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One of Fort Worth’s busiest — and best-loved — historic landmarks is undergoing a massive, multimillion dollar restoration, and City Council nudged two projects further along at its April 23 meeting.

Council approved an approximately $4 million contract to update the electrical system within the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall, built in 1984, and another $687,805 to the roof on the historic Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, built in 1936.

Both buildings are located within the Will Rogers Memorial Center complex, which will undergo $110 million in upgrades across its 120 acres over the next five years — including a $33 million reconstruction of sheep and swine barns.

The upgrades are happening following a June 2023 meeting to reimagine the grounds, which host roughly 260 events per year, including the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

RJM Contractors Inc. will handle the electrical projects in the exhibits hall, portions of which don’t meet current code requirements and portions of it could be hazardous, according to city staff.

Council members awarded RBT Roofing a $687,805 contract for repairs to the auditorium. The last time the auditorium roof was replaced was in 2012.

Both projects are partially funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Marcheta Fornoff covers arts and culture for the Fort Worth Report. Reach her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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For just over seven years Marcheta Fornoff performed the high wire act of producing a live morning news program on Minnesota Public Radio. She led a small, but nimble team to cover everything from politics...