Like a lot of places where rock ‘n’ roll memories are made, the Fort Worth Convention Center arena doesn’t look like much in the cold light of day.
Inside, without the music and the people and the energy, it’s just a stark, hollow dome with a cement floor, corrugated walls and 10,400 empty blue seats underneath the “flying saucer” roof that’s been a feature of the downtown landscape since 1968 — when the complex was known as the Tarrant County Convention Center.
A look inside the Fort Worth Convention Center arena on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 in Fort Worth. The space will be demolished to make way for an expansion of the convention center. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
But standing where the stage normally is, gazing out across the expanse, it’s easy to imagine Elvis shaking his hips in roughly the same spot, or of Mick Jagger or Bono or Paul McCartney or Eddie Van Halen or B.B. King or Bob Dylan … or any of the long list of greats who have played that room over the decades. They helped make the arena the closest thing Fort Worth has had to a Madison Square Garden or a Hollywood Bowl in terms of cultural impact.
Elvis Presley in concert at the Tarrant County Convention Center on June 4, 1976. Fort Worth Star-Telegram University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection 
Bob Dylan in concert at the Tarrant County Convention Center on November 24, 1978, in Fort Worth. Rodger Mallison Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections
Unlike those legendary venues, though, the Fort Worth Convention Center arena’s days are numbered. That iconic circular roof will soon be imploded and the building demolished to make room for a new ballroom and additional exhibit hall space, part of a $700 million convention center renovation project funded by hotel occupancy and venue tax collections and a portion of shared revenue from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Time has passed the space-age relic of the swinging 1960s by, city officials say. Dickies Arena, with its luxury suites and modern amenities, now has the right of first refusal for concerts and sporting events. That left the old convention center arena underutilized.
The Tarrant County Convention Center under construction, Jan. 14, 1968. The complex helped regenerate an area formerly known as Hell’s Half Acre owing to its saloons and brothels. Fort Worth Star-Telegram University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
Mike Crum, the city’s deputy director of public events, said the facility needed to evolve for Fort Worth to compete with places like Oklahoma City, Nashville and Charlotte for large-scale convention business.
Officials considered renovating the arena, Crum said, but found it more practical to knock it down and make room for something new.
The city is hosting a free farewell celebration for the arena on Sept. 20, giving people a chance to say goodbye to a building that hosted such indelible events as graduations, athletic competitions and baptisms in addition to concerts.
Gina Castillo, operations supervisor for the convention center, has mixed feelings about the arena’s demise. The renovated space will better meet the demands of today’s event planners and attendees, she said. But Castillo isn’t immune to nostalgia.
Andra Bennett, Public Events Communications Coordinator, and Gina Castillo, Field Operations Supervisor, look at an old time off calendar that was used by the Fort Worth Convention Center staff. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
She and her late husband saw their favorite band, U2, for the first time at the convention center in November 1987, when the group played there back-to-back nights on their Joshua Tree tour. Some years later, Castillo had the honor of walking the venue’s stage as a graduate when she earned her associate’s degree.
Castillo began working at the convention center in 1998. Since then, she’s overseen operations for shows by the likes of Elton John, Cher, KISS, Miley Cyrus, Kid Rock and many other artists.
Bono, lead singer of U2, seen performing in a cowboy hat at the Tarrant County Convention Center on Nov. 23, 1987, in Fort Worth. Mickey Torres Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections
“Cher was awesome,” Castillo said, describing the singer as “down to earth” and relatable. Elton John traveled with his own furniture and rugs to adorn his dressing room area, Castillo recalled. That included tables to display dozens and dozens of pairs of sunglasses the musician would choose from for his show.
Castillo said that she sometimes got starstruck early on, but as time passed, she realized entertainers are just people. And what Castillo enjoys most, she said, is meeting people, from the highest-profile musicians to the everyday folks who work behind the scenes of a concert or event production.
A capacity crowd at the Tarrant County Convention Center waiting to see Elvis Presley perform on June 4, 1976. Fort Worth Star-Telegram University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection Former congressman’s personal, family ties to the convention center
While cleaning out a storage area in the arena’s basement, city employees came across a trove of artifacts, some of which will be displayed during the farewell party in September.
One item, an arena booking log from 1970, shows an eclectic clientele.
