[Image: A rendering of the Worthington Bank tower planned for the Walsh development. (Courtesy image | Worthington Bank]
Suddenly, Walsh is the place to be.
A few weeks after the University of Texas at Arlington announced plans for a new campus on 51 acres in the Walsh development, Worthington Bank said it had acquired land for a new corporate headquarters at the corner of Interstate 30 and Walsh Ranch Parkway.
The 96,000-square-foot office building will include multiuse spaces with office and retail sites available.
“Parker County has been experiencing an incredible level of growth in residential development, especially with the development of Walsh. The addition of Worthington Bank Tower will provide residents a unique working experience close to where they live,” Greg Morse, Worthington Bank CEO, said in a statement.
The eight-story tower will be built with Class A finishes and decorated in a Western motif with art celebrating the area, a tradition of Worthington Bank. The bank is currently headquartered in downtown Fort Worth in the historic Burk Burnett Building. All of the bank’s locations feature art primarily by Texas artists and/or artists who painted scenes of Texas life.
Architects for the project are Urban Bobcat Architects, which also designed the Fort Worth Billiards Superstore building and the now-closed Tre Mogli restaurant. CHC Development worked with Worthington Bank on plans for building.
“The addition of Worthington Bank Tower and our partnership to bring Worthington into the development will unlock more opportunities for those in the area, complement existing commercial activity and provide long-term benefits to the entire region,” said Ryan B. Dickerson, chief executive officer of the Walsh Companies. All development for the 7,500-acre Walsh development are managed by the Walsh Companies.
Leasing efforts for Worthington Bank will be led by Holt Lunsford Commercial’s Vic Meyer and Jake Neal.
Worthington Bank has locations in Fort Worth, Arlington, Colleyville and Denton, where it opened its first location outside Tarrant County last year.
In an interview, Morse said the bank recently leased another floor in the Burk Burnett building and plans to keep a presence there even after moving headquarters to the Walsh area.
“We’ve got a great customer base down here, we’ll still be here,” he said.
Morse said he expects it to take another three years before the new site opens.
“I bought the land in March before anyone knew UTA was coming, so I was lucky, I guess,” he said.
He said there already has been interest in the building from a restaurant and a law firm.
“It will be interesting to see what the lease rates are when we get to that, because people are looking at that area,” he said.
The F. Howard Walsh family ran their ranching business on the 7,200-acre property for over 70 years and were known for producing high-quality cattle.
The area has previously been the target of major economic development proposals. Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian eyed Walsh land for a $5 billion factory in 2021, but Tarrant County lost out on the deal to Georgia.
The Walsh area, along with the Veale Ranch area located to the south, are seen as key sites for future economic development.
In February 2022, Oklahoma City-based BancFirst Corp. acquired Worthington National Bank for $77.7 million, but the bank continues to operate as a separate subsidiary with its own charter and board of directors
Worthington has $625 million in assets, $525 million in deposits and $440 million in loans, according to Morse.
Content retrieved from: https://fortworthreport.org/2024/09/05/fort-worth-bank-to-open-headquarters-eight-story-tower-at-walsh-development/.
