Texas Venue Directory
Southside Preservation Hall
Historic community hall and dance venue · Fort Worth
Restored Fort Worth community hall hosting dances, concerts, cultural programs, and private events.
About this room
Central Methodist Church broke ground in 1909 on Lipscomb Street, and the sanctuary, designed by W.C. Meador and built by Butcher and Sweeney, was finished in 1911. The complex grew around it: Porter Hall, now the ballroom, in 1922; a three-story education building in 1923; a two-story wing in 1954; and in 1955 the Martha Nored Chapel, donated by Pearl Nored Fincher in memory of her mother and now called the Rose Chapel. The congregation left in 1969 as the neighborhood and membership declined, and sold the property to the Panther Boys Club in 1972. When the club sought permission to demolish it in 1995, the Fairmount neighborhood and local preservationists formed the Southside Preservation Association, took ownership, and have been restoring it with volunteer labor ever since. It runs today as a nonprofit event and wedding venue.
History sources checked August 29, 2026.
Things you may not know
- There was a boxing ring in the sanctuary. The Panther Boys Club installed it after buying the building in 1972; Porter Hall became a small gym and the chapel and education building were used for storage. Source
- A pressed-tin barrel-vaulted ceiling was covered over in 1949 when air conditioning went in and acoustic tile was installed across it. Source
- The building was bought to be saved and then nearly demolished by its savior. The Boys Club bought it in 1972 for $125,000; twenty-three years later, unable to finance repairs, the same organization asked permission to bulldoze it. Source
- The Boys Club then donated the building to the group formed to stop them. Source
- The restoration has been volunteer work from the start: clearing tons of debris, removing graffiti, replacing broken and boarded windows. Source
Venue details
Plan your night
Official sources
Around this room
Culture, craft & learning
Explore nearby rooms
Continue through rooms connected by Fort Worth or the North Texas region.