Program looks to Stockyards for building
Center may be housed in former Spaghetti Warehouse
By Emily Baker
Staff Reporter

The heritage of Texas goes far beyond 10-gallon hats and barbecue.

Celebrating that heritage is what the founders of TCU’s Center for Texas Studies hope to accomplish.

History professor Gene Smith and dean of the Add Ran College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mary Volcansek, established the Center for Texas Studies last summer in an effort to better archive the state’s history. They also wanted to help make TCU stand out from other liberal arts colleges, Volcansek said.

Smith said finding a location for the center was difficult. Despite what he calls a shoe-string budget, there are plans to acquire the 101-year-old Swift & Co. building located in the Stockyards to house the center, Smith said.

The building was initially a meat-packing center but recently housed the Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant. Smith, the director of the center, said the building is a good place for the center because of its location and historic roots.

The 35,000-square-foot building will cost about $1.5 million, Smith said. After that, renovations will be needed to change the building into something better suited for the center, Smith said.

“We are currently seeking out money from foundations and individuals to pay for the building,” Smith said. “Due to the economic situation, a lot of people are tightening their belts.”

Smith said the center has already received two endowments: $1.5 million to create a chair for Texas history and $50,000 to conduct history workshops for area secondary school teachers.

“We are still in the discussion stages,” Smith said of obtaining the building. “I’m confident that in the future, we’ll have it as part of TCU.”

Volcansek said they hope to raise enough money to make the center self-sufficient. She said she hopes to eventually raise $10 million.

Steve Murrin owns several properties in the Stockyards, including the General Store, the White Elephant Saloon, Maverick Western Wear and part of Billy Bob’s Texas night club.

He is assisting the fund-raising effort by putting together a group of potential investors.

“The center is not just a Fort Worth project,” Murrin said. “It will involve and encourage people from all over the state to archive their own history.”

The center will offer classes about Texas history, literature, music and other state-related subjects for students and the community, Smith said.

“We want to celebrate all that makes Texas unique,” Smith said. “This is a way we can really try to show people we have a rich heritage in Texas.”

e.k.baker@tcu.edu