CHROMA Modern Eyewear and Eyecare is an eye-opening presence on Montgomery Street. The new headquarters of owner/optometrist Matthew Barber and his staff — the former Camp Bowie location is now closed — is a state-of-the-art building in a highly visible spot across the street from Dickies Arena. Fort Worth’s Ibañez Shaw Architecture delivers again on the wow factor (they’re also the team behind the Fort Worth Camera building a block away). “After I met Bart Shaw, I knew he was creative and bold enough to create the amazing building that we needed,” says Barber, who worked closely with the award-winning architect on the design of the new building and to focus his vision for the customer experience. Natural light transfuses much of the 5,500-square-foot modern structure, its clean lines simply composed of site-cast concrete panels. All the examination rooms are in the back of the building with no windows: Eye exams require darkness. A vertical sliver of glass lets light into the employee break room. The front of the cantilevered building is all glass, the better for passers-by to see the specially designed displays of eyewear and to give clients an amazing view of the Cultural District. The greenscape by Redenta’s Landscape Design features drought-resistant plants and zoysia grass.
1700 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, 817-737-8281, chromamodern.com