change on October 5, 1982. When the initial improvements were completed, the park was dedicated on April 22, 1983.

In 1999 the Danciger Center and its adjacent Hebrew Day School were sold to Southwest Christian School. The lease arrangement continued for a few months until September 1999 when the school closed access to 4.2 acres of the leased land following the mass shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church. This reduced the park’s size to 1.53 acres and is considered a “pocket park”. The City reclaimed the ball field backstop, bleachers, basketball goals, and picnic shelter for use at other parks. Improvements undertaken in 2007 consisted of a shelter, a handicapped table with a concrete pad, and three picnic tables.

Recreation

The park has a short 0.10 mile ADA cement trail connecting to the playground and pavilion.

Geology

The park is completely Grayson Marl and Main Street Limestone Formations. Grayson Marl consists of greenish-gray thinly interbedded limestone with nodular bits of shale, sand and fossiliferous material. The Main Street Limestone is hard, thin interbedded gray and white layers.

Soils

The soils are a mix between Sanger and Bolar soil series. Sanger soils consists of very deep, well drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey marine sediments. The Bolar series consists of moderately deep, well drained and permeable soils formed in interbedded limestones and calcareous marls. They occur on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges on hills.

Ecology

The park is a high active-use are that is maintained by mowing. Near the drainage, some interesting species can be found including neon skimmer dragonfly, common green darner, southern spreadwing, cricket frogs, and marsh fleabane.

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

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