Fort Worth Convention Center’s records show performances and conventions scheduled in 1970, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 in Fort Worth. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
ZZ Top members (bassist Dusty Hill, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons) in concert at the Tarrant County Convention Center on Jan. 1, 1978. Fort Worth Star-Telegram University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
The venue hosted an American Legion event on July 24, 1970, followed by Grand Funk Railroad on Aug. 6. Hee Haw performers were there on Aug. 16, with Led Zeppelin appearing six days later. The next month, it was Lawrence Welk for the easy listening crowd.
The cost to book the arena in those days was a whopping $1,000 a night, though that was discounted to $688 for the American Legion veterans.
Fort Worth native Pete Geren, a former congressman and secretary of the Army, is of the generation that perhaps has some of the fondest memories of the arena. His grandfather and father — Preston M. Geren Sr., and Preston M. Geren Jr. — were also part of a team of architects who designed the building. Pete Geren said it was a point of civic pride for both men.
Rolling Stones fans line up to buy tickets for the Rolling Stones concert outside of the Tarrant County Convention Center on Sept. 25, 1981, in Fort Worth. Jerry W. Hoefer Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections 
Van Halen fans wait in line to buy concert tickets outside of the Tarrant County Convention Center on Sept. 18, 1986, in Fort Worth. Joe Giron Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections
Geren, who today leads the Fort Worth school district’s board of managers, saw the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan at the convention center as a young man in the early 1970s.
“The energy of the Rolling Stones, it just rocked the house,” Geren remembered.
Beyond music, Geren pointed out that the arena held some unforgettable sporting events, including Golden Gloves and championship boxing matches, hockey games (it was home to minor league teams up until the 2010s) and even the 1992 Davis Cup tennis tournament, where a U.S. team led by Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras defeated the Swiss team in the finals.
Olympic Torch being carried by Ray Tinnin of Houston, accompanied by David Vigil of San Francisco, in front of the Fort Worth Convention Center in 1984. Joe Giron University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection
Geren said the convention center was part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown Fort Worth in the 1960s after it was partly abandoned by commercial tenants in the previous decade. The area where the convention center stands today was known long ago as Hell’s Half Acre for its saloons and brothels, and Geren remembered it being a somewhat neglected part of town until the convention center was built.
The building injected new life into southeast downtown, Geren said.
“It’s a great part of the history of Fort Worth,” he said. “But what’s going to take its place is bigger and better, and a better fit for the needs of the city.”
Jerre Tracy, the executive director of Historic Fort Worth, doesn’t necessarily agree.
“Some people say we are ‘Funky Town,’ and that’s pretty darn funky,” Tracy said of the existing structure.
Steven Tyler, Aerosmith lead singer at right, in concert at the Tarrant County Convention Center on June 21, 1977. Pictured at left is Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton. Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection/UT Arlington Libraries Special Collections
She knows it’s too late to do anything now, but Tracy said she wished the city would have considered designating the convention center arena as a historic landmark and keeping the exterior and roof intact. She also expressed disappointment that the city didn’t involve Historic Fort Worth in the final decision about the arena’s fate.
“People who don’t understand tradition, who live in a beige world, don’t understand funky,” said Tracy. “It makes me sad.”
City will host wake before saying goodbye to its iconic arena
Tracy isn’t alone in feeling somewhat melancholy. Over the years, the convention center arena has hosted a who’s who of music luminaries, the kind of acts people tell their kids and grandkids about years after seeing them. That includes the aforementioned artists as well as AC/DC, ZZ Top, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and Ozzy Osbourne, just to name a few.
Andra Bennett, spokesperson for the city’s Public Events department, said she expected some of the fans who saw those performances, along with some of those who experienced other momentous occasions at the convention center, to stop by Sept. 20 to pay their final respects.
A photograph of Bob Hope performing in 1968 during the grand opening of the convention center dubbed “Action Spectacular”, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 in Fort Worth. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram 
Old tickets from shows dating back to the 1970s at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 in Fort Worth. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
In addition to the historical displays and remembrances, Bennett said, there will be music courtesy of local band Emerald City and games and activities for children.
Geren said he’d be there for one last glimpse at what his father and grandfather helped create — a place where some of his most cherished personal memories were made.
“I’m sentimental about it,” he said, later adding: “It gave Fort Worth a lot of experiences we never would have had.”
Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us!
We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news — and to publish those views in the Opinion section.
• Letters should be no more than 150 words.
• Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days.
• Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions.
You can submit a letter to the editor two ways:
• Email letters@star-telegram.com (preferred).
• Fill out this online form.
Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic.
This story was originally published September 3, 2026 at 4:34 AM.
Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.