As Sundance Square prepares to begin construction on three new buildings and the proposed plaza in the center of the 35-block entertainment district, restaurateur Shannon Wynne is making big plans too. After a highly successful 18 year run in Sundance Square, Wynne will permanently close his 8.0 Restaurant & Bar to make way for a new and greatly improved Flying Saucer.
Following a month of farewell parties in February, Wynne will completely renovate the 8.0 space at 111 East Third Street and open the expanded Flying Saucer the first week of May.
The new Flying Saucer Draught Emporium will feature a large beer garden on the covered patio. Flying Saucer is currently located at 111 E. Fourth Street in the Land Title Building, which is being preserved during the construction of the new buildings flanking the central plaza.
“Shannon has been a great partner in Sundance Square and we are pleased to be working with him to create a bigger and better environment for Flying Saucer,” said Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square. “The restaurants in Sundance Square have been very successful and we expect Flying Saucer’s new home to be well received.”
To make way for the new building on the East end of the future plaza, the Flying Saucer’s patio and kitchen, which was added to the original building in later years, were scheduled to be removed and a temporary kitchen installed during construction. Instead, Wynne saw this as an opportunity to make some big changes and prepare for Sundance Square’s new plaza.
“When I presented the idea of moving Flying Saucer to 8.0’s current space, Sundance Square’s team saw our vision for the future of Flying Saucer,” said Shannon Wynne of Eight O Management. “We want to keep a big presence in Fort Worth and our patrons are very loyal so we look forward to another successful 18 years in Sundance Square. We invite all the loyal friends of 8.0 to come toast their memories and soak up the murals.”
8.0 to host farewell party
8.0 will host a final going away party for the public on Friday, Feb. 24. The following night, Saturday, Feb. 25, an event benefitting the Modern Art Museum will be held where patrons can bid on parts of the famous murals created by local artists. The proceeds from the sales of murals will be donated to the children’s program at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Plans for the space being vacated by Flying Saucer in the Land Title building have yet to be announced, but Wynne anticipates designing a new upscale concept to play off the plaza in the new expanded space.
Three Class A buildings going up in Sundance Square will be located at 420 Commerce Street, 425 Houston Street, and 407 Throckmorton Street. Each of the buildings will feature retail space on the ground level with office space above.
The area on either side of Main Street between 3rd & 4th Streets and defined on the east and west by the Commerce Street and Houston Street buildings has been designated as plaza space.
Sundance Square is a vibrant 35-block commercial, residential, entertainment and retail district where people work, live, shop and dine among beautiful landscaping, red-brick streets and turn-of-the-century buildings.
More information about Sundance Square can be found at sundancesquare.com.
Story and photo by David Alvey.
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