KDNT RADIO
IN DENTON, TEXAS
RADIO CENTER
STUDIOS
INSIDE-OUT
RADIO CENTER
STUDIOS
INSIDE-OUT
Radio Center was the longtime
home of KDNT-AM/FM in Denton. Located at 235 West Hickory Street
on the southeast part of the town square, the property began life in 1921
as the Shepard Funeral Home, owned and operated by Harwell Shepard's father,
V. W. Shepard, with living quarters for the family located upstairs.
When V. W. died in 1942, Harwell took over the family business. After
a fire at the building in 1947, he built a new location for the funeral
home, and renovated the Hickory Street building into a radio station.
KDNT moved from its original Ross Street location into the building, now
christened "Radio Center." And the building still keeps the name
today, although KDNT has been gone from there since 1981, and since Harwell's
son, Sandy Shepard, sold the property in the late 1990s. The rooms
have now been converted into offices and small apartments. UPDATE:
As of June, 2014, Radio Center is being remodeled...again! Click
HERE.
235 West
Hickory Street in the 1920s
By the 1930s,
another building is attached to the east side
1947 photo
of the newly-christened Radio Center
Radio Center
in 1982. A year earlier, KDNT moved to Teasley Lane
Radio Center
in the 1990s
Radio Center,
today. There's little resemblance to any former version of the building
Floorplan
of 235 West Hickory studios. Note the numbered camera positions that
match up the following photos:
1.
Looking from the top of the stairs, it's the entrance to the station
(door opens
outward into hall; "KDNT" logo would face receptionist when door is closed)
2.
In auditorium, looking towards original control room (left) and the bandstand
(later the new control room)
3.
Old news studio (toward left) and original control room (windows to right)
viewed from the auditorium
4.
Looking into the hallway (towards left; note the KDNT door in the background)
and in the
old news studio (towards right) viewed from the auditorium
5.
The control room allowed passer-bys to watch the disc jockey in action
Side and
back of the Radio Center property, 1990s
Sandy Shepard wrote to let us know about big changes at 235 West Hickory Street: "The remodel of the building is moving very slowly. The downstairs was completely gutted (it's a wonder they didn't have a cave-in!) The floor and all interior walls were removed. They moved down to the dirt and drilled a number of pier holes, then covered it with a cement slab. Now, when you enter, you go down several steps to the floor. At the back, the old basement has been retained, so I don't know how they will incorporate that. Still very early yet. Upstairs, things haven't changed as much since the remodel in 2000.
.
Left:
Big studio. Right: Control room ("Goldfish Bowl")
.
Both:
Downstairs area, as viewed from front door
.
Left:
Original control room and later record storage. Right: Former
office of Harwell Shepard, and the copy room
.
Left:
Upstairs entry. Right: Upstairs reception
Reception
area and big front studio
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