Downtown Fort Worth’s First on 7th Brings In Guaranty Bank, Presidio Petroleum

Businesses join Neighbor’s House Grocery and Buon Giorno Coffeehouse at updated high-rise

FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 4th, 2019 – First on 7th, the 21-story mid-century modern tower undergoing a major renovation on the west end of downtown Fort Worth, will get a new ground-floor tenant and another that will occupy the building’s entire 15th floor.

Guaranty Bank & Trust is preparing to move into First on 7th’s street-level suite at the corner of West 7th and Lamar Streets early next year. The 106-year-old bank, which currently is based in the historic Electric Building directly across the street, also will lease office space on the 12th floor. 

Fort Worth-based Presidio Petroleum, which has leased one-third of a floor since 2017 as a subtenant at First on 7th, will take over the building’s entire 15th floor under a new leasing arrangement.

The two businesses join Neighbor’s House Grocery, which on Oct. 21 became the first new ground-floor retail outlet to open in the First on 7th project. Earlier this year, Buon Giorno Coffeehouse & Roastery announced its plans to move into street-level space at the complex, with opening expected in early 2020.

The First on 7th building (originally First National Bank of Fort Worth) was designed by New York architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and associate architect Preston M. Geren of Fort Worth. It was completed in 1961 and features a modernist outdoor sculpture by famed designer Isamu Noguchi. 

Guaranty Bank & Trust President Casey Tibbets said the ongoing updates to First on 7th, the visibility of the bank’s new space and the appealing assortment of new tenants at the complex were among the factors that prompted the move. “We’re excited about moving next door. We love what they’ve done with the new grocery, especially the fact that they’ve brought in local vendors, and we’re looking forward to having Buon Giorno Coffee as a neighbor. We’re a community bank, so we fit right in to this arrangement, and we think our new location will be more accessible to our customers,” Tibbets said.

Presidio founder and co-CEO Will Ulrich says locating in a historic building undergoing a big update fits in with the oil and gas company’s forte of testing new ways to do old things in the oilfield. “When considering long term office space in Fort Worth, we wanted a place that reflected our distinct corporate culture,” Ulrich said. “First on 7th definitely achieves this goal for us, and we’re excited to partner with a Fort Worth landmark in the midst of its renaissance.” 

“Guaranty Bank and Presidio Petroleum are the kind of first-rate tenants that will help First on 7th become a downtown destination,” said Jack Clark, president of Red Oak Realty, which has led the renovation project since it began in December 2018. “One of the final pieces of the puzzle will be a full-service restaurant on the ground floor. We’ve had lots of interest, but we want to be sure that the right business moves into what will be a terrific space.”

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John Kent
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