The details
According to a news release, Texas A&M-Fort Worth is a first-of-its-kind public-private collaboration intended to boost the regional economy while anchoring an innovation district in southeast downtown. The city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County are collaborating with the Texas A&M System to construct two additional campus buildings over four-city blocks—once part of Fort Worth’s infamous Hell’s Half Acre in the late 1800s—owned by the A&M System.
The news release stated that the eight-story Law & Education Building will be the new home for the Texas A&M School of Law as well as other academic offerings by Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Health and Tarleton State University. The other buildings include:
- The Research & Innovation Building where several Texas A&M System agencies will work alongside private sector tenants
- The Gateway Building that will house offices, more classroom and meeting spaces and a conference center
Speakers at the event took the opportunity to make several announcements. Bridget Lauderdale, vice president of Lockheed Martin and a Texas A&M graduate who leads the company’s F-35 fighter jet program in Fort Worth, announced that Lockheed Martin signed a memorandum of understanding to discuss jointly developing education courses, workforce training and research programs, including the possibility of Lockheed researchers working alongside the staff and students at Texas A&M-Fort Worth.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to continue collaborating with Texas A&M University through this memorandum of understanding, establishing an additional talent pipeline of quality engineers in Fort Worth,” Lauderdale said. “Together, we will continue our joint, cutting-edge research to deliver innovative solutions for 21st-century security challenges, providing transformational capabilities in support of national security.”
John Goff, a Fort Worth developer who chairs the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership, called the new building a "game changer," highlighting several other companies that are discussing partnerships with Texas A&M-Fort Worth. He mentioned Elbit America and Alcon, which are both Fort Worth companies.
More quotes of note
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare also spoke at the event, highlighting the importance of the project to the future of the city and county.
“The Texas A&M System is building exactly what Fort Worth needs in this moment in our history,” Parker said. “This groundbreaking today represents countless future careers in law, medical technology, nursing and engineering, all of which are vital to meeting the need for a highly skilled workforce in Fort Worth and North Texas for decades to come.”
Judge O’Hare added: “The Texas A&M System’s project will be incredibly vital to the long-term success of Tarrant County. It will bring in multiple high-quality business relocations to partner with the university and will enhance an already first-class downtown.”
According to the news release, the Law & Education Building will be completed by 2025, with the goal of completing the first three campus buildings by 2027.
