Joan Kline Park
History of Joan Kline Park
Beginning around 1928, the triangle-shaped lot in the southern portion of Ryan Place between Ryan Place Drive and 5th Avenue served as the Ryan family's real estate sales office as they developed what would become one of Fort Worth's most treasured historic neighborhoods. The sales office was a modest 32-by-32-foot, one-story building with a front porch facing west. Longtime neighbors remember it as a white building with green trim, sitting proudly on its concrete foundation. Although the building reportedly burned around 1960, this space remained an important gathering place for neighbors.
Around 1969, when the Ryan Place Improvement Association was still in its infancy, Joan Kline appeared before the Fort Worth Parks Board to advocate for the purchase of this property at 3001 Fifth Avenue so it could become an official neighborhood park. Thanks in large part to her vision and determination, the property was officially recognized as Ryan Place Park in 1974.
When Joan passed in 2023, Ryan Place lost one of its finest neighbors, and Fort Worth lost one of its most effective community advocates. Joan was a founding member of the Ryan Place Improvement Association, a fierce protector of this neighborhood, and a tireless force for good throughout the Southside and across our city. She believed that neighborhoods become stronger when neighbors work together.
It was only fitting, then, that in February of 2024, the RPIA voted unanimously to rename this park in her honor, and the Fort Worth City Council officially approved that designation soon thereafter in June of 2024. From that day forward, Ryan Place Park became Joan Kline Park—a lasting tribute to a woman whose vision and leadership helped make this place possible.
Even before the renaming became official, another vision was beginning to take shape. In December of 2022, a small group of neighbors gathered at the West family's home on 5th Avenue to begin a refresh effort.
After that meeting, neighborhood leaders developed conceptual designs, gathered public input, worked alongside city staff, collaborated with designers and the city forester, reviewed construction plans, sought bids, raised funds, secured community support, navigated the approval process, partnered with Historic Southside, broke ground in February of 2026, and watched the park’s transformation come to life throughout the spring. On June 27, 2026, city leaders, neighborhood leaders, and residents gathered to celebrate the dedication of the renaming and refresh effort.
