For Preservation News{etter of tfie Greater Mouston Preservation A((iance
I uvOiume 8, Number 2
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I.IIte ......." 1992
Mayor wants 'to see action' on revitalization targets '3y Vicki List Following the recommendations of the Mayor's transition subcommittee of the same name, the Neighborhoods to Standard program is off and running. As a first step in his plan to revitalize the older inner-city neighborhoods, Mayor Bob Lanier has initiated this project with the objective of accomplishing first step items as quickly as possible. "He wants to see action!" said Judith Butler, who has recently been named to the Mayor's staff and is responsible for overseeing the project. • The report produced by the subcommittee is a lengthy, indepth assessment that identifies not only specific problems and needs of selected neighborhoods, but also immediate initiatives that should be undertaken by the city. This translates into a plan of action by identifying 14 neighborhoods to be addressed, and then initiating the first phase of the plm in each of those areas. This project is of special benefit to the preservation community since most of the targeted areas are, to various degrees, historic. In recent months, the City of Houston has been exceptionally supportive of preservation efforts, and the subcommittee is definitely sensitive to the issues involved. When asked if there was any difference to the approach taken when dealing with an historic area, Butler emphatically stated "We have to preserve our heritage." There are three parts to the effort, beginning with the most easily accomplished; the installation of street lights. Working through civic associa-
will be produced, along with plans, drawings, and cost estimates. Finally, the most timeconsuming of the projects will be a crime survey, the objective of which will be to accumulate a history of crime in each neighborhood, to identify any changes in patterns and methods of eliminating particular problems. The committee is initiating the use of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (ePTED) techniques with the help of a volunteer from the Houston Police Department. For an immediate remedy, an ordinance is being presented to Houston City Council to amend the current procedure for the closing of streets. The procedure has been for the City to abandon streets when they are closed. Consequently for a neighborhood to instigate a street closing, they have had to accept the burden of maintaining the street. With this amendment, the city will be able to close streets without abandonment. The subcommittee is suggesting that street closings be considered carefully, with the volunteer aid of planners from the Houston Chapter of AlA, and tried on a temporary basis. The objective would be to lessen the ease of ingress and egress, and consequently make the neighborhoods less vulnerable to criminal activity. A concern of a historic district, such as the Sixth Ward/ Sabine, is maintaining the street grid as originally conceived, consequently care and professional guidance should definitely be taken in making those
A concern of a historic district, such as the Sixth Ward/Sabine, is maintaining the street grid as originally conceived. tions and community development corporations, visits to the leighborhoods inform them what will take place and how it will be accomplished. In three of the targeted areas, the street lights will be installed in the next 60 to 90 days. Second on the Neighborhoods to Standard agenda is a survey of infrastructure needs, to be effected by a team of volunteers from engineering firms throughout the city. Working with residents, these teams will determine problems with drainage, ditches, storm sewers, street toppings, etc. A list of problems to be addressed
determinations. What is the time frame for this initiative? ASAP! What will be the next phases, and when will additional areas be targeted? Again, ASAP. Butler stressed that this is a new program that is open-ended. This affords the city the opportunity to continue to identify methods of improvement, as well as the flexibility to adapt the program as it proceeds. How is it working so far? "What amazes me are the phone calls, neighborhoods continued on page 2
Camp Logan trainees were impetus for Memorial Park
Workers repaired the roof and steeple of Annunciation Catholic Church, and applied gold leaf to the steeple cross. (Photo by Curtis Dowell courtesy Texas Catholic Herald)
Works of sacred art included in church restorations By Rosie Walker Two of Houston's most historic church structures have undergone extensive restoration work. With each project, not only was major structural work undertaken, but art restoration as well. Annunciation Catholic Church, 1618 Texas Avenue, established in 1869, last fall underwent major repairs to its steeple, roof and other parts of the building. The job was estimated to have cost $160,000, under the supervision of Salvagio Construction Company of Sugar Land. On the outside of the church, gold leaf was applied to the steeple cross. Inside, a fresco in the sanctuary was restored. An almost-mystical project took place last winter at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. A stained-glass rose window, which had been concealed behind a masonry wall since the structure was completed in 1902, was uncovered and revealed for the first time. Why a canopy had been erected behind the altar at St. Joseph's, totally obscuring its original stained-glass windows, none among the living seems to know. However, when the decomposition of the old canopy, made of masonry, became an endangerment to worshippers, necessitating its removal, some church members mourned the loss of a mural painted in bright blues and oranges in the 1970s. The focal point of that mural, a Christ figure, was painted on canvas,
