One of the films in this year’s Lone Star International Film Festival is going to be quite a treat for Fort Worthians. They Came to Play is a documentary filmed here in Fort Worth covering the events of The 2007 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs.

Even better, there will be a preview showing of the film hosted by LSIFF this Thursday at The Modern (tickets available here), including live performances by some of the contestants featured in the film, a cocktail reception, and a question and answer session with the filmmakers.

Clark Griffith, third place winner of the competition in the film, just happens to be my next door neighbor, so I wanted to share my own experience getting to know the man in the movie…

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Vintage photo scan by Pete Charlton, provided by Andy Nold

In late 1927, the North Texas Traction Company took delivery of ten of what you see in the vintage photo above - new 1928 Birney Safety Cars. Over the last 80 years, one of these streetcars has led quite the life - and now, thanks to the efforts of North Texas Historic Transportation, it’s come home to the Panther City at long last.

First, a bit of background. The Birney Safety Car was developed in 1915, a result of the desire to streamline streetcar operations (and contrary to what you might read elsewhere, the cars were in fact called streetcars in Fort Worth, not trolleys). Prior to the Birney’s creation, riders didn’t trust using a streetcar that wasn’t manned by both a conductor and a motorman. Thanks to the Birney’s advanced safety systems, such as a door interlock system that prevented the streetcar from moving if the door was open or a passenger was stuck, riders felt comfortable using the system without a conductor. Small and nimble, the Birneys were efficient and durable streetcars. When North Texas Traction ordered their shiny new 1928 Birneys, they were getting the absolute cutting edge of streetcar technology. The ’28s featured all the latest advancements and were outfitted in the Art Deco style, with lovely trim and beautiful Deco light fixtures.

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Today, over at West and Clear sister site Fort Worthology, I showed the in-depth walkthrough of two historic building restorations I was able to tour. One was the restoration of the Sawyer Grocery buildings from 1909 and 1910 on South Main, being converted to apartments over ground-floor retail by local developer Eddie Vanston, while the other is Eddie’s next project, the Miller Manufacturing Company building of 1911. | Map of the Building’s Location

As it turns out, the Miller Manufacturing building has one heck of a wild event in its past, and it would make a grand Pantherphile post here on West and Clear as well. So, let’s dive right into the story of the Miller Manufacturing Company Labor Strike of 1922.

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Will the real “Father of Fort Worth” please stand up?

Early Fort Worth resident and promoter John Peter Smith is often referred to as the “Father of Fort Worth” by history writers. I’ve seen it so many times, including on Mr. Smith’s own miraculous posthumous blog, that I never really felt the need to question the accuracy of the title.

However, the other day I was walking past the convention center and stopped to read the Texas Historic Marker at the northwest corner of the block. The marker is dedicated to early Fort Worth settler Ephraim M. Daggett, and to my surprise the marker claimed that Mr. Daggett was indeed known as the “Father of Fort Worth.”

A message that I left at Mr. Smith’s blog was met with assurances that he was Fort Worth’s true dad, but I still had some unanswered questions.

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Welcome to the first installment of Pantherphile! Kevin here, West and Clear’s resident architectural geek and Fort Worth history aficionado. With Pantherphile, I intend to bring you glimpses into Fort Worth’s past, via old photos or looks at still-standing artifacts. There’s a ton of fascinating history in this little hamlet tucked between the West and Clear Forks, and it’s high time somebody told you about it. Hopefully, you’ll get a kick out of these little trips back in time, and maybe you’ll wind up learning something, too.

Enough of my prattle - on with the show!

First, a little backstory.

That’s the Electric Building, at 7th & Lamar across from Burnett Park. It started life as the home of the Texas Electric Service Company, and after decades of office use now finds itself being used as apartments. From 1930 to about 1976, it also housed the Hollywood Theater, one of the grand Art Deco movie houses on 7th Street’s “Show Row” in downtown Fort Worth.

As you may or may not know, Fort Worth lost her grand movie palaces downtown in the ’70s. The (original) Palace, the Worth, the Hollywood…all gone.

Right?

Well, it’s not that simple.

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