In the aftermath of Mexican-American War, the U.S. War Department decided to establish a series of ten forts in the vicinity of Texas’ Trinity River. The government hoped the military outposts would protect the hundreds of settlers passing through the area toward territories further west. The main sponsor for the whole assignment was General William Jenkins Worth, a war hero who had command over all the local army units in the region. Construction on the forts began in 1848, although General Worth died just a few months into the project. The loss of his influence greatly undermined its overall progress, resulting in the creation of just seven bases. One such station was developed at the confluence of West and Clear Forks of the Trinity River. Life at the newly created fort proved to be difficult, as it was constantly beset by frequent flooding. To remedy the problem, General William S. Harney—General Worth’s replacement—subsequently instructed Major Ripley A. Arnold to find a suitable location for the garrison. Major Arnold eventually rebuilt the facility atop a nearby bluff in 1849, which he named “Fort Worth” in honor of the late General Worth. Fort Worth nonetheless remained relatively small, despite its strategic importance to the federal government. But U.S. Army officials eventually concluded that the cost to operate the fort was too great, and it was abandoned just a few years later.

Nevertheless, a vibrant village had sprung up around the now-defunct Fort Worth. Adopting the same name as the deserted outpost, it had specifically emerged due to the development of a prosperous livestock trade. Countless cowboys had started to drive their cattle through the area along a route that would become the legendary “Chisholm Trail.” Trinity River was an important pit stop along the trail since its water was used regularly to refresh the ranchers’ animals. A few industrious entrepreneurs decided to open their own business in the vicinity to support the countless cattle drives now passing through the area. The ranching industry thus became thoroughly ingrained within the local community by the eve of the American Civil War. In fact, many Texans had even started referring to the settlement as “Cowtown.” The new town of Fort Worth grew rapidly throughout the latter half of the 19th century, turning into a city in just a matter of decades. Railroads soon supplanted the Chisholm Trail as the preferred method of transportation for the cattle ranchers, which gave rise to a massive depot known as the “Fort Worth Stockyards.” New auxiliary businesses also opened around the same time that continued to provide services to the visiting cowboys. Among the most prominent were recreational in nature, such as saloons and gambling parlors. Most of those venues debuted in a specific section of Fort Worth that was notoriously called “Hell’s Half Acre.” The neighborhood quickly attracted all kinds of infamous gamblers and outlaws, including Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers.

Indeed, Fort Worth had grown to resemble a typical metropolis. But the city’s rambunctious character eventually inspired several of its leading citizens to initiate a social reform movement and renovated areas like Hell’s Half Acre. Fort Worth’s economy remained strong for generations thereafter, too, especially once land surveyors discovered oil reserves nearby. Many prolific petroleum companies debuted in downtown Fort Worth, including the Sinclair Refining Company, Texaco, and the Humble Oil and Refining Company—a precursor to the formidable Exxon Mobil Corporation. Today, Fort Worth continues to be one of Texas’ most celebrated cities. It still possesses an incredibly prosperous economy, with many renowned corporations calling the city home. (Among the most noteworthy businesses currently headquarters in Fort Worth include American Airlines, Pier 1 Imports, and GM Financial.) Fort Worth is a major cultural capital in Texas as well, hosting respected cultural institutions like Texas Christian University (TCU), Texas Wesleyan, and the Texas A&M University School of Law. Tourism is even a significant part of the city’s current identity. Cultural heritage travelers in particular have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Fort Worth and its many fascinating attractions, such as the Kimbrell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Those people have adored learning about the Fort Worth’s past firsthand, which the city has painstakingly preserved at places like the iconic Fort Worth Stockyards. Few places are truly better for a memorable vacation than Fort Worth, Texas.

The Hilton Forth Worth stands today as a marvelous engineering masterpiece thanks to the efforts of architects affiliated with the Sanguinet & Staats and Mauran, Russell, & Crowell firms. While those architects relied upon a variety of different architectural aesthetics to design the building, they mainly used a wonderful blend of Beaux-Arts-style architecture as the source of their inspiration. While Beaux-Arts was immensely popular throughout the world at around the dawn of the 20th century, this beautiful architectural form originally began at an art school in Paris known as the École des Beaux-Arts during the 1830s. There was much resistance to the Neoclassism of the day among French artists, who yearned for the intellectual freedom to pursue less rigid design aesthetics. Four instructors in particular were responsible for establishing the movement: Joseph-Louis Duc, Félix Duban, Henri Labrouste, and Léon Vaudoyer. The training that these instructors created involved fusing architectural elements from several earlier styles, including Imperial Roman, Italian Renaissance, ad Baroque. As such, a typical building created with Beaux-Arts-inspired designs would feature a rusticated first story, followed by several more simplistic ones. A flat roof would then top the structure. Symmetry became the defining character, with every building’s layout featuring such elements like balustrades, pilasters, and cartouches. Sculptures and other carvings were commonplace throughout the design, too. Beaux-Arts only found a receptive audience in France and the United States though, as most other Western architects at the time gravitated toward British design principles.

But the architects also relied upon elements of Federal-style architecture to craft the hotel’s interior—or at least a recreation of it. Historically speaking, Federal architecture dominated American cities and towns during the nation’s formative years, which historians best identify as lasting from 1780 to 1840. The name itself is a tribute to that period, in which America’s first political leaders sought to establish the foundations of the current federal government. Fundamentally, the architectural form had evolved from the earlier Georgian design principles that had greatly influenced both British and American culture throughout most of the 18th century.  The similarities between the two art forms have even inspired some scholars to refer to Federalist architecture as a mere refinement of the earlier Georgian aesthetic. Oddly enough, though, the architect deemed responsible for popularizing Federal style in the United States, was in fact, not an American. Robert Adams was the United Kingdom’s most popular architect at the time, with his work largely involved providing his own spin on the infusion of neoclassical design principles with Georgian architecture. (This is also the reason why some refer to Federal architecture as “Adam-style architecture.”) As such, his new variation spread quickly across England, defining its civic landscape for much of the Napoleonic Era. Despite the bitter resentments that most Americans harbored toward Great Britain at the time, their cultural perceptions of the world were still largely influenced by the old mother country. Thus, Adams’ new take on Georgian architecture rapidly spread throughout the United States as it had previously across the Atlantic. 

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, First Lady to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1961 – 1963)

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (1961 – 1963)