Homes, sweet homes

Step inside 6 historic charmers on the 2023 Fairmount home tour in Fort Worth

Mattie Foster House is on this year's home tour.

Photo by John Ladd

Now four decades strong, the Fairmount Historic District Tour of Homes has become a beloved Mother's Day weekend tradition in Fort Worth.

For the 2023 edition, four bungalow-style homes and two historic businesses will open their doors to visitors, May 13-14.

"Most of the locations on the tour were originally built between 1890-1930, and characteristics include: beamed interior ceilings, colonnades, pocket doors, antique hardware, prominent wide front porches, overhanging eaves, as well as exposed rafters and beams — to name a few," a release says.

There are also some new, related events this year, including a fair in Fairmount Park and a pop-up art show at Arts 5th Avenue. The fair will take place 12-4 pm Saturday, March 13 at Fairmount Park, and will feature food trucks, local artists, kids' activities, and more. The fair follows the traditional kick-off parade through the neighborhood at 10 am Saturday.

The tour itself takes place (rain or shine) 12-5 pm Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the days of the event. Proceeds benefit neighborhood improvement projects.

Tour-goers should check in at the Welcome Pavilion located at SiNaCa Studios at 1013 W. Magnolia Ave. Tickets may be purchased or picked up there both days, a map and information will be provided, and T-shirts and posters will be for sale. For more information about the event and tickets, visit the district's website.

Here's a closer look at homes on the 2023 tour, with descriptions provided by the district.

Mattie Foster House
As pictured in the photo at the top of the story, the century-old home was built in 1915 and turned into a duplex in the early 1950's so that the newly widowed Mattie Foster could stay in her home. Foster's home was sold to Joe Johnson, a Fort Worth attorney and bail Bondsman in 1962. It fell into disrepair in recent decades, but was eventually rehabbed (back into a single family home) and sold in 2021. Original tulip-stained glass, exposed wood beams, wainscotting, and built-in cabinetry have been restored.

The Edgar-Tanner House, Fairmount home tour The Edgar-Tanner HousePhoto by Stacy Luecker

The Edgar-Tanner House
This large imposing corner foursquare home (above), with huge wrap-around porch and massive concrete columns on stone bases, was built about 1911. While the Prairie-style inspired its horizontal rooflines, the columns are a nod to the classical revival style, which was gaining popularity. The the first residents in 1912 were Dr. & Mrs. Charles Leslie Edgar. Edgar was an early ear, nose and throat specialist in Fort Worth. The current owners moved from Dallas and purchased the home at the height of the pandemic in 2020. They have filled their home with wonderful art, including a few well-know local artists, family heirlooms, and a signed pochoir by Pablo Picasso.

The Medley-Tucker House, Fairmount Home Tour The Medley-Tucker HousePhoto by Stacy Luecker

The Medley-Tucker House
This beautifully restored example of a foursquare-type house (above) was built by its first owner and resident, carpenter-builder Charles A. Medley, for his wife, Lynette, and their two young sons, beginning in 1908 and finished in 1909. The nickname for this style of foursquare home in historic architectural terms is “shirtwaist style,” so called for the material on the upper half to the middle or ‘waist’ of the house being of one kind — usually wood shingles as this home has — and a different kind of covering on the bottom half. After a series of owners, the home fell into ruin in the 1990s. The current owners purchased it less than a year ago. A complete restoration of the interior has been accomplished. Fun fact: It's one of the only houses in Fairmount with a basement.

Former Edna Gladney Home, Fairmount Home Tour Former Edna Gladney Home on HemphillPhoto by Stacy Luecker

The Jacob Tanner House, The Edna Gladney Home (& Adoption Agency), The Bastion
Few Fairmount houses have more important stories to tell this one. Built in 1925 for Jacob Franklin Tanner, owner of a local fish market, it was originally a unique kind of duplex built as two residences side to back. One of the first residentswas Glen “Buck” Smith, who married Minnie Meacham, daughter of department store owner and former Fort Worth mayor, Henry C. Meacham. (The Smiths eventually divorced, and Minnie became Mrs. Amon G. Carter, the famous Fort Worth promoter and philanthropist’s third wife.) More importantly, the home was as The Edna Gladney Home, 1959-1970s, a charitable institution and adoption agency named for early Fort Worth women’s and children’s rights activist Edna Browning Gladney. Current owners, Richard and Chandra Ricetti, purchased it in 2008 and Chandra, a master chef, set up her catering business, The Bastion, in a separate building behind the apartments. The Ricettis have been restoring The Manor House and will soon move in.

The tour also will include the home of Arts Fifth Avenue (A5A), which dates to 1926; as well as the home of the Domingo Garcia law firm.

preservation tours

Closure News

American Freight furniture chain to shut down 2 Fort Worth-area stores

American Freight

There's a big sale going on at American Freight.

There's a huge sale on furniture going down right now, but for a sad reason: American Freight, a chain of furniture stores operating in dozens of states, is permanently shuttering all 328 locations, due to “sustained inflation and macroeconomic challenges,” according to its parent company.

That includes two Fort Worth-area stores, part of seven stores overall in the Dallas-Fort Worth.

The closing comes after its parent company, Franchise Group, Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

Store closing sales began on November 5, both online and at its 328 locations. Hilco Consumer-Retail is managing these sales for American Freight as the business winds down its operations nationwide. Significant discounts are being offered on the brand's full assortment of inventory.

Shoppers can save up to 30 percent off the lowest ticketed prices storewide. Available items include living room sets, bedroom furniture, dining tables, and a selection of scratch & dent and new in-box appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and dryers.

New inventory is arriving and expected to move quickly, so customers should take advantage of this prime opportunity to enjoy exceptional deals before it's too late.

"Our goal is to deliver outstanding value to customers during this full chain closing sale," said Ian Fredericks, CEO of Hilco Consumer-Retail. "Everything is on sale and must be sold, and we recommend shopping early for the best selection."

During the store closing sales, select American Freight financing and delivery services will remain available to customers, presenting a unique opportunity to shop exceptional discounts with the convenience of flexible payment and home delivery.

The chain has 39 stores in Texas, including 7 in DFW and two in Tarrant County, all closing as follows:

401 Southwest Plaza, Ste 105, Arlington
1265 Town Square Dr, Fort Worth
1825 Westpark Dr Grand Prairie
2964 W Wheatland Rd, Dallas
109 N Greenville Ave, Allen
1215 Marsh Ln, Carrollton
1418 N Town East Blvd, Mesquite

Sale Details
They're offering up to 30 percent off the lowest ticketed prices on furniture, scratch & dent, and new in-box appliances. Discounts are valid in stores and online. All sales are final, of course. Shop now for the best selection while supplies last.

closings