Do Not Sell Farrington Field

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article254343238.html

State Board of Review approves Farrington Field for National Register of Historic Places The designation will make state tax credit available for the field’s maintenance.

https://www.texaslawsmith.com/post/fort-worth-s-historic-farrington-field

Fort Worth's Historic Farrington Field Fort Worth's Historic Farrington Field has been a Fort Worth Independent School District icon since it’s construction in 1939.

Farrington Field, large enough for accommodations, hosts FWISD COVID-19 Graduation Ceremonies

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-isd-high-schools-hold-senior-commencement-mask-required/2396411/

Fort Worth ISD High Schools Hold Senior Commencement, Mask Required This week, the Fort Worth Independent School District has been holding Senior Commencement Celebrations. But because of a recent state order that put limits on large gatherings, the school district had to move Friday’s start time up, by several hours – from 7 p.m., to 1 p.m.

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/fort-worth/article243504606.html

Can a 1937 land deed save Fort Worth ISD’s historic Farrington Field from being sold? Farrington’s grandson remembers his father telling him there was a deed restriction that said if the land wasn’t used for athletic purposes or if the school district tried to sell it, the land on which the stadium was built would revert back to its original owner.

Almost everyone who grew up in Fort Worth, Texas has a fond memory of Farrington Fieid! Whether you were in the marching band, JROTC, the homecoming court. or were a cheerleader, football player, soccer player, or track runner share the story of one of your favorite memories there!!

Check out this article on the history of Farrington Field by John Henry

https://www.fwisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918778/Centricity/domain/36/history/Segregated%20school%20made%20Fort%20Worth.pdf

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/education/article242702021.html

I know that most people have other pressing concerns in light of the COVID-19 virus that has disrupted many aspects of our lives but take a moment to share this page with your Fort Worth family and friends.

This stadium has been a part of our community for almost 90 years and I believe that its fate should be decision left up to the Fort Worth area community. If you believe that this stadium should be saved or, at the very least, believe that there should be some sort of community discussion regarding its future, please do what you can to get the word out.

Fort Worth schools have sold first excess properties. But what about Farrington Field? Bids for the iconic Farrington Field could come later this year.

“Since 1938...Thousands of Athletes and Coaches have made the walk down this tunnel into historic Farrington Field. You just became part of...HISTORY”

And thousands and thousands more have come together to watch them from its bleachers on Friday nights each fall.

Farrington Field has been an Fort Worth ISD icon since it’s construction in 1939. Thousands of Fort Worth natives have come to the stadium to play football, soccer, run track at the stadium. It has been more than just a sports arena and has put many others in the spotlight. From athletes to homecoming courts and cheerleaders to marching bands, it has been a place where people from all segments of our community, and all walks of life, have come together to show pride in their schools, families, and friends. The stadium’s cold bleachers and warm lights have witnessed hundreds of sporting contests at their purest form, at the amateur level, played by our city’s sons and daughters. For the last 80 years, and from generation to generation, bitter rivalries have been renewed each fall on Friday nights at Farrington Field.

Now our community is considering selling its stadium due to the high value of the land upon which it rests. The sale would certainly net our school district what appears to be a large sum of money in the short term, but next to the district's almost $1 billion dollar budget, the price tag on the stadium is next to nothing. The further property tax revenue created for the district from the real estate developments that would be sure to follow would likely bring even some more income year over year but the income stream would be well under 1% increase to the annual budget.

Putting a price on our history and a price on our traditions is not something that should be taken lightly and is something that our community at large should have a say on. There is much that could be gained from maintaining this iconic stadium and investing further in it. Sports are a unifying institution in our culture. Almost every person plays a sport at some point in their life. Sports help to socialize our youth and foster a sense of community among our population of people that is so incredibly diverse.

Just one such example, is that long prior to the completion of desegregation in Fort Worth in 1973, Farrington Field was home to the football teams of all of Fort Worth’s schools including its African-American schools such as Fort Worth IM Terrell, Dunbar, and Kirkpatrick. This is a unique fact in that it likely made Farrington Field the first desegregated educational facility in the entire city of Fort Worth.

In the era between Farrington Field’s opening in 1939 and 1973, Fort Worth IM Terrell won two Prairie View Interscholastic League 2A State Championships, in 1940 and 1947. Also during that period, Fort Worth Kirkpatrick won the 3A championship in 1962 and 1963, Fort Worth Arlington Heights won the city division state title in 1948, and Fort Worth Dunbar appeared in the 4A championship game in 1962.

Rather than turn our back on all of this history, our community should embrace it as well as the iconic Farrington Field that made it possible. I am hopeful that we can find a way to more effectively utilize the space surrounding and within the stadium, and I believe that our community is certainly up to the task of finding a way to do so, thereby embracing where we have come from as well as where we plan to go.

Feel free to leave your own comments and suggestions here and share this page with others in the community. I don't think very many people actually know that this stadium is on the hot seat so please share this page and extend this conversation to others if you want to have a part in saving this Fort Worth landmark.

Farrington Field has been an Fort Worth ISD icon since it’s construction in 1939. Thousands of Fort Worth natives have come to the stadium to play football, soccer, run track at the stadium. It has been more than just a sports arena and has put many others in the spotlight. From athletes to homecoming courts and cheerleaders to marching bands, it has been a place where people from all segments of our community, and all walks of life, have come together to show pride in their schools, families, and friends. The stadium’s cold bleachers and warm lights have witnessed hundreds of sporting contests at their purest form, at the amateur level, played by our city’s sons and daughters. For the last 80 years, and from generation to generation, bitter rivalries have been renewed each fall on Friday nights at Farrington Field.

Now our community is considering selling its stadium due to the high value of the land upon which it rests. The sale would certainly net our school district what appears to be a large sum of money in the short term, but next to the almost $1 billion dollar budget the price tag on the stadium is next to nothing. The further property tax revenue created for the district from the real estate developments that would be sure to follow would likely bring even some more income year over year but the income stream would be well under 1% increase to the annual budget.

Putting a price on our history and a price on our traditions is not something that should be taken lightly and is something that our community at large should have a say on. There is much that could be gained from maintaining this iconic stadium and investing further in it. Sports are a unifying institution in our culture. Almost every person plays a sport at some point in their life. Sports help to socialize our youth and foster a sense of community among our population of people that is so incredibly diverse.

Just one such example, is that long prior to the completion of desegregation in Fort Worth in 1973, Farrington Field was home to the football teams of all of Fort Worth’s schools including its African-American schools such as Fort Worth IM Terrell, Dunbar, and Kirkpatrick. This is a unique fact in that it likely made Farrington Field the first desegregated educational facility in the entire city of Fort Worth.

In the era between Farrington Field’s opening in 1939 and 1973, Fort Worth IM Terrell won two Prairie View Interscholastic League 2A State Championships, in 1940 and 1947. Also during that period, Fort Worth Kirkpatrick won the 3A championship in 1962 and 1963, Fort Worth Arlington Heights won the city division state title in 1948, and Fort Worth Dunbar appeared in the 4A championship game in 1962.

Rather than turn our back on all of this history, our community should embrace it as well as the iconic Farrington Field that made it possible. I am hopeful that we can find a way to more effectively utilize the space surrounding and within the stadium, and I believe that our community is certainly up to the task of finding a way to do so, thereby embracing where we have come from as well as where we plan to go.

Feel free to leave your own comments and suggestions here and share this page with others in the community. I don't think very many people actually know that this stadium is on the hot seat so please share this page and extend this conversation to others if you want to have a part in saving this Fort Worth landmark.

The Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society Collection - High School Football