Fort Worth isn’t just Dallas’s neighbor to the west. It’s a city with a distinct soul, a "Cowtown" grit that somehow coexists with world-class architecture and fine art. If you spend more than ten minutes walking through the red-brick streets of Sundance Square, you'll realize something pretty quickly. This place didn't just happen by accident. It was curated. Specifically, the Bass family of Fort Worth spent decades—and billions—shaping this skyline.
They aren't your typical Texas oil tycoons. You won't find them wearing ten-gallon hats on reality TV. Honestly, they’re notoriously private. But their fingerprints are everywhere, from the masterpieces in the Kimbell Art Museum to the sleek glass of the City Center towers.
The Sid Richardson Connection
To understand the Basses, you have to start with Sid Richardson. He was the bachelor great-uncle, a legendary wildcatter who hit it big in the West Texas oil fields during the early 20th century. Sid was a titan. He sat on boards with presidents. When he died in 1959, he left a massive fortune to his nephew, Perry Richardson Bass.
Perry wasn't just a placeholder for wealth. He was a savvy navigator of the family’s burgeoning empire. But the real "shift" happened when Perry's four sons—Sid, Edward, Robert, and Lee—took the reins. These four brothers didn't just sit on their inheritance. They became some of the most sophisticated investors in American history.
How the Bass Family of Fort Worth Saved Downtown
In the late 1970s and early 80s, downtown Fort Worth was, frankly, a ghost town. It was crumbling. People were fleeing to the suburbs. While other wealthy families were moving their money to New York or Los Angeles, the Bass family of Fort Worth decided to double down on their backyard.
💡 You might also like: Missouri Paycheck Tax Calculator: What Most People Get Wrong
They started buying up blocks. Not for a quick flip, but for a legacy.
The Sundance Square Revolution
Edward Bass was the visionary here. He didn't want a sterile shopping mall; he wanted a walkable, European-style urban core. He spearheaded the development of Sundance Square. It started with the restoration of the 19th-century Knights of Pythias temple and expanded into a 35-block district of shops, restaurants, and plazas.
It’s rare to see a single family take such a holistic approach to urban planning. Usually, it’s a mess of different developers fighting over zoning. With the Basses, there was a unified aesthetic. They even built the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall—recognizable by those massive, 48-foot limestone angels blowing trumpets on the facade. It’s arguably one of the best acoustic venues in the world.
The Investing Genius of the Four Brothers
While Ed was building Sundance Square, Sid and Robert were making waves on Wall Street. In the 1980s, the Basses were feared and respected in the corporate world. They had a knack for finding undervalued companies and forcing them to realize their potential.
📖 Related: Why Amazon Stock is Down Today: What Most People Get Wrong
- Disney: This was the big one. In 1984, the Basses took a massive stake in Walt Disney Productions. They helped install Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, a move that basically saved Disney from bankruptcy and kicked off the "Disney Renaissance."
- The Robert Bass Split: Eventually, Robert Bass decided to strike out on his own. He formed Keystone Group (now Oak Hill Capital). Robert’s investment style was surgical. He stayed out of the spotlight but built a massive portfolio that spanned everything from aerospace to insurance.
- Lee and Sid: They remained closely tied in their investment strategies, often working with talented money managers like Richard Rainwater. Rainwater was a genius in his own right, helping the family pivot from pure oil into a diversified global powerhouse.
The Philanthropic Footprint
You can't talk about the Bass family of Fort Worth without looking at the Kimbell Art Museum or the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. While the Kimbell was established by the legacy of Kay and Velma Kimbell, the Basses have been instrumental in its continued prestige. Anne Bass, Sid’s first wife, was a massive figure in the New York and Texas arts scenes, bringing a level of sophistication that helped Fort Worth punch way above its weight class in the cultural world.
Then there's the environmental side. Lee Bass has spent a significant portion of his life focused on conservation, particularly through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Edward, meanwhile, was the primary funder behind Biosphere 2 in Arizona. Yeah, the massive glass dome experiment in the desert. It was an ambitious, slightly eccentric, but ultimately fascinating attempt to understand Earth’s ecosystems.
The Quiet Reality of Modern Influence
Today, the family is in a transitional phase as the next generation takes over. They aren't the boisterous "oil barons" of the past. They are institutional. Their influence is felt through foundations, massive real estate holdings, and private equity.
When you look at the "Fort Worth Way"—a local term for the collaborative spirit between the city's business elite and the municipal government—the Basses are the architects of that philosophy. It's about long-term stability over short-term profit.
👉 See also: Stock Market Today Hours: Why Timing Your Trade Is Harder Than You Think
What Most People Miss
People often assume the Bass fortune is just "old oil money." That's a mistake. While Sid Richardson provided the seed, the current wealth is the result of incredibly disciplined, modern financial management. They survived the oil crashes of the 80s and the 2010s precisely because they weren't just "oil guys."
They were, and are, polymaths of industry.
Practical Takeaways for Understanding the Bass Legacy
If you're looking to understand how high-net-worth families impact local economies, or if you're just visiting the city, here is how you can actually see the Bass family of Fort Worth legacy in action:
- Walk, don't drive, Sundance Square. Notice the lack of "big box" generic architecture. The family fought to keep the scale human.
- Visit the Bass Performance Hall. Even if you don't see a show, the exterior angels are a testament to the family's belief that a city needs "grandeur" to be taken seriously.
- Research the Oak Hill Capital portfolio. This gives you a better idea of how Robert Bass’s branch of the family continues to influence the global economy far beyond the borders of Tarrant County.
- Look at the Kimbell’s Piano Pavilion. The family’s support for world-class architects like Renzo Piano and Louis Kahn has turned a mid-sized Texas city into a global pilgrimage site for architecture students.
The story of the Basses isn't over, but it has changed. They’ve moved from being the "new money" disruptors of the 80s to the elder statesmen of Texas industry. Their approach to "place-making"—building a city where people actually want to live and work—remains a blueprint for urban development across the United States. They proved that with enough capital and a long enough timeline, you can actually manufacture a city's "vibe."
To truly grasp the impact of the Bass family of Fort Worth, one must look past the balance sheets and at the bricks themselves. Most wealth disappears within three generations; the Basses, however, seem to have built their legacy into the very foundation of the city. They didn't just spend their money; they planted it. And Fort Worth is still reaping the harvest.
To learn more about the specific architectural history of the region, research the work of David M. Schwarz, the architect who collaborated closely with the Basses to create the "Neo-traditional" look of downtown. Exploring the archives of the Sid Richardson Museum is another vital step for anyone wanting to see the original Western art collection that started the family's public cultural contributions.