The Fort Worth Convention Center has anchored downtown Fort Worth, Texas since it opened on September 30, 1968, as the Tarrant County Convention Center. Fourteen city blocks of the old “Hell’s Half Acre” district were cleared to build the complex, which the City of Fort Worth purchased and renamed in 1997.
The site’s defining feature is its domed indoor arena, long nicknamed the “flying saucer” for its distinctive round roofline. Over more than five decades it has hosted everything from rodeos and ice shows to rock concerts and international tennis, making it one of North Texas’s longest-running multipurpose venues.
- San Antonio Spurs played here 1970–1971. See every Spurs arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Downtown Fort Worth, Texas
- Opened: September 30, 1968 (as Tarrant County Convention Center)
- Renamed: 1997, by the City of Fort Worth
- Arena capacity: About 13,000 seats
- Exhibit space: About 253,000 square feet
- Architect: Preston M. Geren Sr.
- Notable design feature: Domed roof nicknamed the “flying saucer”
A Flying Saucer in Downtown Fort Worth
Fort Worth officials proposed the complex in 1961 to compete with Dallas’s own convention center, and construction leveled a swath of the old Hell’s Half Acre neighborhood to make room for it. When it opened in 1968 for about $5.5 million, the facility paired 100,000 square feet of exhibit space with a domed arena whose rounded profile quickly earned it the “flying saucer” nickname.
The complex grew over the decades, with expansions in 1983, 2002, and 2003 that pushed exhibit space past 250,000 square feet after the original JFK Theatre was demolished in 2000 to make room for a ballroom and additional meeting rooms.
Decades of Concerts and Events
The arena’s guest list reads like a cross-section of 20th-century touring history: Elvis Presley played the room multiple times between 1972 and 1976, the Rolling Stones performed there in 1972, and U2 took the stage in 1987. The venue also stepped onto the world sports stage in 1992, hosting the Davis Cup final.
The building’s run is nearing its end: Fort Worth City Council confirmed demolition plans for the aging arena, with a farewell community event held in September 2026 ahead of planned teardown in 2027 to make way for expanded convention facilities.
Explore more: more Texas stadiums and arenas.
Bleachers for three hours, but with back support. Folds flat and clips to the bench.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
Fort Worth Convention Center FAQs
Is the Fort Worth Convention Center a sports stadium?
Not in the traditional sense. It’s a multipurpose convention complex and arena without a resident sports franchise, though it has hosted sporting events such as the 1992 Davis Cup final alongside concerts, rodeos, and trade shows.
Why is the arena called the ‘flying saucer’?
The nickname comes from the arena’s distinctive domed roof, a design feature that has stood out on the Fort Worth skyline since the complex opened in 1968.
Is the Fort Worth Convention Center being torn down?
Yes. Fort Worth City Council approved plans to demolish the current arena, with a farewell event held in September 2026 and demolition planned for 2027 to expand the city’s convention space.
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Photo: Kevin Muncie / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.