Tax Credit Program Highlight: Shannon's Funeral Home

History

Shannon’s Funeral Home (also known as the Meissner Brown Funeral Home) is the second structure on this site that served as a funeral home operated by members of the Shannon family. This building replaced a house that had been converted for use and is thought to be the first purpose-built funeral home in Fort Worth. The building resembles a church, with a chapel and domed tower at the corner, with a wing for offices and preparation. Several funeral homes operated here until the 1980s, when the building was sold to a church. By 2014, the property was blighted and purchased by the city, which intended to demolish the building. Instead, it was sold to a private restoration contractor, through the advocacy of Historic Fort Worth.

Rehabilitation Project

The funeral home had been altered over time, with some historic features lost, but many remarkably left intact. The exterior was fully restored, including stucco, ironwork, steel casement windows, decorative glass, and Ludowici tile roofing. New doors were custom-built to be modern yet appropriate to the building’s character. New windows were also rebuilt to replace lost windows. On the interior, the trusses, flooring, and other woodwork in the chapel were carefully repaired. Other spaces in the building were reconfigured to provide meeting rooms, offices, a catering kitchen, restrooms, and other secondary spaces. The building is now available as a rental venue for events and churches without a permanent home.