FEATURE STORY
At an opening reception
for the Community Eye
Clinic of Fort Worth,
attendees get a look at
its location on the second
floor of First Christian
Church, which was
retrofitted to accomodate
the new use, but retains
its original stained-glass
windows.
A Visionary Model
A cornerstone of the Fort Worth, TX, community since
1885, First Christian Church has always maintained a
tradition of innovation and advancement. Today, the
church, led by the Reverend Tom Plumbley, is creatively
combining ministry with adaptive reuse. Thanks to
its partnership with Partners for Sacred Places and
others, First Christian is now home to the Community
Eye Clinic of Fort Worth, the largest clinic of its kind in
America.
Occupying the entire second floor of First Christian,
the new facility is staffed by clinic director Jennifer
Deakins, O.D., and students from the University of
Houston College of Optometry and the University of the
Incarnate Word School of Optometry in San Antonio.
17 • Sacred Places • www.sacredplaces.org • Spring 2013
Intended to serve 3,000 to 4,000 patients in the first
year and upwards of 7,000 patients in subsequent years,
the state-of-the-art vision clinic houses seven exam
rooms, two testing areas, a cinema classroom, and a
dispensary. Through partnerships with both the public
and private sectors, the clinic will serve the healthcare
needs of the economically disadvantaged throughout
the city.
Architecturally, First Christian is an integral piece of
the urban fabric of downtown Fort Worth. Constructed
in 1915, the Beaux Arts-style structure is the fourth
incarnation of the congregation’s spiritual home.
However, the congregation today consists of fewer than
300 members in a building designed to serve 3,000.