Fort Worth nonprofit hopes to transform abandoned school building into community resource center
FORT WORTH, Texas - A local nonprofit organization says it has hope for a property in Fort Worth that has become a public nuisance.
Built in the early 1900s, the school has become an encampment and has been the scene of several fires.
The old Vickery School has become the site of multiple suspicious fires recently and a magnet for homeless camping. However, it’s also a vision of hope and progress.
"We’re going to renovate it, and we’re going to expand on the property," said Roderick Miles with the Livingston Community Development Foundation.
Miles shared renderings of the initial envisioned transformation.
"This is going to be a mixed-use facility. There’ll be some event space there. We’re working on a workforce development program to be housed out of here," he said.
The nonprofit division of a local fraternity is working to acquire the abandoned school from the city of Fort Worth.
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The fires were reported Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon on opposite ends of the old R. Vickery School building in the city’s Glenwood neighborhood.
"We’d like to see a police substation here," said Glen Harmon with the organization. "We’d like to see a health facility here."
The Beta Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and its nonprofit began talks with the city in 2021. The goal is for a major revitalization and hub of resources for the surrounding southside communities.
"We currently have a capital campaign. We’re looking forward to the North Texas Day of Giving where hopefully we will get people to contribute to our foundation, the Livingston Community Development Foundation.," Harmon said.
But this year alone, Fort Worth Fire has been called out seven times to the property, with fires on five occasions weakening the building infrastructure. The city’s ongoing safety efforts continue with attempts to keep people out of it.
The fraternity members say current negotiations involve the $91,000 sales price and the issue of the property’s outstanding back taxes, and there is optimism.
"We’ve got the support of the mayor. We’ve got the support of all city councilmembers and the different departments," Miles said. "And it’s just a matter of us getting through the negotiation piece, making sure there is a price point that is reasonable for both parties."