and could be preserved. During the short days of November and December, workers began removal of the timbers and mortar that had obscured the window for generations. Window watchers, among them this reporter, would meet in the church each afternoon as the sun was low, hoping to see that first bit of colored glass, so long concealed. After a few days, a quarter section of the 12-foot window could be seen above the crumbling masonry. Through the peach, green and amethyst glass, the sun shone in and cast St. Joseph's in a bath of marvelous light. The work of craftsmen long-depart cast St. Joseph's in a bath of marvelous light. The work of craftsmen long-departed was being debuted after almost a century. St. Joseph's parishioner Jimmy Wead found where a workman had carved the letters TOM into a 60-foot-long timber that supported the canopy. The window was crafted by Galveston-based George G. Brosius and Sons Stained Glass. Many Galveston businesses relocated to Houston after the 1900 hurricane, which killed thousands of Galvestonians. Brosius was one of them. The same hurricane had flattened the original St. Joseph's church, which had been built of wood. Besides the rose window, which is a near-match for another at the rear of St. continued on page 3
Recent encroachment attempts on Memorial Park, as well as controversy over the operation of its recreational facilities, continue to put the park into the news. In the heat of debate over adjacent development, or the widening of Loop 610, the historic significance of the park, and what came before it, is overlooked. July 25, 1992, marked the 75th anniversary of Camp Logan, a 7,600-acre World War I military training camp, which played a major role in early20th-Century Houston. Camp Logan bears deep historic significance for the city, both for its role in the war, as well as for a tragic race-riot that spilled from its confines into adjacent residential sections of the city. July 25,1917, is the date on which the first stake for the first structure was hammered into the ground. The development of Memorial Park came as a consequence of the operation of Camp Logan. In 1923, when the camp was decommissioned, Catharine Mary Emmott wrote to the Houston Chronicle, suggesting that the City of Houston acquire some of the land and turn it into a park, "in memory of the boys." According to the foreword of a book to be released soon by The Park People, Memorial Park "exists in its present size through the generosity of Miss Ima Hogg and her brothers, Will and Mike. The Hoggs bought the land and sold it to the City at their cost, with deeds stipulating that the land can only be used for park purposes." Miss Ima Hogg died in 1974. The author of Memorial Park: A Priceless Legacy, Sarah H. Emmott, died in July of this year following heart surgery. Sarah Emmott was the wife of Army Emmott, the son of Catharine Mary Emmott. According to Glenda Barrett, executive director of The Park People, Sarah Emmott had completed the manuscript for her book about Memorial Park at the time she entered the hospital for the surgery late in July. She had, as a matter of fact, postponed the surgery in order to complete her work, Barrett said. Memorial Park: A Priceless Legacy will be available in late September. The chapter on Camp Logan contains numerous historic, and fascinating, photographs of Camp Logan, as well as narrative. For more information, call 528-7725.
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The Past in Print By James A. Tinsley Out less than a year the first volume of Marguerite Johnston's projected two-volume social history of Houston is already in its third printing-eloquent testimony to the reading public's well placed confidence in this distinguished writer. Johnston's journalistic career spanned four decades at the Houston Post, after which her book on Houston's Christ Church Cathedral, A Happy Worldly Abode, established her importance as a social historian, to which her current project only adds luster. Impersonal Johnston economic forcesrailroads, commerce, a ship channel, cotton, lumber, oil and gascertainly shaped this city, as did politics. However, Johnston understates that side of Houston's history. By design, her book is about the people who shaped the cultural and social ambience surrounding Houston from the time it was a tent settlement on the banks of Buffalo Bayou until its designation as "the Magnolia City" of 1946. This is a timely publication for historical preservationists. Houston in 1946 was roughly the area later encompassed by Loop 610 and now referred to as the inner city. Discounting a certain amount of nostalgia we all have for the past and except for air conditioning, it was arguably an easier place to live in than is the case half a century later. The wealth of detail in this book about those personalities responsible for building the city to that point makes constructive reading for today' s Houstonians who try to preserve the intrinsic and historic value and restore the vitality of these older neighborhoods. HOUSTON: The Unknown City, 18361946. By Marguerite Johnston, (College Station: Texas A & M University Press,1991. Pp. xii, 446, $24.95.)
Sixth Ward District acquires signs The Old Sixth Ward Historic District is now marked by four signs that will draw attention to the National Registerlisted neighborhood. Residents have worked with the City of Houston Department and Traffic and Transportation to obtain the special signage.
