17 Best Outdoor Sculptures in Downtown Fort Worth

Saturday morning is the best time to enjoy the outdoor sculptures in downtown Fort Worth.

Most people are still lazing at home, and parking in downtown Fort Worth is always free on Saturdays. (It is also free of charge on Sunday and after 6 p.m. during weekdays.)

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You can start your arts and seek sculpture hunting with breakfast in downtown Fort Worth or have breakfast at home and end your day with brunch or lunch in the city.

I suggest you park around Sundance Square because it’s in the middle of downtown Fort Worth. Go park on the street or in the parking garage at Sundance Square Garages #3 at 345 W 3rd Street.

From your parking spot, take a leisurely walk to the public artwork spread around downtown Fort Worth.

You will do a lot of walking. So you must wear comfortable walking shoes. And don’t forget to bring water to keep you hydrated.

You can always drive, but I suggest you walk because you will enjoy the architecture of downtown Fort Worth. It’s also an opportunity to see downtown Fort Worth restaurants and Fort Worth downtown hotels.    

Now, let’s look at the outdoor sculptures in downtown Fort Worth and where to find them.

Large Outdoor Sculptures in Downtown Fort Worth

Everything is bigger in Texas, including some of the outdoor sculptures in downtown Fort Worth.

1. Man with Briefcase

This 50-foot brushed aluminum-plated businessman is holding a briefcase towering over Burnett Park. The sculpture captures the essence of worldwide business culture.

It is the work of Jonathan Borofsky, created in 2002.

The Man with a Briefcase is twenty feet wide and one foot thick. It weighs 24,000 thousand pounds. 

Address: 501 West 7th Street.

2. Bass Performance Hall Angels

Marton Varo designed and carved the two angels on the Bass Hall facade out of Cordova Cream Texas limestone.

The statues are 48-foot tall, with wings flarings toward heaven and golden horns trumpeting over the street.

The statues were installed in 1998. 

Who would have thought these two angels, which started out as a way to hide the ductwork, became the most iconic pieces of Bass Performance Hall’s exterior? 

Address: 215 E 4th Street 

3. JFK Tribute

President Kennedy made his last public speech to thousands of people in Fort Worth before he left for Dallas on November 22, 1963.

Today, on the ground where he delivered his last speech, you can see his statue. It is an 8-foot-tall bronze statue sculpted by the late Texas artist Lawrence Ludtke.

The statue is flanked by a 10-foot, bowed granite wall featuring photographic displays and selected quotes from his historic speeches.

Address: General Worth Square, 916 Main Street, across from Hilton Hotel.

4. Tabachin Ribbon

Tabachin Ribbon is a bright yellow metal sculpture inspired by the Tabachin tree, which is native to Mexico.

This 13-foot abstracted sphere was temporarily displayed at Chicago’s Millenium Park before it was donated to the city of Fort Worth. 

It was the request of Yvonne Domenge, the artist who created the Tabachin Ribbon, to donate the statue to another city or museum. 

Address: 1000 Throckmorton Street

5. Major Ripley Arnold

Major Ripley Arnold was a founder and commandant of Fort Worth. He established the fort in 1849 on the banks of the Trinity River and named it after General William J. Worth.

The 12-foot-tall bronze statue was created by sculptor Archie St. Clair. 

Address: John V. McMillian Plaza 480 N Taylor Street

6. Avenue of Lights

Artist Cliff Garten designed these six iconic stainless steel sculptures inspired by the Art Deco architecture of the nearby T&P Building.

The statues are 36 feet high, spanning half a mile along Lancaster Avenue from Lamar Street to Main/Commerce Street.

They are illuminated with programmed energy-efficient LED-colored lights from dawn to dusk.

Address: 221 W Lancaster Avenue

7. The Texas Sculpture

The sculpture was commissioned in 1960 to help shape an environment that connected the art to the architecture.

It was created by the late Isamu Noguchi using gray Japanese granite. 

