An old dome is new again, and a “hidden” dome is revealed.
After wearing an overcoat of steel scaffolding for months, the courthouse clock tower (1895) has gone topless just in time for warm weather. The tower has been restored inside and out under the guidance of architect Art Weinman.
The dome and the courthouse horse fountain once again have taken a shine to each other.
Downtown’s second-oldest copper top is on First Christian Church’s building, one of downtown’s icons since 1915. The church was organized in 1855 in the home of Dr. and Mrs. Carroll Peak about where the Worthington Hotel now stands. Peak was Fort Worth’s first physician.
Until I stopped by the church and was invited inside for a look around, I did not know that the building has two domes. Directly beneath the exterior dome is a dome of stained glass set in the ceiling of the sanctuary. Light through the windows that encircle the exterior dome illuminates the interior dome. Because the building was built before air conditioning, the interior dome, with its sturdy steel frame, can be cranked up to allow warm air to vent into the attic!
