The news that The Welman Project is moving — and expanding — to a new home in the historic Kimbell Milling Co. building was recently reported by the Report’s David Moreno.
Here’s a little more behind the scenes on the real estate aspects of the move.
Formation Real Estate’s Grant Huff represented The Welman Project in finding the new location at 2109 S. Main St., the north building on the two-building property.
The Kimbell building was constructed in 1929 as part of the grain elevator complex next to the railroads to serve as the headquarters of the Kimbell Milling Co.
The company was owned by Kay Kimbell, a businessman and a patron of the arts who died in 1964 at 77. He controlled food processing and delivery and the Buddies food market chain. At his death, he left instructions to construct a museum, which resulted in the world-renowned Kimbell Art Museum.
The historic property is currently owned by Bruce Conti, who purchased it for $10 from the Cenikor Foundation in September 2024 after it had been eyed for demolition.
The Welman Project will be located at 2109 S. Main Street.
Founded in 2015, The Welman Project offers arts workshops, a makerspace and reusable materials for classrooms. It now serves more than 6,000 educators annually, supports over 2,300 schools and 125 nonprofits through creative reuse, free classroom materials, and Texas Education Agency-approved professional development. The relocation marks an important step in the nonprofit’s ongoing expansion as demand for its services continues to grow.
Formation Real Estate advised The Welman Project throughout the site selection and negotiation process, with a focus on securing a space that offered room to expand programming, improve accessibility and support increased material intake. The Kimbell Milling Co. building met all these needs, according to Huff.
The Welman Project’s current 5,600-square-foot building on West Vickery has reached capacity, limiting donation intake, materials processing, programming and the ability to meet peak teacher demand during back-to-school season. The expanded space at the Kimbell Milling building will allow for increased storage, a larger educator warehouse, additional makerspace and improved accessibility for teachers, volunteers and community partners.
“The right location can change what’s possible for an organization, and this move does that for Welman,” Huff said in a news release.
The Welman Project is expected to move into the new 26,510-square-foot suite in the first quarter of 2026.
“This move gives teachers and students so many new possibilities,” said Taylor Willis, executive director of The Welman Project, in a statement.
“As a hometown organization focused on reuse and reimagining, moving into the iconic Kimbell Milling building is a dream come true,” she said. “The chance to help repurpose this piece of our city’s history is both a privilege and a responsibility, and we’re thrilled to help bring new energy to the space as a hub for arts, education and sustainability.”
Simply Fondue moves the cheese from Sundance
Simply Fondue, which has had a location in Sundance Square at 111 4th St. since 2008, is relocating its communal and interactive dining experience to a 7,956-square-foot site on the east side ground floor of the Fort Worth Convention Center Garage at 1200 Houston St.
The Fort Worth City Council approved a lease agreement with Trifork Enterprises, owners of the Simply Fondue location, at its Nov. 18 meeting. The restaurant will pay the city $18 per square foot to lease the space or about $11,934 per month.
Trifork will be responsible for all improvements in order to finish the location. The city will provide up to $75 per square foot in tenant improvement credits, totaling up to $596,700. The city will also pay the broker fees for the restaurant totaling $62,300. The city will dip into the municipal parking funds for the transaction.
The Fort Worth Convention Center Garage was built in 2009. In 2022, Visit Fort Worth leased the west side ground floor of the building for office space. Prior to that lease, the building’s ground floor spaces had never been leased or occupied. The east side ground floor space, which faces the convention center, has never been leased or occupied, according to a council report from city staff.
Apartments coming in northwest Fort Worth
HPI Real Estate Services and Investments has broken ground on the first phase of a 55-acre project in northwest Fort Worth that will bring 829 apartments, townhomes and detached cottages to the area.
The multifamily development at the southeast corner of Bonds Ranch Road and Blue Mound Road is HPI’s first in Fort Worth. HPI started construction on 396 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that are expected to open to residents by early 2027. Zoning and site plan approval are in place for 240 additional apartments and 193 build-to-rent townhomes and detached cottages. Design and permitting for these additional phases is underway.
“It took us three years to secure the entitlements necessary to move forward with this project due to the size and complexity of the planned development as well as the challenges of building multifamily in this area,” said Tim Shaughnessy, multifamily president at HPI. “We’re making a big investment because we’re confident in the need for housing in this trophy location.”
HPI is investing $16 million of its own capital in the project, alongside a group of private investors that include high-net-worth individuals, family offices and others. The total investment amount was not disclosed.
Zoned to Northwest ISD schools, HPI’s development is less than 2 miles from Alliance Town Center. A Kroger Marketplace grocery-anchored retail center recently opened just one block away, across the street from a location where H-E-B owns land.
Growing demand for apartments outpacing supply
While the Dallas-Fort Worth area has seen the population grow 21% in the last decade, apartment construction has fallen off because of higher interest rates and construction costs, according to recent surveys.
As a result, the number of new apartments added to the market is expected to drop by 47% between 2024 and 2026, according to data compiled by JLL.
According to a report by Colliers, construction has slowed for 12 consecutive quarters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with 43,521 units underway and 8,835 slated for delivery in the next 12 months.
Making the list
Two Fort Worth companies made the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 List.
Coming in at No. 296 is Sanara MedTech, which develops, markets and distributes surgical, wound care and skin care products to physicians, hospitals and clinics. Sanara posted a growth rate of 259%.
Also making the list is Valor at No. 332. Valor, a tech-focused professional services company in the energy sector, posted a 225% growth rate.
Electrical grid investment
Investment groups TPG and La Caisse partnered with the management team of Pike Corp., a provider of infrastructure engineering and construction solutions for the electrical grid, to acquire a majority interest in Pike.
Fort Worth and San Francisco-based TPG will invest in Pike through TPG Rise Climate, the firm’s dedicated climate investing platform.
“As the U.S. power grid faces rising demand, aging infrastructure, and increased exposure to extreme weather, Pike is uniquely positioned to help utilities adapt, modernize, and harden their systems,” said Jonathan Garfinkel, a managing partner of TPG Rise Climate, in a news release.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis, business editor for the Fort Worth Report, at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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