T&P Train Station

HISTORY

T&P Station was constructed in 1931 as the major transportation hub for passengers in the North Texas area. Since, it’s been declared as a national landmark and was also included in the Fort Worth Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by Wyatt C. Hedrickin and Herman P. Koeppe in 1930, and is most known for its Zigzag Moderne Style of Art Deco.

RSM Design drew inspiration from the rich history of the T&P Station when developing the wayfinding, placemaking, and specialty graphics for the site. The design team immersed themselves in the station’s past stories, appreciating its significance as a bustling transportation hub in early 20th-century Fort Worth. RSM Design collaborated with a local historian to vividly bring to life the narratives of passengers arriving at the Fort Worth Train Station, focusing on the historical and cultural significance of the era. Together, we combined archival research and photos, oral histories, and visual storytelling for the users of the of T&P Train Station to read about and learn. The use of historic photos within the specialty graphics wove stories of the station’s history into the visual language of the present, thus creating a meaningful connection between the site’s heritage and its future.

Within the Fort Worth’s T&P Station, every photograph featured on the panels and informational graphics capture a story of resilience, courage, and new beginnings—such as the journey of Elsa and Inge Kokotek, sisters who fled Nazi Germany and found hope on the platform of this historic station in 1941. Collaborating with local historians and families, RSM Design curated eleven compelling historical narratives, transforming the station’s halls into a vivid tribute to the human spirit. In 2022, the children of the Kokotek sisters discovered this long-lost photograph of their mothers, now featured in our installation, bringing their family’s story full circle.