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Bowie House Hotel
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Bowie House Hotel
Plans are moving forward for a boutique hotel being developed on the former site of The Ginger Man bar on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
On Tuesday, the Fort Worth City Council approved a zoning change that would allow for the building of Bowie House — a four-story, 120-room hotel planned for the northeast corner of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Dorothy Lane. The project, developed by property owner Jo Ellard, also includes 11 townhouses, a garden courtyard, pool, spa, fitness center, and restaurant.
The project has received mixed reaction from area residents.
Wade Chappell, executive director of Camp Bowie District, Inc. (and owner of Pearl Snap Kolaches), spoke in support of the hotel during Tuesday's city council meeting.
"Camp Bowie District does not have a single hotel within its boundaries; we are hungry for one," he said. "The tax base will definitely benefit, and the quality of hotel that's being promised — mahogany and brass, if you will, for a five-star appeal — is something that our shop owners, our property owners, and our landlords are eager [about] to get folks into town to come and spend their tourism dollars."
But travel writer June Naylor expressed concerns about traffic and the hotel not fitting with the character of Camp Bowie.
"I just don't think it belongs in a low density area like the one we have," she said. "It belongs in a high, commercially dense area ... the boulevard itself is an important historic landmark that belongs to all of Fort Worth, and it's integrity cannot be compromised."
Still, city councilman Dennis Shingleton, whose district includes the area, stood by the project.
"You know that something is going to be built on that very lucrative commercial property," Shingleton said. "In my opinion, I can't think of anything better than a five-star hotel that is going to enhance, not only the commercial aspects of Camp Bowie Boulevard but also that neighborhood."
