Can Someone Save This Piece of Fort Worth History from the Wrecking Ball?

The clock is ticking for anyone who wants to own a piece of Fort Worth history.

The Reilly-LeHane House is a historic find tucked into Fort Worth’s Samuels Avenue neighborhood. The house, built in 1889 on Samuels Avenue, is one of Fort Worth’s oldest surviving houses, and it’s in need of rescue quickly.

After standing for more than a century, the one-story, wood-frame house might be reduced to rubble, falling to progress. For a house with a story, it’s really becoming an even longer story.

“It’s probably one of the oldest houses still standing in the city of Fort Worth,” said Lorelei Willett, senior planner in Fort Worth’s development services’ historical division.

Red Tape

Last fall, Fort Worth’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission voted to approve the demolition of the house at 823 Samuels Ave. But the fine print or red tape or city regulations asked that the owners look for an alternative fate for the house.

The new owner is Carrollton-based ARNN Builders, who intends to build 22 townhomes and an amenity center, according to state records. In earlier proceedings, the city encouraged the builder to incorporate the house into their new development — a leasing office was one suggestion — or to relocate the structure.

That was in September 2024. After stipulations delayed the process, it looks like time is of the essence for someone to buy this house to save it from the wrecking ball.

“It can’t stop it indefinitely,” Willett said.

House with a Past

There’s a story behind the endangered house. The Reilly-LeHane House remains a rare example of Victorian-era architecture in Fort Worth, according to experts. Contractor O.C. Herrenkind built the house for city auditor J.J. Nunnelly. Then by 1980, Martin Casey, a local liquor and cigar dealer, owned it before selling it to his cousin, Mrs. E.P. Reilly, for just $1.

Reilly’s daughter, Anne Elizabeth, married Jeremiah LeHane, and their four daughters eventually inherited the house. It remained in the family for 98 years, with Dorothy LeHane living there until she died in 1988.

The home’s Victorian features include architectural details such as turned woodwork, scroll-sawn brackets and decorative window hoods. Throughout the years, additions were made. Much of the home’s original character remains intact, even though a room was added in 1897, a kitchen and dining room in 1903, and a screened porch and bathroom around 1924.

According to Willett, details make it eligible for the National Register. The neighborhood also holds historic significance for Fort Worth. Samuels Avenue has the distinction of being Fort Worth’s first neighborhood, settled in the mid-1800s.

Clock’s Ticking

The exact timeline is vague of when history meets urban progress. Anyone interested should move quickly to prevent the house being demolished.

“It’s probably pretty soon because they’re on their last criterion,” Willett said of the process that is nearly finished.

The house now is surrounded by much more modern high-rise buildings. Close to downtown Fort Worth, the area is now filled with car-lined streets and sidewalks filled with residents jogging and dog-walking. The house, with much more modern abodes surrounding it now, clearly is in a neighborhood that has gone in a very different direction as the need increases for housing in more urban parts of Tarrant County.

Who wants to save the vintage abode? It seems the city of Grapevine has a handle on how to move a historic house, having transported two rescued houses this summer.

‘Honey, There’s a House Driving Down the Street’

A call to that city might be helpful, but Willett is the person to contact first about this piece of Fort Worth history. Her email address is [email protected].