| by Jenni Hanley |Mike Patterson is used to getting fan mail. In fact, in the three years since he announced his plan to revitalize Casino Beach, he and his partners at Patterson Equity haven't seen the end of it. But one letter stood out. In July 2012, Patterson opened a letter from Charles Mays, a 91-year-old Fort Worth resident eager to share some memories of the fabled bathing beach and dancehall where he courted his wife in the 1940s. There was dancing-and lots of it. In fact, Mays recalls warmly, if you didn't dance back then, "you didn't go out." In addition to first dances, there were first kisses, first swimming lessons, first nights out past curfew and much more.
That tradition of making memories is what Patterson wants to bring back. "Everyone had a first there," he says, and starting next year, those milestone moments at Casino Beach will no longer be a thing of the past.
In the Beginning
The 1920s were about to start roaring. To the relief of summer-heat-weary North Texans, the City of Fort Worth saw a diamond in the rough sand that surrounded Lake Worth. And they named it Casino Beach.
Now don't let the name fool you-this wasn't your typical "casino." It was a municipal bathing beach for the first few years-a great summer escape for families uneager to make the long haul to Galveston or Corpus Christi. But in 1927, a group of entrepreneurs saw potential for more and developed a plan to create the largest amusement park in Texas. It was a lofty goal, but not unattainable, largely due to the massive popularity of the beach. Within a few short years, this afternoon swimming hole had become a full-on playground for all ages with a boardwalk, a wooden bathhouse, a swimming area, a large ballroom and plenty of rides. There on the beach, using more than a million feet of lumber, Casino Park was born.
Casino Park immediately became known for The Thriller-the largest rollercoaster in the Southwest at the time at a mile long and one of the only rides in the country equipped with the latest safety technology. In addition to boasting the largest boardwalk west of Atlantic City, the park featured concession stands and games, a merry-go-round, the "Bug-a-Boo" tunnel train, and even a 300-pound caged gorilla named Big Boy, making this local swimming hole a total destination for families, oil magnates and cattle barons from all over.
But as it often does, the honeymoon phase eventually ended. During its second season, high winds during a storm caused a fire that burned down the ballroom, bathhouse and several concessions. But thanks to popular support-and insurance money-the park was rebuilt and eventually reopened in 1930. Times were tough and budgets were tight because of the Great Depression, but people still turned to Casino Park for entertainment.
Throughout the decade, Casino Beach grew in popularity-particularly the dancehall. Despite an increasing crop of bootleggers and nightclubs setting up shop along Jacksboro Highway, Casino Ballroom remained in a class of its own. It was so popular, in fact, that former heavyweight boxer Sully Montgomery was hired as a bouncer to ensure that there was no fighting. With more than 11,000 square feet of solid oak flooring, the dancehall would go on to attract some of the most popular musicians around the country, including Guy Lombardo, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Harry James and Louis Armstrong. Ladies wore dresses, and gentlemen wore a suit and tie. And everyone made memories.
The beginning of the end came in the 1940s. During the annual beauty pageant on July 4, 1940, a portion of the boardwalk collapsed, injuring 64 people. Through years of ensuing legal battles, sections of the park were torn down. When a fire blazed through the beach and burned down the bathhouse in 1943, the swimming beach became a large liability. The dilapidated bathhouse was never rebuilt, and the City of Fort Worth eventually gained full ownership.
The second wind came the following year. When a plane made an emergency landing at nearby Meacham Field, passenger Jerry Starnes saw potential in the dusty, dilapidated ballroom he had heard so much about. He signed a lease with the city to take over Casino Beach, and in 1952 the park formally reopened with a new-and-improved (and fireproof) boardwalk-although plans to rebuild the amusement park and concession stands never materialized. The bathing beach beauty contest was revived in 1953, and the winner was awarded a large silver cup filled with silver dollars.
