Crescent
The magnificent Crescent Hotel Fort Worth, two years in the making at Camp Bowie Boulevard and Van Cliburn Way, is open for business.
Crescent executives, including chairman John Goff and his wife Cami, were joined by city and county officials on Wednesday afternoon for a ceremonial ribbon cutting in the lobby of this luxury addition to the Cultural District.
“Now the real work begins,” said Robert Rechtermann, the hotel's general manager.
The hotel’s first paid guest checked in Wednesday afternoon. They were greeted with a glass of champagne. Rechtermann said Friday and Saturday are booked full, as are dinner reservations at the Mediterranean-inspired Emilia’s, which is under the direction of chef Preston Paine.
The hotel is the newest project in Crescent Real Estate’s platinum portfolio of properties. It’s also the first development project in the city for Goff, the billionaire businessman who once worked for Fort Worth financier Richard Rainwater and ultimately built his own real estate company.
Goff arrived here slightly more than 40 years ago with all his possessions in a U-Haul for a job at an accounting firm in Fort Worth and a home in Wedgwood.
“This [project] is personal,” said Goff on Wednesday. “We just completed a big hotel, the one in the Embassy Suites in Nashville. It's been open roughly a year and love the hotel. It's spectacular. It's performing really well, but this is in our home turf. I drive by this every single day and I've always imagined having a great hotel here.”
And, so, it has been done.
The 200-room hotel is part of a $275 million mixed-use development that includes 1680,000 square feet of Class A office space and 167 apartments. A Canyon Ranch Wellness Club is also part of the property. The hotel features 14,000 square feet of special event space.
The architect was OZ Architecture.
The development, as well as elements of the hotel, are opening in phases, Goff said.
As best as can be gleaned from history — because no one remains behind to tell us about it — Wednesday was reminiscent of the opening more than 100 years ago of the Hotel Texas. It opened in 1921 as the largest hotel in the city.
“This is incredible,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker. “And I think [Crescent and the Goffs] has been so thoughtful along the way. They have treated this as a partnership from the moment they decided they wanted to do something like this. They knew that the museums were partners, the city was a partner, the county and infrastructure they would need as a partnership. They wanted to make sure they held intact the integrity of the Cultural District.
“That's hard. John and Cami really focused on who Fort Worth is and making it a part of this hotel. It translates into something that is spectacular. And I know that this is now going to become a place not just for visitors and for business, which is a significant boom for the city, but I think our residents are going to be incredibly proud of this place. You come here for cocktails or a coffee. It doesn't feel out of place. That's huge credit to them.”
The chef at Emilia’s, Paine, a Fort Worth resident who graduated from Dallas Jesuit High School, was a contestant on the Food Network show "Ciao House." In addition to his TV appearance, Paine has made a name for himself as an executive chef at several Dallas Bishop Arts District restaurants, including Paradiso, 308 N. Bishop Ave.
In the role he is undertaking, Paine will be in charge of the upscale Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, which will include a separate fine dining space called The Blue Room. The Blue Room is not open yet.
Artist's Rendering
In the past, Paine helped open restaurants in the Thompson Hotel, a luxury hotel in Dallas, the former First National Bank Tower, including Catbird and Nine at The National.
The Circle Bar on the ground floor was reportedly “hopping” on opening night.
The development has taken a lead role in three coming to the Cultural District.
Goldenrod Services of Omaha, Nebraska, is constructing The Van Zandt and One University. The Van Zandt, with 105,000 square feet of office and retail space, along with apartments, will be constructed at 2816 W. Seventh St., where it intersects with Foch Street. One University, at University Drive and Morton Street, will comprise 110,000 square feet of office and retail space, as well as apartments and a hotel.
Total combined cost of the two will be in the neighborhood of $400 million.
In downtown Fort Worth, Goff has played a lead role in Texas A&M building a research campus in the southeast quadrant.
Construction is underway on the Aggies’ new Law and Education building. It is an eight-story, $150 million edifice. The city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County are collaborating with the Texas A&M System to construct two other buildings over four city blocks owned by the A&M System. The Research & Innovation Building is where several Texas A&M System agencies will work alongside private sector tenants. A third structure, the Gateway Building, will house offices, more classroom and meeting spaces, and a conference center.
Goff is chair of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership.
Of the project, Goff has said: “This is really a legacy for me. I want to see it through.”
