In a city known for its deep roots and spirited evolution, Fort Worth’s historic Camp Bowie Boulevard is getting ready to turn the page to the next chapter. Partnering with Main Street America, Camp Bowie District Inc. has set in motion a vision that will shape the future of this beloved commercial corridor — transforming it into a more vibrant, resilient, and connected space for the people who’ve walked its storied streets for over a century.
From Feb. 11-12, the Camp Bowie District will host a Transformation Workshop, where Main Street America — an organization dedicated to reinvigorating downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the country — will guide the community through a process of imagining what comes next for this historic stretch of the Boulevard.
“As we look to the future of this historic and important corridor, it is imperative that we evaluate all of the audiences that use the Boulevard today and will use it in the future,” Lydia Guajardo Rickard, Camp Bowie District Inc. executive director, told the Fort Worth Business Press. “For more than 100 years, Camp Bowie has not only been historic, but historically it has served residents and visitors as a commercial corridor driven by locally owned businesses.”
The workshop will focus specifically on the stretch between Montgomery Street and Interstate 30 — known as “The Bricks” — where property owners, business leaders, city officials, and residents will come together in focus groups to explore the corridor’s potential for the next three to five years. It’s a process of listening, learning, and dreaming.
The Main Street Approach™, a framework created by the National Main Street Center, will lead the charge with a focus on four core pillars: Economic Vitality, Promotion, Organization, and Design. These pillars provide a flexible yet powerful roadmap for making tangible changes that work for this community and its unique needs.
But here’s the twist: While Camp Bowie isn’t looking for a total overhaul, it’s clear the Boulevard is ready to embrace change. The area’s renaissance is undeniable, with the influx of luxury hotels and bustling activity from Dickies Arena shaping a new economic foundation. At the same time, there’s a careful balance to strike between preserving the charm of the neighborhood’s commercial feel and creating space for new businesses to thrive. Anchors like HSC, UNT, and Bowie House are vital to that fabric, but so are the countless locally owned businesses that call Camp Bowie home.
The work ahead isn’t just about the next few years — it’s about setting the stage for the next few decades. It’s about creating a vision that respects history, fosters innovation, and embraces the future.
Through workshops, surveys, and countless conversations with the community, the goal is clear: to craft a transformative plan that’s as adaptable as it is visionary. Camp Bowie District Inc. has already seen growth — over 30 locally owned businesses have opened their doors in the last year alone. The demand for more business opportunities is real, and the need for a clear, cohesive plan to support that growth is urgent.
“As we look to the future and continue to see new audiences using the area, we need to make sure that we are maintaining the neighborhood commercial while creating opportunities for our anchors to prosper,” Guajardo Rickard continued. “Our anchors like HSC UNT and Bowie House need to feel supported with appropriate business, but we also want to make sure we protect our residential areas by crafting a plan for scalable and intentional neighborhood commercial development.”
