Brownsville Preservation Society Q3 2017

ISSUE NO. 3

FEATURES

QUARTER 3

2017

LOCAL HISTORY

CABOOSE

Larry Lof restores downtown gem

Linear Park Caboose

Trey interviews Larry about his restoration of the Olvera Building.

Shannon sheds some light on upcoming work on the joint project with COB.

DINNER WITH JACK BROUGHT FOOD AND FUN

BY TREY MENDEZ The Brownsville Preservation Society hosted its 1st Annual Project UPKEEP fundraiser “Dinner with Jack” on Saturday, September 16th, with special guest Jack Gilmore, Austin’s celebrated chef and restaurateur. Gilmore, a Brownsville native, is co-owner of Jack Allen’s Kitchen and Salt Traders Coastal Cooking.

The event drew nearly 130 people to the Historic Alonso Building on East Saint Charles St. Austin-based Tito’s Vodka and Z Tequila donated spirits and the food did not disappoint. A Jack Allen’s Kitchen crew of six, including executive chef Chris Ten Eyk, prepared an extensive menu featuring ceviche, seafood crudo and bacon-wrapped quail appetizers, a South Texas shrimp and crab boil, signature drinks and a tasty dessert. State Representative Eddie Lucio III presented a resolution to Gilmore on behalf of the Texas Legislature, and Ramiro Gonzalez presented a proclamation from the City of Brownsville.

“I had an incredible time growing up in Brownsville,” Gilmore said. “My wife and I fell in love on SPI. We take our kids and grandbabies every chance we get. One of the reasons we wanted to do this event in Brownsville was to preserve the old Brownsville, what I remember growing up there.”

Dinner with Jack. Photograph by Cassy Treviño of ct[photography].

The idea of inviting Gilmore to Brownsville was suggested

by BPS member Laurie Works. Vice President Trey Mendez followed up and reached out to Gilmore and his team. They were sold on the idea of helping BPS raise funds for Project UPKEEP, a new initiative aimed at assisting low income homeowners with exterior repairs to their historic homes.

Once the dinner concluded, Gilmore signed his cookbooks for nearly 40 guests and was noticeably humbled by the support and turnout, promising to return next year.

It was amazing to have Jack share some of his wonderful cuisine with us. In a way, this event was a homecoming

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BROWNSVILLE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

for Jack. We were very fortunate to have a chef of his caliber donate his time to help us, and we are so happy that the community came out to support him and the BPS mission.

On behalf of BPS, we would like to thank the following event sponsors: Jack Allen’s Kitchen,

Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, Hon. Filemon Vela, Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, Dennis and Marianne Sanchez, Ambiotec Engineering Group, Benavides Insurance, Coastal Realty, The Hernandez Foundation, Madeira Properties, Mark Clark & Galeria 409, Mendez Law Firm, Texas Regional Bank, Valley Trucking, and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Dinner with Jack. Photographs courtesy of Cassy Treviño of ct[photography].

FUNDRAISER

LOCAL HISTORY

BROWNSVILLE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

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LARRY LOF RESTORES DOWNTOWN GEM

BY TREY MENDEZ When Larry Lof purchased the former Olvera Shoe Repair building in the heart of market square last year, he knew it would take substantial time and energy, but he was up for the job. Architectural enthusiasts in Brownsville had been hoping for a restoration of the building ever since a fire damaged the structure almost two decades ago. Interestingly, Lof had attempted to purchase the building years ago, but the sale fell through.

It did not deter him from trying a second time, however.

Jose Fernandez, a wealthy Spanish merchant, constructed the building in Market Square in 1882. With its elegant balconies overlooking both Washington Street and Market Square, the building resembles those found in New Orleans. Lof loves the structure so much that he has poured a substantial amount of his personal retirement funds into the restoration. “A clear sign that I am serious about the restoration and willing to put my own funds into the project,” Lof said. “It means a lot to me.” He is hoping that a portion of the monies will be reimbursed through the Main Street facade improvement program.

As part of the exterior restoration, the balconies, windows, shutters and 96 doors were completely refabricated and handcrafted by Lof himself. To ensure they were done correctly, he used old photographs of the building. “The nice thing about 19th-century buildings is that craftsmen built them, it is also possible for modern craftsmen to restore them,” Lof said. Ricardo Carlos, of Rival Builders, has assisted Lof throughout the yearlong project, serving as the general contractor. The brick on the exterior was repointed and replaced in areas where it had deteriorated or was damaged from a previous stucco covering that was put on the building sometime in the 20th century.

Larry Lof, local preservationist. Photo by Trey Mendez.

The inside of the building features an open atrium in the center, a cistern, a large cellar and numerous arched openings between rooms. Thus far, Lof does not have any particular plans for the building, and is open to leasing the building to someone who has the best for Brownsville and downtown in mind. In the meantime, however, Lof hopes to temporarily house an exchange store, or warehouse, for repurposed materials for others to use in restoration projects. “I’m tired of hearing that nobody does windows and doors,” Lof stated. “We need to recycle what we already have.”

Lof, a Brownsville native, has been involved in a large number of restoration projects in Brownsville, both in his personal time and as part of his work at Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

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His family has lived in Brownsville and the surrounding areas since the Mexican Revolution. Lof was instrumental in the restoration of the Cueto Building and the Lucena House, owned by UT-RGV, the Rabb Plantation owned by the Gorgas Science Foundation, the Alonso Building, owned by the Brownsville Historical Association, and most of the historic buildings on campus at TSC. “The biggest deal about restoring an old building is letting the building tell you the story,” Lof says. “And it always will.”

