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.

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Plastic Container News

Dormitory staple Container Store files for bankruptcy to stay open

Container Store

Another seemingly popular retailer has filed for bankruptcy: According to a release, the Container Store has filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, effective December 22.

The company is not closing down, says president and CEO Satish Malhotra in a statement.

“The Container Store is here to stay," Malhotra says. "Our strategy is sound, and we believe the steps we are taking today will allow us to continue to advance our business, deepen customer relationships, expand our reach, and strengthen our capabilities."

The Company has filed a motion with the Bankruptcy Court that will allow it to make timely payments to vendors, suppliers, and other trade creditors in full.

The stores and website will continue to operate as normal; all customer deposits and orders will be honored and delivered as normal.

At least 90 percent of the company’s loan lenders have pledged their support. A recapitalization will provide millions in new financing as well as debt service relief. This will strengthen their balance sheet and liquidity position, so they can meet commitments to partners and vendors.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Coppell, the Container Store offers organizing solutions and in-home services, with more than 10,000 products to complete any space, sold at more than 100 locations nationwide and a flagship online store.

When they first debuted, they were an utter revelation with all of their various plastic containers and tubs — a market that is now also filled by cheaper knockoffs sold at a much lower price at places like Target.

“We are particularly excited about the future of our custom space offerings, which continue to demonstrate strength," Malhotra says. "We intend to maintain our strong workforce and remain committed to delivering an exceptional experience for our customers while we execute this recapitalization and for many years to come.”

The Chapter 11 process does not include the Company’s Elfa business in Sweden, which continues to operate as usual.

There is starting to be a wave of bankruptcy filings of retailers that include Big Lots, which is holding going-out-of-business sales in anticipation of a company-wide closure; and Party City, which is closing its stores at the end of February.

The Container Store has created a dedicated website for stakeholders to get information about the Chapter 11 case at www.futureforcontainerstore.com.

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