Keith House
Google will soon need to update its street view of Clearfork. A nifty addition is being made to the old Edwards Ranch adjacent to the Trinity Trails.
A newly commissioned installation by the internationally known artist James Turrell is under construction within Keith House, a modern-day version of a traditional meeting house being built near The Heart of the Ranch at Clearfork, which is scheduled to open in the summer, according to officials with two nonprofits overseeing the facility.
The work — titled “The Keith Skyspace, 2023” — will be one of Turrell’s Skyspaces, which use light as a medium to evoke wonder and a sense of peace.
Keith House will be a venue for meetings and events, such as weddings and memorials. It is located at 4814 Edwards Ranch Road.
“Keith House hopes to entice and welcome visitors to an experience unlike anything else in the area,” says Adelaide Leavens, executive director of Entrada of Texas and the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation (pronounced “meet-ah Alice”), the nonprofits that are building the venue and will operate the facility.
Entrada of Texas is a nonprofit whose “mission is to enable discovery that will expand curiosity and heighten the influence of art by offering the people of Fort Worth compelling contemporary expressions in unexpected settings.”
According to Leavens, the 3,200-square-foot Keith House and its surrounding 2 acres will offer broad appeal as a nonsectarian gathering space where the commonalities of many spiritual explorations converge, "reflecting values like truth, peace, mutual respect, and the power of silence."
“In its simplicity, Keith House will make room for whatever states of mind visitors bring,” said Leavens.
Keith House and the Skyspace installation were conceived as a “gift to the entire Fort Worth community” by the foundation established by the late Meta Alice Keith Bratten.
When Keith House opens, visitors will experience Turrell’s Skyspace daily at sunrise and sunset. Guests at other Skyspace sites around the world have described them as mesmerizing plays between the sky’s changing light, which is visible through a roof-top opening, and light around the ceiling perimeter.
“Keith House will be an excellent addition to the Trinity River landscape in Clearfork,” says District 3 Fort Worth City Councilman Michael Crain. “My hope is that this interactive art piece will be a place of respite and reflection for all who visit. Fort Worth remains fortunate for philanthropists like Adelaide Leavens and the Edwards family who continue to invest wisely in our environment and culture."
Construction on Keith House began in July 2022 on land provided by Cassco in a wooded setting near Clearfork, with Bennett Partners as architects, SpawGlass as general contractor, and The Projects Group as project managers.
After launching Keith House in 2023, Entrada anticipates additional installations, which will reflect the same extensive research the foundation put into Keith House.
“We want to find the right artists and the right locations to honor Meta Alice and Fort Worth,” Leavens says.
