Sometimes, a wrong turn leads you somewhere unexpected. Editor Elizabeth here. That's what happened to me. In my case, one wrong exit led me to what felt like a ghost town — rows of red-brick apartment buildings, boarded-up windows, and eerily quiet streets just east of downtown Fort Worth.

Welcome to Butler Place, a former public housing community that has sat vacant since 2020. And with Halloween around the corner, I wanted to dig into the story behind this hauntingly quiet corner of the city.

The history

Butler Place opened in 1940 as federally funded housing for Black families during the Great Depression. Named after Henry Harrison Butler, one of Fort Worth's first Black educators, the community eventually grew to include hundreds of apartments, gathering spaces, and a library. For decades, it was home to generations of Fort Worth residents.

Today, there are 179 empty housing units.

Why it's empty

After years of aging infrastructure and isolation from surrounding neighborhoods, the Fort Worth Housing Authority determined that relocating residents and providing housing assistance elsewhere would be a better use of federal funding than rehabilitating the complex. Residents moved to homes throughout Fort Worth between 2018 and 2020, leaving the 42-acre property vacant.

Highways including I-30, I-35W and US 287 helped isolate the neighborhood from downtown over the years — and today, those same roadways frame its deserted buildings.

What's next?

Fort Worth Housing Solutions, the city's public housing agency, remains at the center of redevelopment plans. In January, its board approved a $635,000 market analysis contract to help determine the site's future. Options include selling the property or pursuing a public-private partnership. Earlier proposals have included an outdoor amphitheater and historic preservation efforts.

Three buildings, including the now-closed Carver-Hamilton Elementary School, built in 1908, received local historic landmark designation.

Butler Place may look like a scene from a Halloween movie, but its story is about much more than spooky scenery. It's a piece of Fort Worth's Black history — and its next chapter is still being written.

FTWtoday is paying close attention to the future of Butler Place. Follow along with our free, daily newsletter to stay in the loop.