Is it time for a new major restaurant in downtown Fort Worth? Big plans at T&P Station

Bud Kennedy
·1 min read

The former T&P Tavern commuter rail station dining room will be combined with the adjacent 1931-vintage ballroom and offered for rent as a dramatic, landmark restaurant and events center, according to Trinity Metro plans.

The Fort Worth-based transit agency bought the tavern and concourse patio in Fort Worth T&P Station in July, allowing the agency to seek a single tenant for the spaces at 221 W. Lancaster Ave., a spokesperson confirmed.

Such a large restaurant would become a major anchor at the south end of downtown Fort Worth. It would also be a destination for commuters and tourists arriving by rail from Dallas or DFW Airport to the station, which is across from planned hotels and the Fort Worth Convention Center.

The 5,400-square-foot ballroom, formerly the Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal Main Waiting Room, is one of Fort Worth’s most photographed landmarks.

Large and detailed light fixtures along with detailed ceiling work inside the main entrance of the former Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal Main Waiting Room in Fort Worth (”T&P Station”), now Texas and Pacific Lofts, as seen April 14, 2006.
Large and detailed light fixtures along with detailed ceiling work inside the main entrance of the former Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal Main Waiting Room in Fort Worth (”T&P Station”), now Texas and Pacific Lofts, as seen April 14, 2006.

It has 35-foot ceilings, ornate chandeliers and classic Art Deco architecture from the 1920s Zigzag Moderne period of New York City’s Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

Now that Trinity Metro owns both the cafe and ballroom, “we are seeking a tenant who would be able to utilize both properties,” Laura Hanna of Trinity Metro wrote by email.

When the restaurant closed in July after 14 years, it still looked basically the same as when it was the dining room serving eastbound and westbound passenger trains and welcoming celebrities such as President Harry Truman or singer Elvis Presley.

Trinity Metro rents out the ballroom for major events.

Front of the former Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal in Fort Worth (”T&P Station”), now Texas and Pacific Lofts, as seen in 2001 from the former Interstate 30 overhead expressway that was demolished above West Lancaster Avenue.
Front of the former Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal in Fort Worth (”T&P Station”), now Texas and Pacific Lofts, as seen in 2001 from the former Interstate 30 overhead expressway that was demolished above West Lancaster Avenue.
The then-new Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal in 1931. with the cafe at right (later T&P Tavern).
The then-new Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal in 1931. with the cafe at right (later T&P Tavern).
T&P Tavern was in the original 1931 train station cafe.
T&P Tavern was in the original 1931 train station cafe.
The T&P Tavern was in the historic 1931 train station cafe.
The T&P Tavern was in the historic 1931 train station cafe.
The T&P Tavern restaurant, seen August 6, 2023, was in the old 1931 Fort Worth railroad station coffee shop and dining counter.
The T&P Tavern restaurant, seen August 6, 2023, was in the old 1931 Fort Worth railroad station coffee shop and dining counter.

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