Winfield Garage

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. By 1919, Fort Worth had done what Fort Worth tends to do; it had grown itself into something serious. Oil money and cattle money were rolling through that city like two rivers running side by side, and when you've got that kind of commerce thundering into town, well, people need places to put things.

Specifically, they need places to put their automobiles. Enter the Winfield Garage. Opened in April of 1920, this was not some humble little shed off an alley.

The architectural firm of Sanguinet and Staats designed it to park 325 vehicles: three hundred and twenty-five, which earned it the title of the largest and most modern garage in the state of Texas. That's a bold claim in a state that does not hand out superlatives lightly. But the Winfield wasn't content just to park cars.

It operated a livery service running 25 touring cars and limousines. And somewhere along the way, it hosted Fort Worth's first annual auto show, an event that drew about 50,000 visitors through the doors. Fifty thousand people coming to look at automobiles in one place.

Later, the facility went on to house other businesses tied to the auto industry, keepin' itself useful as the years turned. Fort Worth was booming, and the Winfield Garage was right there in the middle of it, making room for every last one of those cars.

What the marker says

By 1919 Fort Worth had become a booming commercial center because of the oil and cattle markets. To accommodate this growth, the Winfield Garage was opened in April 1920 and operated a livery service with 25 touring cars and limousines. Designed by the architectural firm of Sanguinet & Staats to park 325 vehicles, it was called the largest and most modern in the state. The garage hosted the city's first annual auto show, which attracted about 50,000 visitors. Later the facility housed other businesses related to the auto industry.