Historic Northside writing development chapter between Stockyards, Panther Island 

For John Laudenslager the progress on reimagining his Historic Northside building has been slower — and more costly — than he expected. 

But as he waited for newly epoxied floors to dry and railing to be installed on a second-floor veranda of his building, now dubbed The Percy, he could see tangible signs of progress up and down North Main Street. 

“There’s the Marine Central development, there’s the Mercado project, there’s Panther City BBQ coming,” he said. “You can see it and feel it. It wasn’t like this just a year or so ago.” 

Laudenslager, whose concierge real estate firm, Black Tie Real Estate, purchased the building in 2025, has seen the change coming to the area. 

Laudenslager’s S.T. Percy Building is a historic two-story brick structure located at 1426 N. Main St. in Fort Worth’s Historic Northside District. In its 117 years, it’s been a saloon, lunch counter, and furniture, grocery, shoe and drug stores. Everything from the sacred to the profane. 

Before Laudenslager bought the building, a church leased space there. 

“Originally it was a saloon with rooms to rent up here, and there were eight bedrooms,” Laudenslager said. “Each bedroom had its own bathroom, and you might imagine in the early 1900s, for the meatpackers — they get off work, they want their saloon and then want to see some ladies.”

Now, Laudenslager and many others in the district are imagining a lot for the area. 

Just down the street, to the south, the first retail tenants have signed up at the 24,000-square-foot Marine Central building at 1332 N. Main St. The building has its own history, having served as home to Greines Furniture Company for much of its life. 

LanCarte Commercial has signed Wild Knox Hat Bar, Cultura Markets and Sol Dias Ice Cream & Paleteria as tenants for the building. Brittany Doyle and Kristen Fegley of LanCarte Commercial did the leases for the ownership group. 

“North Main continues to be one of Fort Worth’s most exciting growth corridors, and we’re thrilled to help bring businesses like these to the project,” Doyle said. “Each tenant adds something unique, and together they’re helping create a destination that serves both the surrounding neighborhood and visitors exploring the area.” 

The Historic Northside district blossomed in the wake of the economic boom in the early part of the 20th century. Armour & Co. and Swift & Co. both operated plants in the Stockyards that employed more than 3,000 workers. 

The Historic Northside, like the Stockyards, prospered while the plants were operating at full tilt, but the area suffered economically when the meatpacking plants began slowing down. Both plants were shuttered by the early 1970s. 

Now the area is home to approximately 11,000 to 12,101 residents, with an estimated 97% identifying as Hispanic or Latino.

Situated between two major development efforts, the Stockyards expansion and the Panther Island project, the area has seen increased commercial pressure and rising property values.

Within the Historic Northside, the Main Street pilot is one of two city of Fort Worth-designated Main Street America corridors. The other similar effort is in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood and being led by Texas Wesleyan University. 

Since its launch, the Historic Northside District Main Street pilot has supported more than 440 small businesses and helped implement $84 million in active and planned corridor investment projects in the area. 

Also bringing energy – and flavor – to the area is the announcement that award-winning Panther City BBQ will take over the recently shuttered 6,463-square-foot La Playa Maya restaurant building at 1540 N. Main St. 

“It’s sad to see La Playa Maya go, but it’s exciting to see Panther City open up here,” said Laudenslager. 

Just to the north of The Percy, the Mercado Building, with a shorter but also storied history, is getting updated by CDC Development, a real estate firm headed by twin brothers Rian and Rory Maguire. 

The Mercado, a 52,983-square-foot, mixed-use property at 1500 N. Main St., opened in 2005. Construction was begun by a local business owner, but the city stepped in to complete the project when the owner ran out of funds. 

The Mercado, Spanish for market, was meant to spur development on the Northside. But it never happened and, when the pair purchased it in 2025, the property was less than 50% leased. 

The new owners are upgrading the restrooms, common areas, exterior lighting and will add new amenities including conference and break rooms. And, most important for Laudenslager and his nearby Percy, the Mercado has ample parking. 

“When the city purchased it, the idea was for that parking to be available to other area businesses, but that didn’t really happen,” he said. “Now it is and that is key to these developments, working together. We can all be successful here with some cooperation and that’s what I see happening.” 

Bob Francis is business editor at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected].

News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.