Fire Station Skate Plaza

In early 2016, Near Southside, Inc., joined by the Hemphill Corridor Task Force and neighborhood groups, led the effort for the City’s acquisition of a vacant parcel of land at 1616 Hemphill adjacent to the Fire Station Community Center in the Fairmount neighborhood of Fort Worth.

In December 2016, Near Southside, Inc. and consulting partner Project for Public Spaces (PPS) held the first Envision Hemphill workshop inviting community members to share their dreams for the park’s master plan. Hundreds of Near Southsiders expressed strong support for an urban skate park as a primary feature alongside a bike track, central green and market plaza. At each of these meetings, the skateboarding community arrived in force, expressing their support for the park expansion and passionate belief that it should include a skate park. It was encouraging to see this vision was also supported by so many non-skaters and longtime residents, as they saw that the skate park could coexist with other park elements and strengthen the park’s overall appeal.

In December 2017, Project for Public Spaces presented the first-draft concept design for the park expansion to over 150 community members at the Fire Station Community Center to share their thoughts and feedback on. Once again, community members provided their input on things such as design aesthetic, materials, and programming features of the park. This master plan reflects ideas expressed by the surrounding community and presents a park that provides enjoyment for all users, with primary features including an all-wheels track, central green, market plaza dog park, and most importantly, the skate plaza that received such strong support throughout the public meetings. In early 2019, the City of Fort Worth officially adopted the community-supported Fire Station Park master plan and allocated $200,000 in park dedication funds towards phase 1 design and development. In 2020, in addition to the allocated funds, the City of Fort Worth pledged $600,000 to match up to $600,000 raised, and Near Southside Inc. got to work!

By the end of 2021, design drawings were completed, and the goal of raising $600k had been met. City of Fort Worth began the process to allocate an additional $400k, which completes the overall park construction budget at $1.6M, and officially kicks off the construction phase.

Location

1616 Hemphill Street, Fort Worth 76104 View Map

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Facility Snapshot

Features

Skatepark