1914 - Polytechnic City Hall - Fort Worth TX
N 32° 43.816 W 097° 16.769
14S E 661221 N 3622694
The City of Polytechnic, which sprang up east of the city limits of Fort Worth TX in 1888, built this City Hall building in 1914
Waymark Code: WMWX3J
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/25/2017
Views: 0
The City if Polytechnic City Hall was built in 1914 to serve the small city of Polytechnic, which existed as an independent city from its founding in 1888 to 1922, when it was annexed into the city of Fort Worth.
This otherwise nondescript red brick building with limestone accents one block south of Rosedale Avenue on Vaughn Street sat vacant and abandoned for decades, before being purchased and repurposed by nearby Texas Wesleyan University as the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio.
Once the building was no longer in use as the Polytechnic City Hall, it became home to a pastry shop, its ghost sign is still visible on the south side of the building.
The cornerstone for the Polytechnic City Hall reads as follows:
"[W side]
1914
Polytechnic City Hall
H. W. Lowe, Mayor.
W. S. Essex
J. A. Boykin, Com's
F. M. Bransford, City Atty
[S side]
W. H. Brown, Sec.
A. R. Votaw, Dept.
R. N. Fulton, Contractor"
The minute book and other records of the City of Polytechnic are located at the Fort Worth Public Library: (
visit link)
"History
The City of Polytechnic was an independent community in Tarrant county from 1898 - 1922. It sprang up around the Polytechnic College, later Texas Wesleyan University, which was established by the Southern Methodist Conference. In 1919, the census recorded the population to be 5,173. Three years later, the city was annexed as part of Fort Worth.
Provenance
This record was in the possession of the Fort Worth City Secretary until it was transferred to the library in 1996.
Scope and Contents Note
The record consists of one volume of minutes, outlining the motions and actions of the Polytechnic City Commission from 1917 - 1922. It also contains copies of some ordinances, contracts and petitions, including the ordinance providing for annexation by Fort Worth."