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HISTORY
The Ryan Place neighborhood lies approximately three miles from the Fort Worth Central Business District and is included in the 1863 W. B. Tucker Survey. The boundaries for the area are Jessamine Street to the north, the railroad tracks to the east, Berry Street on the south and 8th Ave. on the west.
Camp Worth, later called Fort
Worth, was established in May of 1849, to help control Indian
uprisings in the area. On the prairie south of the camp, the
Joshua Ellis family settled after receiving a land grant that
same year, 1849.
Fort Worth became a town and
grew into a city, and in 1911, pioneer developer John C. Ryan
platted what is now Ryan Place. He and his wife, Elizabeth Willing
Ryan, wanted an area to rival that of "Quality Hill"
on Summit and Pennsylvania Avenues, and they established the
quality controls for the area that was always referred to as
"elite" and "exclusive." The entrance gates
on the east and west ends of Elizabeth Blvd. and on the north
end of 6th Avenue marked the area as something special.
Discovery of major oil fields
during this time gave impetus to the building of the stately
homes along Elizabeth Blvd. and surrounding blocks.
In 1911 the first airplanes came
to Fort Worth, and one under its own power landed in Ryan's Pasture,
an area just south of Elizabeth Blvd. An estimated 10,000 people
watched for the plane's arrival, and as it approached, the excitement
became so great thousands swarmed onto the field where it was
to land. The pilot, Calbraith Perry Rodgers, saw the difficulty
and pretended to be landing at one edge of the field. As the
crowd ran in that direction, he quickly landed on the opposite
side. Fort Worth philanthropist and showman, Amon G. Carter,
was one of the first to greet the pilot.
During the "Great Depression",
building stopped and some houses began to deteriorate. Families
moved to new suburbs and property values dropped in Ryan Place.
In the 1950's the western gates were partially torn down to widen
access to Elizabeth Blvd. The city planned to widen 5th and 6th
Avenues into one way thoroughfares. The residents formed the
Ryan Place Improvement Association in 1969 to fight the decline,
closely guarding the boundaries of Ryan Place from intrusions
that would bury the past. They were successful.
The Ryan Place Candlelight Tour was established to raise money to replace the gates which was accomplished in 1991. The Candlelight Tour continues to help fund other projects in the area, such as restoring the historic street lights. Elizabeth Blvd. is now in the National Register of Historic Places, the first in Tarrant County to be so honored. Ryan Place is the oldest intact residential neighborhood in Fort Worth. Fifty-five homes in Ryan Place are listed in the Historic Fort Worth, Inc.'s Tarrant Country Historic Survey, including 35 homes on Eliabeth Blvd. The gates, tiled curb signs and street lights are also mentioned.
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NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
The Ryan Place Improvement Association,
founded in 1969, has accomplished many things. From the creation
of the Ryan Place Candlelight Tour to the planting of 794 Italian
Cypress trees along 8th Avenue this group is actively improving
the neighborhood. Yearly activities include a July 4th Parade
and sometimes a musical production, the Christmas Candlelight
Tour, a Croquet Tournament in May and monitoring of city ordinances
that might affect property values.
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SCHOOLS
Elementary
E. M. Daggett, 958 Page, 817-922-6880
Montesorri School at Daggett Elementary
Middle
E. M. Daggett, 1108 Carlock, 817-922-6550
High School
R. L. Paschal, 3001 Forest Park Blvd., 817-922-6600
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OTHER INFORMATION
Nearest Fire Station: 3209 Hemphill, 817-871-6800, emergencies 911
Nearest Medical Facilities: All major hospitals in the medical
district.
Nearest Post Office: Berry Street Station, 2600 8th Ave., 817-924-0673
City Council District Number: 9
School Board District Number: 5
Voting Precinct Number: 1062, 1077, depending on location of
house.
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