“No gusts, no glory!” exclaimed the local advertising campaign, debuting in the days following the historic Fort Worth tornado. After an F-3 twister blew away a big chunk of downtown on March 28, 2000, Fort Worth did what it does best. Despite adversity, the city picked itself up by its collective bootstraps, thumbed its nose at Mother Nature and turned tragedy into triumph.
Little did we know at the time that the destruction paved the way for a reimagined and reinvigorated downtown. That includes one building in particular that would change the face of the skyline and, more than two decades later, become the new face of a fast-growing city.
A peek back at Pier 1
Before it was Fort Worth’s municipal hub, New City Hall was the Pier 1 Imports corporate headquarters. Although it’s no longer the namesake tenant, the pulse of Pier 1 is palpable in the bones of the building. Attention to detail is evident throughout; each material — granite, marble, glass, exotic woods — was painstakingly and deliberately sourced and installed.
Unveiled in August 2004, the shimmering, 20-story, 450,000-square-foot tower commanded a 15-acre tract of prime real estate skirting the Trinity River. The land became available after the tornado destroyed Calvary Cathedral, a church that formerly occupied the tract.
Ahead of its time in both form and function, the modern structure stood out while nestling seamlessly as the newest addition to Fort Worth’s beloved skyline.
That’s exactly what Pier 1’s CEO Marvin Girouard envisioned, remembers former staff member Merianne Roth. Now vice chancellor of marketing and communication at Texas Christian University, Roth worked at Pier 1 from 2000-2005 as senior manager of public relations.
Roth stopped by recently to chat with us and reminisce about her time as a tenant in the tower.
“I was fortunate enough to be head of communications at Pier 1 during the purchase of the land, the design and construction of this beautiful building,” she said. “Marvin and the leadership wanted to create it as a place where you were proud to work and where you had modern amenities that people now consider normal for a workplace, like in-house dining and a gym.” The 15-acre site featured walking paths and a park-like setting, including a large meadow of wildflowers and native grasses.
The planning and design was a labor of love, Roth says.
“Marvin picked out each piece of marble, each piece of wood,” she said. “He was very involved in every decision that was made. He wanted to invest in a beautiful place where employees loved coming to work and that would be part of the city’s legacy.”
It was also important for the building’s positioning to be “just right,” where it acknowledged the beauty of the Trinity River and also looked out at the city, Roth said.
“It’s a work of art, reflected in the materials that were chosen and the care taken in the positioning of the building to honor both the city of Fort Worth and the beauty of the river,” she said. “Being a part of that process was a career highlight.”
Designed with global influence
Pier 1’s business model focused on globally imported goods, and its clients factored heavily into the building’s design.
“As an international company with partners across Asia, throughout Europe and everywhere in between, Pier 1 was very careful to take into consideration cultural mores,” Roth said, which is why, for instance, floors 4 and 13 weren’t included into the design.
“One of our agents and several employees felt strongly that we should avoid those numbers,” she said. In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for “death.” On this side of the globe, the number 13 carries its own set of superstitions — think Friday the 13th.
“Marvin was always in favor of moves that spoke to the uniqueness of Pier 1 and our business partners,” Roth said.
After a 32-year career with Pier 1, Girouard retired as the chairman and CEO in February 2007. He passed away on March 28, 2020 … 20 years to the day of that fateful Fort Worth storm.
Star of the skyline
The building’s debut was an elaborate affair, Roth recalls. “We did a topping-out and lots of preview tours because we wanted people to feel a part of something that we felt was so important,” she said. “For the grand opening, the building was dedicated with an elaborate Chinese dragon dance for luck. A Chinese dragon troupe brought out a ribbon for a literal ribbon cutting and wrapped the building in it.”
Pier 1’s partners, vendors and suppliers from across the world stood alongside employees to witness it.
“All of the opening events were very special and beautiful because we wanted to honor the countries we were sourcing from,” Roth said. “There’s so much meaning embedded in this building.”
“A beacon of light”
At the time of its construction, most buildings in the downtown skyline were outlined in golden lights. “With the Pier 1 building, the idea was to complete those outlines with a beautiful beacon of light that would emanate from the roof,” Roth said.
She added: “Every consideration was made to honor what the city wanted to convey in its downtown: a modern workplace and a beautiful building that acknowledged the outdoors.”
Boldly clad in aluminum and glass and accented with black Italian granite columns, the building is a feast for the senses. Although it sports a modern silhouette, the use of natural, warm materials in the sunlit lobby makes the space feel homelike.
Beyond its welcoming environment, the building will forever be rooted to Roth.
“My initials are scraped into the concrete of the floor,” she said fondly.
Coming full circle
Remember when we said that turning setbacks into success is one of our city’s superpowers? Roth couldn’t agree more.
“Fort Worth tends to turn tragedy into opportunities and great stories,” she said. “While the tornado was terrible and caused so much destruction, it created an opportunity for a corporate headquarters to be established in this spot, which then would become an icon of the Fort Worth skyline.”
Creating that icon was Girouard’s vision fulfilled.
“Marvin was so interested in taking this place that had been devastated by the tornado and bringing it new life,” Roth said. He pored over every detail, like the building’s placement on the site and connection with the land.
Girouard’s passion for Pier 1, his employees and this project was undeniable. It’s only fitting that the City of Fort Worth — equally dedicated to its mission — now carries that legacy forward as the building’s next steward.
“The work that Marvin and his team did in building this building was a love note to Fort Worth,” Roth said. “It’s pretty perfect that it’s now City Hall.”
All photos courtesy of Chelsea Kretz.
