Fort Worth has a way of keeping its history just beneath the surface — literally. For those of us who like to squint and imagine the city as it looked decades ago, there’s a story buried downtown that feels like something out of a mid-century dream: Fort Worth once had a subway. And it wasn’t for commuters — it was for shoppers. Well, at least the subway was initially built for shoppers. I was reminded of this when a recent city newsletter highlighted the historical transit system.
To grasp the story of the subway, you have to start with Leonard’s Department Store — the heart of downtown Fort Worth for decades. In 1918, brothers Marvin and Obie Leonard opened a tiny 25-by-60-foot shop across from the Tarrant County Courthouse. Over the years, it grew into a sprawling seven-block empire, stretching across Houston, Throckmorton, Weatherford, and W. First streets. Long before suburban malls, Leonard’s drew crowds with elaborate window displays, whimsical Toyland attractions like “Santa’s Rocket Express,” and the Southwest’s first escalator — built entirely in-house.
By the early 1960s, the Leonards faced a challenge: how to move the growing crowds from remote parking lots to the downtown store. Their solution was audacious — a subway line, purchased and refurbished from Washington, D.C., streetcars, running roughly a mile from Panther Island to the store’s basement. On Feb. 15, 1963, Marvin and Obie unveiled the M&O Subway — named for themselves — for $1 million, half for construction and half for the cars. It was the only privately owned subway in the world at the time, and Fort Worthians flocked to ride it.
When the Leonards sold the store to Tandy Corporation in the late 1960s — Tandy later sold it to Dillard’s in the mid-1970s — downtown Fort Worth began to change. The original seven-block structure was demolished in 1979, yet the subway continued operating with a reduced fleet under Tandy, proving its utility beyond retail. Its final ride came in 2002, closing a nearly 40-year chapter in Cowtown history.
Today, most of the M&O Subway is hidden — tunnels are gated, tracks buried, and the downtown skyline transformed with modern high-rises at “City Place.” Yet remnants remain: a restored railcar sits in the lobby of One City Place at 300 Throckmorton St., a bronze marker honors the Leonard brothers, and the Leonard’s Museum, now housed at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, preserves over 2,000 artifacts curated by Marty Leonard, daughter of co-founder Marvin Leonard.
For many longtime residents, memories of Leonard’s aren’t just about shopping — they’re about riding the subway beneath the city, marveling at the ingenuity of two farm boys who turned a $600 investment into a retail empire.
“Leonard’s was definitely part of the history of Fort Worth for a lot of years,” Marty told Fort Worth Magazine in January 2024 during the museum’s new home announcement. “It is very, very gratifying to me, mainly because people have told me how important they think [the museum] is and that they’re so thrilled that it’s going to be preserved for the future.”
Here’s to another tribute to the store that so many Fort Worthies cherished — and still remember, Marty.