Multiple truckloads arrived with the letters Feb. 26. The next day, crane crews lifted them into place between the frontage road and westbound lanes. The monument is between North Beach and Maxine streets, where drivers enter Fort Worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a project I\u2019ve been working on for 20 years,\u201d Anne Allen, Fort Worth Public Art program manager, told the city\u2019s Park & Recreation Advisory Board meeting<\/a> attendees Feb. 25. \u201cIt has had so many twists and turns.\u201d<\/p>\n The letters will be lighted at night and surrounded by native Texas prairie landscaping, using Texas Department of Transportation seed mixtures for wildflowers and grasses. The lighting installation will be complete by late spring or early summer, while the native prairie landscape will need about 24 months to grow to its full potential, Allen said.<\/p>\n The $1 million State Highway 121 Art Project had many setbacks after Fort Worth won $265,000 from the Governor\u2019s Community Achievement Award in 2004. The project was originally slated for Interstate 30, but the city changed the prospective location multiple times<\/a> for various reasons.<\/p>\n Fort Worth chose the Texas 121 site in 2018 because it\u2019s state-owned and not a federal highway, which avoids federal regulations that complicated earlier plans. Artists Etty Horowitz and Kevin Sloan redesigned their concept for the new location. Sloan died of brain cancer in October 2021 at 63.<\/p>\n Fort Worth Park & Recreaction Advisory Board Meeting<\/p>\n Documenters: Guillermo San Juan<\/p>\n Date: Feb. 26, 2026<\/p>\n To see more about this meeting, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Fort Worth City Council approved a $571,578 contract with C. Green Scaping in April 2025 for construction that combined the original governor\u2019s award with additional city public art funds, to cover increased labor and construction costs.<\/p>\n Allen advised visitors to not pull over for photos once the sign is fully complete, as the artists designed the project to be viewed from moving vehicles.<\/p>\n Allen also presented the city\u2019s fiscal 2026 public art work plan<\/a> at the February meeting; 35 projects were included, totaling $13.5 million. The plan, approved by the City Council in December, covers installations at parks, community centers, fire stations and other public spaces across Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Upcoming installations include Sedrick Huckaby\u2019s \u201cThe Last Train\u201d sculpture at Bunche Park in Stop Six in March, Vicki Scuri\u2019s Meacham Corridor project in April, and projects at multiple fire stations and parks throughout spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the planned Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Aquatics Center art projects in Stop Six, the city is selecting from three finalists, all from Texas, with two from Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Voters approved the $25.7 million construction of the new community center and aquatics center in the city\u2019s 2022 bond program. The projects are in final design<\/a>, with completion slated for 2027. The aquatics center will include an eight-lane pool, 25-yard lap pool and interactive play area with waterslide.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_5250-1024x827.jpeg\")
The city of Fort Worth will light the letters at night, and prairie landscaping will be installed. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n