For those lucky enough to get a tour of the building, it is clear that something special is happening in Market

All photographs courtesy of Eddie Sanchez.

LOCAL HISTORY

Square. Many others are following Lof’s lead with restoration projects of their own, which is slowly attracting new business to the area. “Now the question is: can we make downtown come back?” Lof said. “I think it can start here.”

Following our interview, local photographer Eddie Sanchez met up with Larry to photograph him while at work in the Olvera Building. Eddie has generously shared his stunning photographs of the work in progress below.

CABOOSE

BROWNSVILLE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

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LINEAR PARK CABOOSE WORK TO BEGIN SOON

BY SHANNON PENSA BPS will be teaming up with the City of Brownsville to restore the caboose at Linear Park. The plan includes restoring the exterior, rehabbing the interior, preserving the scale house, and installing an overhead canopy.

The retired Missouri Pacific (MP #12075) caboose dates back to 1942. It was donated to the City in 2009 by the Besteiro family and sits atop scale tracks where the Southern Pacific switchyard operated from 1927 - 1993.

The cargo of railcars passing though the switchyard were weighed individually at the adjacent scale house.

Rehabilitation of this 1929 scale house will also be part of the project, including preservation of the inscriptions, notations, and doodles on the interior walls. (The scale that used to operate at the switchyard is now located at Brownsville Historic Museum.)

Photograph courtesy of Trey Mendez.

Our first step in the caboose restoration is to pump out the water that has accumulated beneath the scale tracks.

A sump pump will also be installed to address future water runoff. The caboose will be thoroughly cleaned and small welding repairs will be made to the exterior. Then it will be ready for priming and painting. Rehabilitation of the interior will begin once exterior restoration is complete.

Fernando San Miguel, retired owner of South Texas Railroad Construction Company, has long been the unofficial steward of the caboose and scale house. He is quick to bring attention to the details of this project, including restoration of the Missouri Pacific "Screaming Eagle" herald (or logo) to the outside of the caboose. Mr. San Miguel's passion and knowledge will continue to be invaluable assets to this historic railroad project.

Photograph from RRPictureArchives.NET Image contributed by Randy Curlin, 2015.

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SPOTLIGHT

BROWNSVILLE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

BUILDING THE FUTURE TSC ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM

BY TREY MENDEZ One would be hard pressed to find a professor more interested in the success of his students and his program than our Board Member Dr. Murad Abusalim, instructor of architecture and the Acting Dean of the Division of Science, Technology, Engineering, and MathematicsCareer and Technical Education at Texas Southmost College. Abusalim first came to Brownsville in 2008 to help begin an architecture school at TSC. In the nine years since, he has developed the program into a shining example of community engagement and service learning.

Architecture students at the college have been assisting the City of Brownsville for the last several years in various efforts. In the Fall of 2015, they assisted the Brownsville Wellness Coalition to design and build a mobile market. Basically, a vegetable aisle on wheels, the mobile market helped address what Abusalim called food deserts, meaning that citizens in these communities were without reasonable access to grocery stores or fresh fruit, produce and other healthy food options.

Last year, architecture students at TSC studied Brownsville’s historical properties, creating a map of the district that would assist in documenting the condition and historical significance of the properties. A link to the map and catalog will be made available on the www.brownsvillepreservation.org website next month.

Earlier this year, students helped design various ideas for the Mitte Cultural District’s Quonset Hut, exploring options to promote the city and repurpose the old warehouse and cannery building, built in 1939.

Finding partners in their endeavors has never been a problem for the program. In fact, Abusalim’s students are currently working with the University of Texas at Austin to develop designs for the West Rail Trail project. The

community is invited to final presentations for the project, which is set to take place in December. Until then, count on the fact that Abusalim and his students will continue bringing a fresh design perspective to Brownsville for years to come.

UPCOMING

BROWNSVILLE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

PROJECT UPKEEP We are now accepting applications for Project UPKEEP, a program designed to assist low and fixed income homeowners, whose houses were built before 1977, with minor exterior repairs, including a fresh coat of paint. Our goal is to assist eight homeowners by this time next year. Nominations are welcome!

PRESERVATION MATTERS Be on the lookout for Preservation Matters promotions this month. Preservation Matters is an initiative designed to promote the preservation of Brownsville's historic structures and encourage heritage tourism through

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various public awareness campaigns, including ads in the Brownsville Herald, yard signs in front of historic homes, and the official launch of brownsvillepreservation.org.

This campaign is made possible through the help of Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation.

SAVE THE DATE: TACOS & TEQUILA Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 16th, 7 – 10 PM! We will be hosting our 2nd Annual Tacos & Tequila Holiday Party and Membership Drive. There will be a taco truck on site and tasty tequila drinks, as well as hot chocolate and churros for dessert. Tickets will go on sale next month. Don’t miss out because year’s theme is “Beach Bum Christmas.” So, hang ten, dudes, it’s gonna’ be radical!

The Brownsville Preservation Society of Brownsville, Texas is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting and restoring structures within the city’s historic districts.

CONTACT US MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 1072, Brownsville, TX 78522 EMAIL: brownsvillepreservationsociety@gmail.com FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/brownsvillepreservationsociety WORDPRESS: https://brownsvillepreservation.wordpress.com INSTAGRAM: brownsvillepreservationsociety TWITTER: @PreserveBrownsv