4.502 Districts Established

  1. Establishment of Categories
    There shall be three categories of protection for historically, culturally, architecturally or archeologically significant properties in the City of Fort Worth, as follows:
    1. Highly Significant Endangered (“HSE”)
    2. Historic and Cultural Landmark, if an individual structure or site, or Historic and Cultural Landmarks District, if more than one structure or site (“HC”); and
    3. Demolition Delay (“DD”)
      These historic preservation overlay districts may appear on the Official Zoning Map from time to time as required by Section 4.503H.
  2. Previously Designated Overlay Districts
    All places, objects, sites, structures or property heretofore designated by the City Council as “HC” Historic and Cultural Subdistricts or “HC” Historic and Cultural Landmark Overlay Districts under pre-existing provisions of the Zoning Ordinance shall be accorded the protection of property designated as Historic and Cultural Landmark under this Article and shall bear the appropriate mark in their zoning designation.  Tax incentives granted for renovation, restoration or rehabilitation under pre-existing provisions of the Zoning Ordinance shall remain in force.
  3. Relationship of Designations to Base Zoning Districts
    1. Designation of a structure, site or area by the City Council as “HSE”, “HC”, or “DD” is intended as a zoning overlay which supplements the primary underlying zoning district classification.  The permitted uses of the property shall be determined and controlled by the use regulations set forth for the primary zoning district classification for the property. However where the proposed use of a historically significant property may adversely impact the character or integrity of the property, the provisions of this article may be used to encourage an appropriate alternative.
    2. A historic overlay district is subject to the regulations of the primary zoning district classification. However, where adopted design guidelines of a district recommend a more historically appropriate yard setback building height, lot dimension or site configuration than the base zoning district allows, the design guidelines shall prevail however in no instance shall this relieve the requirement for a variance from the Board of Adjustments in compliance with the provisions set out by this or any other adopted ordinance.
    3. Design guidelines adopted for any district shall be considered supplementary to any provision of this article and the regulations of the City of Fort Worth. For all instances where this article shall be applied, the prevailing precedence shall be as follows: 
      1. Chapter 4, Article 5 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of the City  of Fort Worth for all matters of process, procedure and regulation; 
      2. The adopted guidelines of a district, the City of Fort Worth, or the Secretary of the Interior for all matters of rehabilitation, restoration or preservation; and
      3. All other City of Fort Worth ordinances, regulations or policies as they may apply to any action described within this article.
    4. In no instance shall the provisions of this article be construed to exempt any issue of life safety or to provide relief from the provisions of the adopted building code without the written consent of the Chief Building Official.
    5. If there is any conflict between the provisions of this Article and any other provision of the Zoning Ordinance, the most restrictive regulation shall apply in the absence of a specific directive to the contrary.
  4. General Criteria for Designation
    The following criteria and supplemental examples shall be used to propose the significance of structures, sites and their features, or neighborhoods and to evaluate designation by the City of Fort Worth as Highly Significant Endangered, Historic and Cultural Landmark district and Demolition Delay: 
    1. Is distinctive in character, interest or value; strongly exemplifies the cultural, economic, social, ethnic or historical heritage of the City of Fort Worth, State of Texas or the United States, including, but not limited to:
      1. Site or structure associated with a particular ethnic, religious, social or cultural group's history or development; 
      2. Site or structure associated with the founding, development or expansion of an historical or established business in the City of Fort Worth, the State of Texas or the United States; or
      3. Site or structure associated with a documented theme in the history of  Fort Worth such as the Pioneer and "Fort Worth" era, the Cattle Drives and the Stockyards, Railroads, development patterns, or oil, aviation and other industries.
    2. Is an important example of a particular architectural type or specimen in the City of Fort Worth, including, but not limited to:
      1. Example of a high style form of architecture such as Victorian, Art Deco or Beaux Arts;
      2. Example of a revival style of architecture such as Classical Revival or Tudor Revival; or
      3. Example of documented vernacular or regional architecture such as a  shotgun or bungalow.
    3. Has been identified as the work of an important architect or master builder whose individual work has contributed to the development of the City of Fort Worth, including, but not limited to:
      1.  Work of an architect, landscape architect or builder known on a national scale such as Louis Kahn, Phillip Johnson, or Tadao Ando;
      2. Work of an architect or builder known for specific contributions to Fort  Worth such as Wyatt Hedrick, Preston Geren, or Wiley Clarkson; or
      3. Work associated with an architecture, landscape architecture or building firm identified with significant projects in Fort Worth such as Sanquinet and Staats; Hare and hare, or Van Slyke & Woodruff.
    4. Embodies elements of architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant architectural innovation, including, but not limited to:
      1. Contains specific and identifiable architecture features;
      2. Contains information about primitive or archaic construction methods or design; or
      3. Contains materials significant for their use or manner of use.
    5. Bears an important and significant relationship to other distinctive structures, sites or areas, either as an important collection of properties of architectural style or craftsmanship with few intrusions, or by contributing to the overall character of the area according to a plan based on architectural, historic or cultural motif, including, but not limited to:
      1. Contributes to a neighborhood or area described by previous historical survey as eligible local or National Register District;
      2. Associated with an established pattern of development applied similarly across a defined neighborhood or subdivision;
      3. Associated with a style of architecture, type of construction, or detailed   feature of significance to a class of building or geographic area.
    6. Possesses significant archeological value, which has produced or is likely to produce data affecting theories of historic or prehistoric interest, including, but not limited to;
      1. Tests a hypothesis or process in important research in the social sciences, or humanities;
      2. Corroborates or enhances current information on the past, its people, or processes; or;
      3. Reconstructs a culture or site for the purpose of identifying and explaining connections to or between historic or prehistoric events, cultures, or peoples.
    7. Is the site of a significant historic event, including, but not limited to:
      1. Location of a specific event important to the history of the city, state, or country such as a Civil War battlefield or the site of the original military  fort at Fort Worth;
      2. Specific location of a pattern of events significant to the history of the city, state, or country such as part of the Chisholm Trail or a depot on the railroad; or
      3. General location establishing a pattern of events significant to the city, state, or country such as an industrial district representing the city's achievements in the meat packing industry or a neighborhood developed by oil barons.
    8. Is identified with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the culture and development of the City of Fort Worth, State of Texas or the United States, including, but not limited to:
      1. Site associated with a specific person of significance to the city, state, or country such as the home of John Ryan, the office of Amon Carter, or the grave of Ripley Arnold;
      2. Site associated with a business or personal interest to someone of significance such as a neighborhood developed by John Ryan or the site of a club with membership of noteworthy citizens; or
      3. Site associated with a known organization or group of people with significance such as a fraternal organization or congregation.
    9. Represents a resource, whether natural or man-made, which greatly contributes to the character or image of a defined neighborhood or community area, including, but not limited to:
      1. Explain a feature that caused a specific pattern of development such as the effect the Trinity River has on river front property or the effect the  Interstate Highway has on the splitting of one historical neighborhood    into many neighborhoods;
      2. Defines a relationship between features, sites, or structures such as the orientation of structures around community park or the location of a school within a neighborhood; or
      3. Expresses an aesthetic or historic sense of a period of time such as a carriage house or a hand drawn well.
    10. Is designated as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark or State Archeological Landmark, or is included on the National Register of Historic Places.