Unbridled Inspiration: American Paint Horse Association

Toward the back of the office of the American Paint Horse Association, beneath a winding staircase that leads to an upstairs loft, a single metal tile cut with the letters “PH” rests on the concrete floor — an X marks the spot for a time capsule buried below.

APHA placed the time capsule under the ground before opening its new office in the Fort Worth Stockyards in January. Inside are various items. Registration papers. A rulebook. A lock of horsehair. 

APHA executive director Billy Smith hopes that, perhaps when time goes by and APHA is long gone from the space, its future tenant will uncover the capsule and its contents — a small piece of the building’s storied history that began over a hundred years ago. 

Long before it became APHA’s office or the development known today as Mule Alley, the buildings served as horse and mule barns, its heyday being the first half of the 20th century, when the Stockyards served as the Southwest’s largest trading center for livestock. Fast forward to the 21st century, and Stockyards stakeholders and developers would find themselves deliberating about redevelopment of the old buildings. The biggest concern — a loss of historic integrity once renovations began. 

APHA, however, saw the project as an opportunity to preserve the area’s Western heritage, so the breed registry picked up from its headquarters at Meacham Boulevard and moved to the Stockyards. APHA became the first tenant to open in Mule Alley, a 180,000-square-foot development that also has restaurants, shops and a hotel currently under construction. APHA takes up about 13,000 square feet in Barn G, its interior designed by Fort Worth-based VLK Architects. 

“We felt like we could supply a little part of the need there of reclaiming and holding onto some Western heritage,” Smith says. “I never had any apprehensions; I understand the apprehensions. But I was a true believer from day one. I’ve always thought this was a perfect place for us to be and a perfect place for our business and our future.” 

The office’s layout is meant to mimic that of a barn. Stalls are replaced by single offices that run in a parallel line along both sides of the space, each outfitted with a sliding glass door reminiscent of those found in a modern horse barn. The hayloft is now the Rebecca Baker Paint Horse Legacy Loft (named in memory of a former APHA member), an event and conference space overlooking the rest of the office.

Much of the building’s original elements still remain, from the original brick to the reclaimed wood accenting various walls. But even more notable are the concrete pillars that are still standing, and no two are the same. Some have partially crumbled, exposing the steel underneath. Others still have markings like “Cow 4” painted upon them. And, in the loft, tin-clad fire doors remain in place, rust and all. 

But APHA also has the elements of a more traditional office. Filling the center are open workspaces and a separate box that employees informally refer to as the “tack room” — that is, the copy and printing room — whose exterior sports much of that reclaimed gray wood. The break room also has a Western flair with wooden tables and barstool seating. Much of the furniture was a gift from Brumbaugh’s in Aledo. 

The office also functions as a mini-museum, with art and artifacts on display throughout the space. Western photographs by Darrell Dodds and David R. Stoecklein hang near horse paintings by Orren Mixer and Chuck DeHaan, and the saddle of champion horse Delta Flyer sits by the open workspace. The entrance also features a retail space with a grain silo that will be used as a theater, which Smith says will incorporate VR technology so visitors can experience a virtual horse ride. 

The pièce de résistance, however, is outside the office — a sculpture by Marrita McMillan, titled “Legacy of Color,” depicting four life-size galloping paint horses. 

Though the horse and mule barns are no longer being used for their original purpose, Smith says having APHA’s office in the Stockyards is one way to keep the area’s history alive and, hopefully, like the time capsule buried beneath the concrete, leave a legacy that generations will continue to honor in the future. 

“We wanted to create a space that could be both a functional office and a picture of our heritage,” Smith says. “It’s almost like an office and a museum mashed up into one space.”   

Photography by Richard Rodriguez