Address: First on 7th Bldg., 500 W 7th Street    

Not So Large Outdoor Statues in Downtown Fort Worth

8. Al Hayne Memorial 

The Women’s Humane Association erected the Al Hayne Memorial in 1893. It was to commemorate the heroic efforts of Al Hayne. 

Al Hayne was the British civil engineer who saved over a dozen lives from a tragic fire in 1890 during an annual agricultural exhibition. 

The only fatality of the fire was Al Hayne himself. He died the next day from the burn he suffered from the rescue effort.

Address: 225 W Lancaster Ave

9. The Christ

This nearly life-sized marble sculpture comes from Denmark, where it was once part of a much more extensive collection. 

Today, the ornately draped figure towers on the parking of the First United Methodist Church downtown as if welcoming people to the service.

Address: 800 W 5th Street

10. The Fort Worth Five Photograph

John Swartz didn’t realize he took a picture of Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid, and three of their “Wild Bunch” gang members on November 21, 1900.

Later, this picture became the most famous Old West photo. Franco Alessandrini transformed it into a life-size bronze statue.

Address: 1006 Houston Street

11. The Sleeping Panther

This beautiful 8′ bronze cat sculpture snoozes on the lawn of the Tarrant County Administration building. Stop by to see the panther in person and learn the story behind “Panther City.”

On one of Fort Worth’s Monthly Free Walking Tours, Deran Wright, the sculptor, joined the group. We got to hear him talking about this twice life-size panther sculptor.

Address: 300 W. Weatherford Street

12. Panther City Fountain

Another sleeping panther sculptor in downtown Fort Worth is at Hyde Park. It is near the Flatiron Building and Fort Worth Municipal Courts building. 

This marble sleeping panther sculpture was a product of artist Franco Alessandrini.

Address: 201 W 9th Street  

13. John Peter Smith Monument

The people of Fort Worth built this marble portrait bust to honor the significant contributions of John Peter Smith, who is often considered the “Father of Fort Worth.”

He helped organize a bank, gas light company, and street railway. Additionally, he donated land for parks, cemeteries, and a hospital, later named John Peter Smith Hospital.

Address: 1206 Throckmorton Street

New Outdoor Sculptures in Downtown Fort Worth

The following three public art pieces are new sculptures from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Their location is at 500 W 7th Street, across the iconic Man with Briefcase.

You can find them on the tree-lined triangle adjacent to the 20-story First on 7th building and Cantey Hanger Plaza.

14. Park Avenue Departure

Artist Alex Katz created the statue in 2019. It is made of porcelain enamel on shaped steel with a steel core. 

The eight-foot cutout depicts the artist’s wife from behind as she is walking. The statue looks the same from the front and the back.

Park Avenue Departure statue was first exhibited in Midtown Manhattan along the meridian strip of Park Avenue.

15. Chance Meeting

This bronze statue depicts a street corner with three life-size figures with a dark green patina, each dressed in modern clothes.

These three figures unexpectedly run into each other at the intersection of two city streets and are engaged in a serious conversation. 

It was created by artist George Segal in 1989.

16. Texas Shield

It was created in 1986 by Jesus Bautista Morales, a native Texan, as part of his granite weaving series. 

The Texas Shield is two vertical slabs woven at a 90-degree angle down a central spine.

And last but not least…

17. The Cowboy Hat

The latest sensation, the Instagram thing in Fort Worth, was The Cowboy Hat.

This giant cowboy hat is made of resin over a steel frame and covered in thousands of tiny mirrors.

The Cowboy Hat sits on a pedestal in the middle of Sundance Square. With 16-foot long, about 6-foot tall, and 12-foot wide, it weighs about a half-ton.

The sculpture designed was based on a hat worn by Ed Bass, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo chairman.

It was supposed to be a temporary installation until February 4, the last day of the Stock Show, but you still can see it today.

Location: Sundance Square Plaza

Hunting for these outdoor sculptures is one of the free things to do in Fort Worth. I hope you will have fun finding them.