Demolition has begun on an iconic and infamous Fort Worth property, the site of two unsolved murders from more than four decades ago.
Kyle Poulson, one of four current co-owners of the former Cullen Davis mansion on Stonegate Boulevard, said there are plans to build about 30 luxury townhomes on the property. Demolition is in its second week, with a ceremonial ground-breaking potentially in the next four to six months, according to Poulson.
“It’s a historic piece of property,” he said. “Like I said, I’m not sure it’s good or bad, but I think most of Fort Worth will be happy to see it torn down.”
The mansion on Stonegate Boulevard, built by oil tycoon Cullen Davis, has a dark past. It is the site of the 1976 murders of former TCU basketball player Stan Farr, 30, and Davis’ 12-year-old stepdaughter Andrea Wilborn. Farr was the boyfriend of Davis’ estranged wife Priscilla Davis.
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Cullen Davis was identified as the gunman by Gus "Bubba" Gavrel Jr., who was also wounded on the night of the shootings and left paralyzed, but Davis was tried twice on a capital murder charge before he was acquitted.
In the decades that have passed since the unsolved murders, the property has been a restaurant and an entertainment venue. About a year and a half ago, Poulson and three other partners bought it with the initial intention of turning it into a condo building.
It’s currently a commercially zoned property, which Poulson said meant they could build a structure up to 10 stories tall.
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“After a little bit of feedback and Mayor Price called, said…‘Kyle, this is going to be a stink with the neighbors, try to work with them and be careful’,” Poulson recalled. “One of my buddies lives right here. He backs up to the property. He just said, ‘I don’t want a story building in my backyard. You don’t want a 10-story in your backyard.’ So, we just forfeited some money, some profit to kind of keep the peace and not upset a bunch of neighbors.”
There are plans to change the zoning from commercial to residential in order to move the project forward.
In December, Poulson said the property was discussed at a planning and zoning meeting. On Tuesday, it will have a final hearing before the Fort Worth City Council.
