The Stockyards Historic District in Fort Worth includes a wide collection of buildings, outdoor spaces, streetscapes, entertainment and retail, restaurants, and museums. Its varied program of activities and unique character have made it a destination. Studio Outside and Bennett Benner Partners studied the Stockyards to re-envision a new master plan to preserve Fort Worth’s livestock heritage.

The heart of the historic Fort Worth Stockyards is Exchange Avenue—both the front door to the Stockyards and the main conveyor of visitors. Exchange Avenue was last updated in the 1970s and over time, has become both an eclectic and mismatch of materials. Studio Outside kept the street’s existing specimen oak trees and the use of historic Thurber brick in the roadway. New trees were added to complete the street and provide much-needed shade for visitors. Custom-designed site furnishings make use of cattle troughs, already in abundance on the site, as re-envisioned benches alluding to the site’s previous use.