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The Reilly-Lehane House, at 823 Samuels Ave., could soon face demolition. (Bob Francis | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240909_154216-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20240909_154216-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C585&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>One of the historic homes on Fort Worth’s Samuels Avenue, the Reilly-Lehane House, could soon face demolition following a Sept. 9 vote by  the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission.The commission voted to approve the demolition of the home at 823 Samuels Ave. with a 180-day delay and requested the owners to look for a viable alternative to demolition, such as moving the home or incorporating the structure in any new development on the site. The 1,500-square-foot one-story home sits alone on a now bare lot surrounded by new townhomes and apartments downtown. The current owners, ARNN Builders, have said they plan to demolish the structure and build townhomes on the property. “[W]e encourage the developer to move the house forward in-line with what has become a new set-back for the neighborhood, and to restore this house for its leasing/marketing office,” Jerre Tracy, executive director of preservation advocacy organization Historic Fort Worth, wrote in a letter to the commission. In 2017, a historic home, the Garvey House, was moved and used as the leasing office for new apartments built in the area. In 2020, the then-owners of the Reilly-Lehane House received a bid to move the home to another lot. The $63,000 bid would probably be higher now, Tracy told the commission. The Reilly-Lehane House was built in 1889 and was acquired the next year by Martin Casey, an Irish immigrant and early liquor and cigar wholesaler of the Casey & Swasey Co., who supplied much of the whiskey and other libations for Fort Worth’s legendary Hell’s Half Acre. He deeded the house to his sister, who carried the Reilly name by marriage, and the property stayed in the family until 1988. Samuels Avenue is a centerpiece of Fort Worth’s history, as it was where the city first expanded to outside of the military fort on the nearby bluff. New development began in the area a few years ago, featuring townhomes, apartments and a hotel. Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.