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County considers razing 1st National Bank building in Market Square District Historic building watchers will have read in the news that Harris County is considering demolition of the 1905 First National Bank, sometimes referred to as the Lomas and Nettleton Building, at 201 Main Street. First National Bank is an eight-story, neo-classical buliding that was the first steel-framed structure built in Houston. First National, the oldest chartered bank in Houston, occupied the building for 51 years, and during that time played a significant role in the growth and development of the city. The Fort Worth architectural firm Sanguinet & Staats was commissioned to design the original building in 1903, as well as 1909 and 1925 additions. Sanguinet & Staats was a popular architectural firm throughout Texas during the first two decades of the 1900s, and many of their buildings, including several houses along Courtlandt Place, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Located on an important comer in the Main StreetlMarket Square Historic District, the First National Bank Building serves as an anchor for other early 20th-Century buildings, making its preservation extremely important to the success of the public-private revitalization effort now under way in the historic district. Want to share your views with your county government officials? Do so by calling any or all of the following : Harris County Judge Jon Lindsay, 755-6666; Precinct 1 Commissioner El Franco Lee, 755-6111; Precinct 2 Commissioner Jim Fonteno, 755-6220; Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack, 755-6306; Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole, 755-6444.
Mayor targets
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calling to applaud the effort and very patiently asking how they can get in line!" said Butler. Is it possible that we are becoming a community that has a concept of the "Big Picture"? How can a neighborhood help? All the activities we see in our public sector visa-vis our neighborhoods (from the zoning initiative to this subcommittee's work) have come from a grassroots mandate. Neighborhood associations should work to remain strong and vocal, while building and expanding their membership activities. In effect, as neighbors we should be thinking about comprehensive planning on the small scale-envisioning our idealized neighborhoods in 10 years and working toward those goals. In addition, participation of the private sector business community, working with the public sector and with the citizens of the community makes an unbeatable team. For example, Brown & Root has "adopted" its neighborhood, and a program is being developed to encourage more large corporations to do the same. As one of Houston's most historic corporate citizens, Brown & Root sets an excellent example for not only large corporations, but small businesses as well. The Neighborhood,s to Standard project is a strong positive step in the right direction by city government. As preservationists, we are vitally affected by all of the neighborhoods involved. How could it be better? Target the Central Business District (which includes the Main StreetlMarket Square Historic District) as one of the next tier areas. We would all benefit from the revitalization of the neighborhood that belongs to all of us, downtown Houston.
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Inside GHPA
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Honored at a special luncheon on May 11 were Mr. and Mrs. Masterson III (left and center). At right, Faith Bybee, for whom the highest local preservation award is named.
Faith Bybee Award Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III received the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's 1992 Faith Bybee Preservation Award at a special luncheon commemorating National Preservation Week on May II at the Wyndham Warwick Hotel. This highest local honor for historic preservation is in recognition of the donation of the Mastersons' home "Rienzi" and its extensive collection of art and decorative arts to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Luncheon speaker Dr. Peter Marzio, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, discussed the relationship between the arts and historic preservation and their importance in establishing a city's image and character. "The Mastersons were selected as this year's recipients of the Faith Bybee Preservation A ward because their gift of Rienzi to the Museum of Fine Arts is an outstanding example of commitment and generosity in planning for historic preservation," said Vicki List, Greater Houston Preservation Alliance Board President. "John F. Staub was one of Houston's greatest architects, but we have lost several Staub-designed landmarks and others are endangered. We believe the Mastersons' bequest of Rienzi will encourage other owners of Staub's structures to seek renovation rather than destruction of these historic buildings. " Rienzi will eventually become the fifth Staub-designed house to be opened to the public as a house museum. Bayou Bend, also located in Homewoods and operated by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, was the first such Staub house museum, followed by the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee, the Camp House in Dallas (now a part of the Dallas Arboretum), and the Wilson House in Beaumont which was formerly the home of the Beaumont Art Museum. The Mastersons have made significant contributions to the preservation of cultural artifacts in Houston. Fondren Library at Rice University has received two important Masterson collections, the Harris and Carroll Masterson Texana collection, and the substantial archival collection relating to the history of the Masterson family in Texas. Among Mr. Masterson's distinguished forebears is his uncle, the Rev. Harris Masterson, Jr., who in the 1920s was responsible for commissioning the great Boston architect, Ralph Adams Cram, to design both Autry House and the Julia
Ideson Building of the Houston Public Library. Both buildings are now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Mrs. Masterson is the niece of an important architectural patron. Her uncle, Texas Governor Ross S. Sterling, built the Houston National Bank Building, located in the Main Street/ Market Square Historic District and soon to be rehabilitated by The City Partnership, Ltd. Ross Sterling's two houses, in the Rossmo),ne Addition in Houston and at Bay Ridge, are also listed in the National Register. Special thanks go to luncheon underwriters Mr. and Mrs. Jack Blanton and Mr. and Mrs. T. R. Reckling III. Thanks also to patrons Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Long, Mr. and Mrs. Irl Mowery and friends, Mr. Winston McIntosh, Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Simpson, and Mrs. Newton Wray and to sponsors Mrs. Richard W. Bums, Ms. Susan Booth Keeton, Mrs. Fletcher Pratt, and Mrs. Wesley West. GHPA First Vice President Kathleen Wild chaired this year's luncheon committee. Other committee members included David B. Jones, Susan B. Keeton, Angela Kerr Smith, and Kenneth M. Williams.
