Sitting just to the east and casting a shadow on the Stockyards sat a group of buildings in extreme decay, the heart of what was once Niles City. Comprised of a little over one half square mile in size, it once had 508 inhabitants and was labelled the "richest little city in Texas" due to the Fort Worth Stockyards Company, The Swift & Armour Packing Company, and the Stockyard Exchange. 1911 it was valued at $12 million. When the Swift & Armour Packing Company was operating at it's peak, 4,000 men and women were reporting for work. In 1923 Niles City was annexed and became a part of Fort Worth.

But enough with the history lesson; the remains of Niles City was a photographers playground, and one of my favorite places in Fort Worth to shoot. The urban decay covered in layers of colorful spray paint, that was always evolving, and the buildings of downtown sitting perfectly on the horizon is what attracted many photographers to this tract of land. Was it unsafe? Sure. Could the buildings fall at anytime? Sure. Were their weird artifacts from vagrants scattered around the ruins? Yes. But that's what gave it character and that's what made it unique.

Today the buildings were brought down and another photography playground has met it's demise. I'm just glad I got to spend some time with them and creating memories for not only myself, but also the clients that wanted to shoot within Niles City.

I thought I'd take this time to share a few photos that I've taken in Niles City over the years.