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115 W. 7th

1952; Small Addition - 1961; Base Remodeled 2012

  • Oncor Building
    Oncor Building from 7th & Throckmorton

Historic Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

 

Formerly:

Oncor Building
Electric Service Building
Fort Worth National Bank Building

 

In the 1950's, Fort Worth was experiencing a small building boom with the Fort Worth National Bank outgrowing its old headquarters in what is now called 714 Main, across 7th Street.  The Dundee Building was demolished around 1950 in order to construct this building.  In 1952, they completed a 16 story tower fronting 7th Street between Houston and Main Streets.  In 1961, a 25 foot wide, 4 story addition was built on Main Street, squaring off the south side of the building. At the same time, a 4th floor was added to the 3 story base on Main. Also, in 1961, a matching addition was constructed across Main Street that housed a drive thru bank on the ground floor and a ballroom for the Hotel Texas above. This addition also had a basement and was connected to the main bank by a tunnel under Main Street.  By 1974, the bank had constructed a new home on Throckmorton Streets and they vacated the building.  In 1975, Texas Electric Service Company relocated to this building and it was renamed the Electric Service Building. Through a series of name changes and mergers, Texas Electric became TESCO, then TXU Energy, and finally they spun their electric transmission and distribution services into Oncor, the primary tenant in the building.  Preston M. Geren & Associates of Fort Worth were the architects for the building with Shreve, Lamb, & Harmon as Consulting Architects. That firm designed the Empire State Building in New York. The building has a "T" shaped office tower rising out of a three story rectangular base.  The exterior building materials are a brown brick with granite spandrel panels.  In 2012, a remodeling of the old bank lobby converted the ground floor into several multi-tenant spaces.  The base of the building was also remodeled at that time.  Oncor vacated the building in 2021, and the building then took the name of the address. Ground floor tenants include The Capital Grille, Little Red Wasp, PlainsCapital Bank, and a Subway Restaurant.

 

Historic Photograph from the Jack White Collection:
The Dundee Building around 1950

 

Architectural Style:
Mid-Century Modern

Architect:
Preston M. Geren & Associates, Fort Worth

Consulting Architect:
Shreve, Lamb, & Harmon, New York

Category:
Office Building