The Southside Community Center held a grand opening Thursday at its new Historic Southside location after its previous property was acquired to develop the National Juneteenth Museum.
The Southside Community Center at Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods at 818 Missouri Ave. is now the spot for the community center’s services and programs. It is located less than a mile from the former location at 959 E. Rosedale St.
The move clears the way for demolition of the old community center to allow the 50,000-square-foot museum to be built in its place.
“Thank you to all the city staff for helping turn this ship, and thank you to the community for understanding that it’s not just a building,” city council member Chris Nettles said to neighborhood residents and city staff members in celebrating the opening. “Although that building may be torn down, you are the building, you are the people, you are the Historic Southside, and so now we have a place that we can call home.”
The Hazel Harvey Peace Center houses city staff and committees such as the Human Relations Commission and the Mayor’s Committee on Persons with Disabilities, which host their meetings at the center.
The Southside Community Center’s services will be housed on the first floor.
The programs and services that will move include Meals on Wheels, Best Years Club, after-school programs and special events. The community center also serves as a voting center during local elections and holds programs with partners such as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.
Nettles named the Youth Activity Center for longtime community advocate Johnny Lewis who died in July at the age of 78.
His daughter, Erin Lewis, said he would have been proud knowing the center was named after him, as he was a champion for children.
Council member Chris Nettles, left, and Erin Lewis hold up a plaque of Johnny Lewis during the grand opening of the new Southside Community Center at Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods on Oct. 1, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Elvis Martinez-Cartagena | Fort Worth Report)
“He wanted every kid to be successful and happy and healthy,” Lewis said.
Kristina Banta, president of the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association, said the association advocates for the community and wants to continue its work in the new location.
“This has been a central hub, it’s a place where you guys provide health, you provide safety, and a lot of social connections happen here,” Banta said during the opening ceremony.
The 19,000-square-foot community center is over 50 years old and needs nearly $10 million in repairs, according to a 2022 condition report commissioned by the city. The center needed upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improve the kitchen and create an additional exit.
The museum pivoted with attempts to acquire the center after being unable to acquire land on Rosedale Street and Verbena Street. After getting approval from the Historic Southside Neighborhood Association and presenting the plan to residents to move services to Hazel Harvey Peace, the city adopted a resolution in 2025 stating the city will lease the community center site to the Juneteenth museum for 40 years at a rate of $1 per year.
Demolition of the Southside Community Center is slated to begin Oct. 7 during a community celebration for Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth’s 100th birthday.
Kamal Morgan is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at kamal@fortworthreport.org.
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