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CITY’S HISTORIC DISTRICT WORKS TO PROTECT TOWN’S CHARM
&Build Bloom CITY’S HISTORIC DISTRICT WORKS TO PROTECT
TOWN’S CHARM
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By Samuel Sutton and Joe Southern
In a town rich in history, preserving the buildings that have stoically survived the test of time and progress has become of increasing importance.
For more than three decades the City of Fredericksburg’s Historic Review Board has worked to preserve and protect the town’s more notable properties. From historic homes once misidentified as “low importance” to neglected buildings, the board has used the Historic District to help bring those properties out of disrepair.
“The city’s Historic Review Board has been placed to review all applications for exterior changes in the Historic District and really are there to protect the historic resources in the district,” said Anna Hudson, Fredericksburg’s Historic Preservation Officer. If a landowner in the Historic District wishes to make any changes to the exterior of his or her building, a Certificate of Appropriateness application must be filed. The board will then review what types of alterations are being Anna Hudson requested. Depending on the type of alteration and the rating of the property, the alteration could either be approved immediately through Hudson’s office or have to be approved by a board vote.
Fredericksburg’s Historic District expanded in 2019. This map shows the previous boundary and the expansion area. — Submitted photo
“If it’s an 1880s limestone house versus something from the 1960s, we look at those buildings a little differently,” Hudson said.
Certificates of Appropriateness can be submitted via email to ahudson@fbgtx.org. Applications can be found at https://www.fbgtx.org/
DocumentCenter/View/3218/CofA-2020-fillable. BUILDING ON SUCCESS
The Historic Review Board has helped protect several properties from neglect.
For example, a “hidden gem” on Creek Street was misidentified in a 2003 survey as a “low-rated structure.”
“An owner in town discovered it and said, ‘Wow, there’s an old log cabin in here,’” Hudson &Build Bloom recalled. “We were able to rerate that and we let the owner do some additions.”
After it was rerated and the cabin was restored, Hudson said the house now tells its story better.
Another example Hudson mentioned was a building at 411 E. Main St. It had been neglected for so long that it nearly fell into demolition.
Using the Demolish by Neglect ordinance, the Historic Review Board was able to stabilize the property. Through more maintenance, new owners were also able to help save the property.
Another example of how the Historic Review Board was able to help came a couple years ago with a home on South Milam Street.
“An elderly couple that has lived in the house for 20-plus years just needed help to keep the wooden house painted,” Hudson said.
Since property values tend to go up when a house is in the Historic District, the couple wasn’t able to afford the maintenance on the home. The board used preservation grant money to paint and save the house.
“This was really an example of us doing some outreach and really helping those in need,” Hudson said.
BENEFITS OF OWNING PROPERTY IN THE DISTRICT
Some landowners fear that if their property is in the Historic District, it means the government is taking full control of their land. It’s not.
“It’s not really as bad as people may hear and the review is just limited to the exterior property,” Hudson said. “There is absolutely no limit on interiors.”
She added the board is there to approve projects, not to deny them.
“We all benefit from it, and most people aren’t going to make huge alterations to their property,” Hudson said.
If someone is to make a big change, Hudson said this just gives them a chance to get some expert advice.
The Historic District also protects the value of landowners’ property from being ruined by a neighbor’s alterations, like building a big mansion or placing a mobile home outside someone’s little cottage home.
The district also benefits locals by keeping the charm of the streets and properties, Hudson said.
DISTRICT EXPANDED
The Historic District expanded in 2019 after the City Council adopted new borders.
“It had gone through a survey and a public process and several public meetings,” Hudson said.
After a year-long process of holding several public hearings and surveying the properties, Hudson said they were able to expand a bit in each direction.
“We did bump it out to the north and also a bit to the west and a little bit to the south,” Hudson said.
Included in the expansion was the old Fredericksburg High School building, located on the current Fredericksburg Middle School campus on Travis Street.
Hudson said this was done after the City Council had deemed the building as an historic landmark.
The district roughly encompasses the downtown from Centre Street on the northeast to Creek Street on the southwest and Cherry Street on the northwest to Washington Street on the southeast.
ORDINANCE REVISION
Just like historic properties need upkeep and revision, so do the ordinances that govern them. Hudson said the city is holding public hearings on revisions to the 235-page Historic District Design Guidelines & Standards document. The meetings were scheduled for late April and early May. After the meetings are held, the proposals will go before the Fredericksburg City Council for approval. Hudson said this is the first revision to the document since 1997.
The document can be found online at
