While the future of Fry Street remains uncertain, one thing photographer Tricia Kay is sure about is that memories of the district are preserved.

“Deconstructed Fry,” a photo exhibit showcasing 13 window frames with just over 80 photos of the history and community of Fry Street, is on display at Jupiter House through the end of July.

The exhibit looks at the eclectic student hangout from 1989 to present. Many of the photos capture the closing of The Tomato and other businesses in the area near the University of North Texas.

DRC/Gary Payne

Tricia Kay stands in front of her photograph, Passion of the Tomato , on Wednesday at Jupiter House. Photographs from her exhibit, titled “Deconstructed Fry,” will be on display at the coffeehouse on the Square until the end of the month. Kay’s photographs show Fry Street from 1989 to present.

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People have come to the show and reflected on past times, and the photographs have preserved something others may never know, Kay said.

“Back when I first came to Denton, I began taking a few photos of Fry Street, and I never imagined it would become a part of something like this,” she said of the exhibit. 

Along the right wall of Jupiter House are photos of Bryan Rash and Leslee Vecker, who got engaged on the night The Tomato closed its doors last year.

Rash and Vecker both worked together at the pizza restaurant and plan to marry in October.

“Down to the closing of the restaurant, it was a heartfelt moment because we were really good friends with the owners, and it was like a second home for five years,” Vecker said.

Also in the exhibit is Passion of the Tomato, a photograph of 13 men who all worked at The Tomato imitating Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. At the center of the photo is Austin Harmon, who worked at The Tomato while pursuing his degree at UNT.

Harmon said the moments captured in the exhibit define the culture that was part of Denton.

“When people heard of the deconstruction, people came from all over,” he said. “And it’s unfortunate because you can’t just recreate those traditions.”

A Houston developer bought a block of Fry Street and demolished buildings last year to make way for new businesses. The sale and demolition touched off a protest and a grass-roots plan to preserve central Denton.

“Fry Street represented the atmosphere and people from all walks of life,” Harmon said.

Vecker has yet to visit the exhibit, but said she is glad the photos capture something words cannot describe.

“So much history and community was within those walls,” she said. “A piece of all of our hearts was taken.”

ARLINDA ARRIAGA can be reached at 940-566-6897. Her e-mail address is aarriaga@dentonrc.com.

Deconstructed Fry

What: Photo exhibit by Trisha Kay

Where: Jupiter House, 619 Locust St.

When: The exhibit is on display through the end of July.