Carter-Burgess headquarters at 7th and Main Street is an historic Fort Worth
aviation landmark.
On 10 October 1927, Texas Air Transport was incorporated at
Fort Worth Municipal Airport (now Meacham International Airport) by Temple and R. C. Bowen, owners of Bowen Bus Lines, and Fletcher
Galigher Lippett, a Fort Worth resident and West Texas oil producer.
Temple Bowen was president and general manager of the company, and Lippett was
treasurer. Tom Hardin, a Waco native and war hero, was named chief pilot for the venture.
On 30 October 1928 Alva Pearl Barrett, a Fort Worth
businessman, bought controlling interest in TAT as a subsidiary of
his Texas & Louisiana Power Company. Tom Hardin
was made general manager of the airline, C. R. Smith was secretary-treasurer. The new board of directors was Alva
Barrett, Seth Barwise, C. R. Smith, all of Fort Worth, and John
Hancock and Alva Barrett's brother Thurman Barrett, both of San Antonio.
Silliman Evans, former Star-Telegram writer, soon became a vice president of
TAT. TAT, and Barrett's other aviation companies, soon needed more land than was available at the City Airport.
On 23 August 1929, Barrett announced he would build his own airport and establish
a headquarters building for TAT operations in downtown Fort Worth.
"The Aviation Building", a 12-story building of very
modern design, was built on the northeast corner of 7th and Main for Barrett's
headquarters. Later, after TAT had merged with several other companies
that became American Airways, and later American Airlines, the building was
renamed the Commercial Standard Building, then Trinity Life Building, then Life
of America Building and later the Trans-American Building. Even though
Barrett bought a Rivercrest estate from W.T. Waggoner that was used as a small airport, Barrett's new
airport was not successful. Amon G. Carter later built the Greater Fort
Worth International Airport - Amon Carter Field which caused Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport to be built.
