In addition, the plaza is a testament to Fort Worth’s long commitment to historic preservation, stemming from its citizens’ dedication to the city’s heritage. Along with the Fort Worth Streams and Valleys Committee, local patron Ruth Carter Stevenson and The Amon G. Carter Foundation were instrumental in ensuring the creation of Heritage Plaza. Other generous benefactors and contributing organizations and agencies that supported the plaza’s design and construction included the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, Texas Electric Service Company, Tarrant County Water Control District No. 1, and Tarrant County Commissioners Court. The ultimate construction of the project was realized as a result of nearly 80% private funding. The project and landscape architect drew such attention that present at the dedication was Texas Governor Bill Clements and Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady of the United States who was also Halprin’s client when he served as a consult to her Committee for a More Beautiful Capital.

As noted on the dedication day program, “It is a pilgrimage site, visited by those who pursue understanding of the city’s founding and origins. The opportunity to experience the spirituality of the site in solitude intensifies the power of the environment.”

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