But as the years passed, so did people's interest in big band music. By the 1970s, attention had shifted to television and rock and roll bands, and the ballroom was forced to close. The last tango took place Jan. 31, 1973. After watching a wrecking company tear apart the roof, Jerry Starnes and his partner danced over the dust and debris to Glenn Miller's Sunset Serenade in honor of the thousands of couples who had come before them.
Today, there's not much more to Casino Beach than a dredging station and an old boat ramp. There's no running water, and the only entertainment value comes from things you bring yourself-maybe a frisbee and an ice chest. But by this time next year, this abandoned plot on the northwest corner of Lake Worth will be back to its former glory.
A Great Comeback
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Lake Worth, which was considered the largest municipal park in the world when it was filled on Aug. 10, 1914. Centennial events have been occurring since January, and continued festivities are sure to bring out a memory or two of lazy afternoons spent bathing on the beach and long nights spent waltzing and fox-trotting around the ballroom floor. But former and future guests have more than a centennial celebration to cheer about: Casino Beach is coming back.
Talks began three years ago when Arlington-based Patterson Equity Partners were eyeing lease holds on Lake Worth. When the City of Fort Worth told them to "think bigger," they thought Casino Beach. Now they have agreed to purchase 17 acres on Lake Worth, partnering with the City of Fort Worth to develop this lost-but-not-forgotten property. Here they will build restaurants, retail establishments, boat docks, an outdoor pavilion, an event hall and other recreational activities.
According to Patterson Equity Director Tyler Patterson, the total cost of this public-private partnership is $29 million, split between two phases. In what is called a 380 Agreement, Patterson Equity Partners will build and pay for the city's improvements on the park land upfront, and the city will pay them back over 20 years. They've procured loans from Pinnacle Bank and hope to have the final deal signed, sealed and delivered by late summer or early fall.
"It's like a domino set," Patterson Equity Director Jarod Cox says about finalizing the paperwork. "This is the one that has to fall to put everything in motion."
That's where the hammers and nails come in-and once the building starts, they hope to have Casino Beach open within 12 months. But saying there's still a lot to come is an understatement, according to Cox. "I'd say we're about halfway through the first quarter."
With so much work ahead, it's good to know that Patterson Equity Partners are not alone. Bob Crowe, co-chair of the Lake Worth Centennial Celebration Committee, calls the project a labor of love-and he has a personal stake in seeing the area come back to life. "As a 10-year-old, it was a very joyful part of my childhood," he shares, recalling Casino Beach in the 1950s. "My parents would dance. … There were these towers to jump off, a big sandy beach and boardwalk with hamburgers. This octopus ride was a hoot!"
But in addition to helping other families create their own memories, Crowe is eager to teach visitors about the rich history of the area. Around the time that Casino Beach first became popular, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were hard at work building city parks and picnic tables around the lake, all as part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal initiative to create jobs and develop natural resources. According to Crowe, many of them still remain.
"The whole idea is to celebrate the lake-to honor its past and protect its future," Crowe says. Part of that mission includes this year of celebratory events highlighting various recreational opportunities that exist on the lake, from waterskiing and mountain biking to Blue Angel air shows and firework displays. And starting next year, Casino Beach.
Old Dog, New Tricks
For folks like Bob Crowe and Charles Mays, the rebirth of Casino Beach brings waves of nostalgia. But their stories are no longer destined to become relics, and the rest of us will soon be making our own memories.
"We want to build something that looks like the old Casino Beach but that has modern amenities," Cox shares. "The best of the old with the best of the new."
With blueprints drawn up by LBL Architects, Inc., plans for Phase 1 call for 20,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor restaurant space facing the water; an outdoor music pavilion with a restroom and concession building; a small boardwalk that could include games and a temporary Ferris wheel during the summer; and 196 covered boat slips, with courtesy boat slips for lake residents. Phase 2 will bring another 20,000 square feet of restaurant space, plus a dancehall/event center. Fuel will also be sold on the water, great news to the many boaters who have requested this over the years.
