Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1284206
HOW THE WEST WAS PRESERVED AFTER SEVEN YEARS AND $75 MILLION, MULE ALLEY IN THE FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS IS HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND PLACE-MAKING AT ITS FINEST. I t's no small task to take on one of Texas' most popular destinations — especially one as historic as the Fort Worth Stockyards. A company would require the city as its partner and preservation societies on its side, as well as locals who might prefer things stay the way they are. "Our goal was to preserve the past but elevate the experience," says Craig Cavileer, executive vice president of Majestic Realty Co., who has led the team r e d e v e l o p i n g the Stockyards, a project which began in 2014, and includes the renovation of century-old mule barns dubbed Mule Alley. "How do we enhance the Stockyards without taking away its spirit?" Although tourists are important to the historic district, Stockyards Heritage Development Co. — a partnership b e t w e e n Majestic and H i c k m a n Companies — set out to create a more stylish d e s t i n a t i o n specifically for those who call Fort Worth home. "From day one, we said, 'Let's build this place for locals,'" says Stockyards Heritage Development Co. chief creative officer Linda Berman. "If we get it right for locals, then tourists will come." G etting it right included a roster of dream tenants — a well-deliberated list that largely became a reality. Housed in BY CAITLIN CLARK the carefully restored mule barns are a Lucchese flagship, Wrangler store (opening Fall 2020), King Ranch boutique (opening fall 2020), and a collaboration with Stetson called Proper Supply Co. (opening by end of 2020), stocking the legacy hat brand's premium products. "Those brands have never been in the same place at one time," Cavileer says. As attractive as the historic destination might be to tenants, the built-in character of the restored mule barns was certainly a draw. About 500,000 reclaimed bricks were hand-laid along the alley, along with 100-year-old cow troughs recreated into benches. Many of the original windows were saved and resealed, and even crumbling columns, if structurally sound, were left standing. "The historic brick and mortar of the Stockyard buildings cannot be replicated anywhere else," says Lucchese's Michael McDavid. "You can still see some of the old cow brands on the concrete pillars, which gives this store a truly unique and authentic feel." Along with the iconic western names lining the alley, is a new concept, MB Mercantile & Supply, a vast 3,000-square-foot general store. After searching the country for a general store that would fit Mule Alley and honor the heritage of the Stockyards, Berman proposed taking on the challenge herself, on behalf of her company. "We couldn't just say we were going to do it right — we had to prove it," Berman says of getting Fort Worth to trust the team. On the food and beverage front, local chef Marcus Paslay was approached to create a new Stockyards concept restaurant, Provender Hall. "There's nothing like the Stockyards," says Paslay, a Culinary Institute of America grad and owner of Clay Pigeon in the Foundry District and Piatello Italian Kitchen in Waterside. "It's just going to be a fun spot to be." It took two years for Provender Hall to come together, culminating in a summer opening during the pandemic. "Having to be so fluid is unique," Paslay says. The Texas brasserie- inspired menu is the chef's elevated take on the South's greatest hits, such as chicken fried steak, deviled eggs, (Continued) Provender Hall Lucchese King Ranch 22