Developer shows plan for 15-story AC Hotel in downtown Fort Worth

March 2,2017

By Sandra Baker

A Dallas-based development firm said Thursday that it is considering plans to build a 15-story Marriott brand hotel on the parking lot adjacent to the historic Kress Building in downtown Fort Worth.

Michele Wheeler, president and chief operating officer at Jackson-Shaw, said the company has the parking lot under contract and is conducting a due diligence review. She said the project is not a done deal yet and that issues surrounding electric utilities at the site have not been resolved.

Jackson-Shaw, though, received conceptual approval for a 218-room hotel Thursday from the Downtown Design Review Board.. The developers will require other approvals to move forward with construction. Wheeler said there is no timeline for that.

The company is proposing to build an AC Hotel, a Marriott brand popular in Europe. The hotel has 22 locations in the U.S., including one in downtown Dallas, according to its website.

The Fort Worth hotel would abut the Kress Building, stretching along Fifth Street from Main to Houston streets. Plans for a ground floor restaurant and coffee shop are being explored, as well as a rooftop patio and outdoor pool, according a presentation Thursday. The hotel’s entrance and lobby would be at the corner of Fifth and Main.

The guest rooms would start on the third floor.

The land is owned by Sinclair Holdings Llc, which owns the historic Sinclair Building and STS Tower across Fifth Street from the parking lot. It bought the property in 2013.

Sinclair Holdings is also proposing to convert the Sinclair Building into a hotel. Wheeler said her firm is not involved in that project.