"There aren't a lot of places in North Texas where you can sit by the water and have dinner," Cox notes. "There's just something about watching the boats going by while you eat a hamburger."
Patterson Equity Partners are actively leasing the restaurant space right now, and potential vendors include a Mexican restaurant, a cheeseburger shop and a brewpub. To work off your meal, there are a host of aquatic activities (just be sure to wait 30 minutes!). Although swimming at the beach will not be encouraged, guests may be able to rent canoes or go paddleboarding. There may even be a human maze.
A grand vision like this one requires a great deal of patience and partnership; luckily, all of the players have plenty of both. In addition to working closely with the City of Fort Worth and the Centennial Celebration Committee, Patterson Equity Partners are developing the land to meet the goals of Lake Worth itself. According to the Lake Worth Vision Plan Executive Summary, "The Casino Beach area in the town center sector will be redeveloped as a mixed-use, recreation-oriented environment with a distinct sense of place. A compact, walkable mix of restaurants, specialty retail establishments, water-oriented recreation and perhaps some higher-density housing or lodging facilities would be an appropriate future for the Casino Beach area."
Crowe points out that "a lot of stars are coming into alignment"-and that's an understatement.
The City of Fort Worth is already hard at work on the infrastructure. Dredging of the lake is almost complete, and construction has begun on fresh water and sewer lines to the site, according to Councilman Dennis Shingleton, an active supporter of the project. Costs associated with the infrastructure are funded by proceeds from gas drilling under the lake, he says, and there is a group working to increase the capacity of nearby Jacksboro Highway.
In the end, all the hard work will be worth it, Shingleton believes.
"We are continuing to grow, and a significant part of that growth is in the northwest. This will enhance that," he envisions, adding that the project will be a major economic boon for the area.
As it stands now, not many people think of Lake Worth as the premier recreational destination it once was. But in addition to a revitalized Casino Beach, a fluke of geography could just help bring the crowds back. According to Managing Partner Mike Patterson, Lake Worth will maintain a constant water level, unlike nearby lakes that may rise and fall due to drought. Among other things, this makes him confident that Lake Worth will no longer be the red-headed stepchild of aquatic recreation in North Texas.
As it always was, Casino Beach is sure to be a destination for people from all over-not just locals. With a state as big as Texas, it's not always easy to make the long journey south to Corpus Christi or even Galveston-but Casino Beach brings the sand and sun to Tarrant County. You can see the property from Jacksboro Highway, the old "9-mile-bridge" that takes visitors to the heart of downtown Fort Worth. It's that close, yet many long-term residents may not even know the area's past-or its future.
"Lake Worth has such a history that a lot of people don't know about," says Tyler Patterson. "When you think of Fort Worth music, you think Billy Bob's." But once Casino Beach reopens, you could be literally walking-or dancing-in the footsteps of Sinatra.
And that is something to write home about.
1914–2014:
Honor the past,protect the future.
The Lake Worth Centennial Celebration Committee has been hard at work all year bringing history to life in the form of regattas, bicycle tours, boat parades, tree planting and more. But it's not too late for you to join them-along with Patterson Equity Partners and the people of Lake Worth-in continuing this year's festivities. "We might be wearing hard hats," says Mike Patterson, "but we'll be there."
For additional information about upcoming events, visit www.lakeworthcentenial.org.
Sept. 20
Centennial Ski Show featuring the Metroplex Ski Show Team
Lake Worth Boat & Ski Club
Sept. 27 & 28
Lake Worth Centennial Sun Fish Regatta
Lake Worth Sailing Club
Oct. 4
Fort Worth Nature Center Monster Bash Kids Party
Nov. 7
Fort Worth Arbor Day Ceremony
Location TBD
Dec. 6
Centennial Parade of Lights
Featuring the Lake Worth Sailing Club and Lake Worth Boat & Ski Club
