Fort Worth decides fate of eyesore looming over south side neighborhood

Who is on the hook for the $1.4 million that it would take to demolish the 100-year-old grain silos that loom over Worth Heights?

Fort Worth has, in the past, laid the responsibility at the feet of the property owner. But the property’s owner, 3500 Alice Trust — and its trustee, James Gislason — have been unreachable by the city for a decade.

The City Council voted in 2016 to demolish the silos, at 3700 Alice St., if the owner didn’t do anything about them, but 10 years later, the city now says it’s unable to foot the bill.

When Worth Heights received a $4 million grant in 2024 as part of Fort Worth’s Neighborhood Improvement Program, roughly $850,000 was allocated toward demolishing the silos — but it’s still not enough, the city says.

“After considering current budget constraints, the City has decided not to move forward with the demolition of the Alice Street silos,” a city spokesperson told the Star-Telegram. “While the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP) has funding available for the project, an estimated $600,000 funding gap remains, making demolition infeasible at this time.”

Now, that money will be available for other neighborhood improvement projects, and the city wants to hear from the public on what to use it for.

“Community perspectives were an important part of our review, and this determination enables the City to focus the remaining resources on capital improvements that provide the greatest benefit,” district 11 city council member Jeanette Martinez told the Star-Telegram in a statement.

Neighborhood residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on potential projects that include litter cleanup, roadway re-asphalting, and other ideas during Hemphill Mutual Aid’s back to school event on Aug. 8.

The NIP has allocated $9,800 for the city to remove a pipe hanging from the silos along Alice Street, the city spokesperson said, but that is expected to be the last NIP funding that will go toward the silos.

Residents can weigh in between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Victory Forest Community Center, at 3427 Hemphill St.