AC Hotel Fort Worth
Wilder’s Ron Welborn and Jackson-Shaw are featured in the Fort Worth Business Press to detail their latest endeavor.
Ron Welborn and Jackson-Shaw are embarking on another preservation and conservation project this time in Fort Worth, Texas. The team will be turning a 10,000 square-foot parking lot into the 16-story, 252-room AC Hotel Fort Worth.
When the property was presented to Welborn and Jackson-Shaw they thought, “what’s a better use for this property.” The hotel will be opening early fall 2020, and will showcase the western culture of the infamous cowboy town. It will also nod to a contemporary design and the artistic influences of Fort Worth.
Preserving and sustain the integrity of a property is not a first for Welborn or Jackson-Shaw. In 1998, Welborn, the then-college student acquired Wilder on the Taylor, which was rumored to be turned into a golf course by some “dreaded developer.”
Welborn on Wilder
A couple of questions posed by the Fort Worth Business Press about Wilder:
Why are you putting so much effort in preserving Wilder on the Taylor?
Wellborn: Of course, being a real estate developer seems odd to say we’re preserving it. But this was such a historical, iconic piece of property that we had to. We can develop it in a responsible way and preserve the majority of the property…It’s been a great endeavor. People are buying into the ranch. They’re buying into that way of living. We consider it really a generational retreat because it really is an excuse for the families to come in and visit. We’re all spread out across the United States. When you have a special place, hopefully, your children and grandchildren will have a reason to come visit. They can come to fish, ride horses, or hike, mountain bike.”
What kind of interest are you seeing at Wilder on the Taylor?
Wellborn: “A strong interest from Texans, of course. That being from Midland to Dallas-Fort Worth. But we have families from California, from North East, pretty much all over… I think it, again, comes down to having a place to host their friends and family.”
According to Welborn, the new AC Hotel, “will nurture the culture, heritage and sensibilities of Fort Worth while its stylish design and a focus on technology enables Fort Worth to continue to compete with other modern cities of the country.”
