Sundance Square is the corporate rebranding of twenty-two blocks of downtown Fort Worth between Jones, Throckmorton, 1st, and 5th streets into condos, restaurants, and shops. Main Street is the central north–south axis of Sundance Square. The square was initiated in 1979 when Fort Worth–based Bass Brothers Enterprises began to acquire buildings and real estate in what historically had been Fort Worth’s downtown retail center. In addition to rehabilitating historic properties, Bass Brothers organized a management office to coordinate development and ensure consistent policies and practices. The stewardship of downtown space by a family business office reflects the patriarchal culture of Fort Worth, which is quite distinctive among Texan cities. The Bass brothers—Sid Richardson Bass, Edward P. Bass, Robert M. Bass, and Lee Bass—great-nephews and heirs of Fort Worth independent oilman Sid W. Richardson, parlayed their inheritance into one of the largest family fortunes in the nation during the 1970s and 1980s. Sid, Ed, and Robert Bass were committed to historic preservation and downtown revitalization. Sundance Square represents a combination of their individual interests and management style.
In the mid-1980s, the family donated a block at 4th and Commerce streets for the construction of the 2,200-seat Bass Performance Hall (1998, David Schwarz Architectural Services with HKS; 525 Commerce) with trumpeting limestone angels (Márton Váró, sculptor) on its upper corners. With the construction of three new buildings in 2013, Ed Bass was able to see his long-desired, two-block Sundance Square Plaza astride Main Street created. The six-story Westbrook Building and five-story Commerce Building (both 2013, David M. Schwarz Architectural Services and Bennett, Benner and Partners) frame the plaza on Main Street, which can be closed to through-traffic for public events. Sundance Square’s retro-traditional architecture by Schwarz of Washington, D.C., reflects the preferences of Ed Bass, a graduate of Yale University’s School of Architecture.