FORT WORTH, TX - The former Butler Place public housing project, a New Deal-era apartment complex east of downtown Fort Worth, is positioned for potential commercial redevelopment after eight decades of serving generations of residents.
Opened in 1940, Butler Place was one of 52 public housing projects constructed nationwide by the Public Works Administration during the Great Depression. Built on a 20-acre site bounded by Interstate 30, Interstate 35 and Highway 287 in what is now Council District 8, it became Fort Worth’s largest public housing development.
The complex was named by local African American civic organizations in honor of Henry Harrison Butler, a Civil War veteran and one of the city’s first Black educators.
Origins During the Great Depression
During the 1930s, Fort Worth’s population growth outpaced housing construction, and many neighborhoods deteriorated. By 1940, approximately 7,400 families were reported to be living in “blighted areas” lacking basic infrastructure such as running water and proper sanitation.
After an initial unsuccessful petition by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce in 1935, a 1938 contract between the U.S. Housing Authority and the newly created Fort Worth Housing Authority secured $2.23 million to construct two low-income housing projects: a 252-unit development for white families, later known as Ripley Arnold, and a 250-unit development for Black families, which became Butler Place.
Between April and July 1939, 220 substandard dwellings in the Chambers Hill neighborhood were cleared for construction. Designed in a minimal Colonial Revival style, Butler Place’s red-brick buildings were completed in August 1940, with the first units leased the following month.
Units ranged from one to three bedrooms, with rents between $15.50 and $16.75 per month. Families had to meet income limits tied to rent and household size. An administrative building also housed an 800-square-foot social room and a branch of the Fort Worth Library serving the Black community.
By September 1941, Butler Place housed 803 residents, with more than 500 families on a waiting list. In 1946, 32 additional units were added for Black veterans and their families.
Expansion and Decline
In 1960, the City Council approved 244 additional units north of Butler Place, which opened in 1963. A pedestrian overpass built in 1966 allowed residents to cross Highway 287 to reach the Harmon Field Recreation Center.
By the 1970s, the complex had fallen into disrepair and faced rising crime and drug activity. Renovations in 1980 upgraded heating systems, insulation, appliances and flooring.
The Fort Worth Housing Authority ultimately relocated residents between 2018 and 2020 to mixed-income developments across the city. Butler Place stood vacant after 80 years of operation.
A short documentary about Butler Place was included in the 2021 Denton Black Film Festival. View the video:
Preservation and Future Plans
The Housing Authority plans to sell the strategically located property for redevelopment, describing it as one of the last large tracts suitable for development in the downtown corridor.
Under a preservation agreement, two buildings and a nearby school that served Fort Worth’s Black community will be maintained as Historic and Cultural Landmarks. Bricks salvaged from the site will be used in a future public art installation, preserving elements of Butler Place’s legacy as the area transitions to a new chapter.
