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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The historic Ryan Place neighborhood of Fort Worth |
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is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2011; and |
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WHEREAS, Developer John C. Ryan was a strong proponent of the |
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City Beautiful movement that was sweeping the United States at the |
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turn of the 20th century; after visiting 18 American cities on a |
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fact-finding tour, he returned to Fort Worth with the goal of |
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creating the finest residential district in the South; on March 16, |
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1911, he signed the original deed for a parcel of land about three |
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miles from downtown; and |
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WHEREAS, The property was subdivided and construction began |
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on the entranceway; built of the finest polished marble, it is still |
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an attractive and notable landmark a century later; this was the |
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first development in Fort Worth to employ landscape architects, |
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place utilities in the alleys, and include plantings, entrance |
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gates, and facade lines in the master plan; much of the landscape |
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design was created by George E. Kessler of Dallas, who was famous |
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for having designed the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904 and Fair Park |
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in Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, When the neighborhood was still in its infancy, it |
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played a part in aviation history; on October 17, 1911, Calbraith P. |
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Rodgers landed his Wright Brothers-built plane, the Vin Fiz, on the |
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then open spaces of Ryan Place, where several thousand spectators |
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had gathered; the aviator's visit to Fort Worth marked a mid-trip |
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stop for what is recorded as the first transcontinental flight |
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across North America; and |
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WHEREAS, During the neighborhood's first two decades, the |
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residential lots were filled with fine homes in a variety of |
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architectural styles; examples of Italianate, Tudor, Spanish, |
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Georgian, Colonial, Dutch, Federal Revival, and localized versions |
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of the Prairie School are all represented within its boundaries; |
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another building boom took place in the years after World War II; |
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though originally designed as an upscale and exclusive enclave, |
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Ryan Place came to encompass houses in a variety of sizes, ranging |
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from 700 square feet to over 6,000, with current home values that |
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are equally diverse; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1969, the Ryan Place neighborhood association was |
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formed, and 10 years later the neighborhood's Elizabeth Boulevard |
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Historic District was established; today, Ryan Place is home to |
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some 2,000 residents, and its charms have been celebrated with |
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accolades such as being named Best Neighborhood by Fort Worth, |
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Texas magazine and Neighborhood of the Year by the City of Fort |
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Worth and the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods; and |
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WHEREAS, These honors reflect the tremendous pride that Fort |
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Worth citizens take in this venerable district, which has played a |
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central role in the city's history for the past century; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 100th anniversary of the |
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establishment of the Ryan Place neighborhood in Fort Worth and |
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extend to its residents sincere best wishes as they celebrate the |
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past and look to a bright future. |