Recruitment Olympics GHPA board members are going for the gold by challenging one another to sign up at least five new members each by September 15. If each meets the goal, GHPA should welcome 100 new members, which happens to be the new-member goal for all of 1992. At the June meeting of theGHPA board of directors, membership chairperson Angela Kerr Smith provided an update on the campaign, and presented chocolates to the aspiring GHPA new-member Olympians who were already hard at work toward their medals. Minnette Boesel and Vicki List are in good position to take the gold: each has five new members. David Beale cannot be overlooked; he has brought in three new members. Kathleen Wild, Morgan Hill, Mercedes Terry and Wendy Jamieson are in the competition with two new members each. It's anyone's guess as to what the outcome will be. One thing is certain: One board member will claim the gold, three will medal and GHPA will win!
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Church renovations Preservation Praises in this edition of For Preservation, is singing the ~ praises of the following people and organizations for their preservation efforts and accomplishments. • Members of First United Methodist Church. While many feared the church would abandon its historic buildings, members instead decided to maintain a presence in the Downtown area, thereby preserving one of Houston's most important landmarks, while at the same time committing to serve humanitarian and spiritual needs. Many praises to the members of the largest Methodist Church in the United States. We wish your ~ church great fulfillment as you maintain a downtown and a suburban complex. • The Park People. To make the public aware of the importance of mature trees, The Park People is publishing, in September, the HoustonlHarris County Tree Registry. About 150 of the largest specimens of each genus and species to be found locally will be listed, as well as other trees of importance. "It's just as important to preserve old trees as it is to plant new ones," says Glenda Barrett, executive director of The Park People. For information on how to obtain a copy of the registry, call 528-7725. (Note: The Park People also "commented" to members of the board of the Houston Housing Authority, on the value of the old trees at the Cuney Homes housing project, which are endangered by work HHA is doing there. Some of the trees have already been destroyed.) • Neil Sackheim and Randy Pace. This pioneering duo, restorers of the Carter & Cooley project on 19th Street, have committed to restoration of the Brasher Building, 910 Prairie, to be the downtown location of Carter & Cooley. • The Committee to Save Dow School. An aggregation of parents, former students, resident homeowners and business people has endured a roller-coaster year of hopes and negotiations in an attempt to "stabilize" what had been Houston's oldest public school until its closing last year by HISD. The Committee to Save Dow School is pressing forward. Dow School is located in the Center of the Old Sixth Ward. • The Galveston Historical Foundation. This stanza of praise is for the foundation's example in saving the "Rainbow Row" in Galveston, 1904vintage houses in the 2100 block of Sealy. For the first time in the country, the Resolution Trust Corp. donated assets to a non-profit. The Foundation, with architect David Watson, facilitated the restoration of Rainbow Row into affordable housing. But no praise for Davar Rad, the investor who suggests local landlords pool their money to buy, and destroy, office buildings. This would, he says, raise occupancy rates for the remaining buildings. GHPA,
Railway Historical Society celebrates with free rides
Heritage education committee seeks curriculum help
The Gulf Coast Chapter of hte National Railway Historical decided to celebrate its 25th anniversary by offering three excursions featuring the world's largest operating steam locomotive, and three vista dome cars. The trips were set for oneway rides from Fort Worth to Houston on August 14; from Houston to San Antonio on August 22 and from San Antonio to Forth Worth on August 23. For more information, call 800/960-9663.
Over the past year, GHPA's heritage education project has focused on a curriculum to teach pupils in the third and fourth grades about historic preservation. Geographically, the focus of the material has been the Main StreetlMarket Square Historic District, the birthplace of Houston. A special volunteer is needed to move the heritage education project forward. The person who could help most is an individual with teaching or educationrelated background, who is available to serve during ordinary business hours. The assignment is to work with the committee to expand materials for classroom use in school districts throughout the region. A second phase of the heritage education project will be developing materials for students entering middle school. The heritage education committee is also developing tour plans. For more information, call Margie Elliott, 236-5000.
Mandellers locate street-tile source Mandell Place, a 1920s-era neighborhood located in the Museum and Montrose area, is undertaking a projec to restore the historic blue and white tile street names at each comer, and to replace concrete post street signs. Steven C. Cranford, president of Mandell Place Civic Association, reports that after years of hearing that the small, threequarter-inch blue-and-white tiles were no longer available, he has located a supply of them through Great Southern Supply in Houston. A Dallas ceramics company is bringing out the dies to produce the small tiles for restorations projects in Fort Worth and Kansas, and will be the source for the Mandell Place project. For more information, call Steve Cranford (630-0329), or Howard Dunning at Greater Southern Supply (626-9172).
Fire Museum receives grant The Houston Fire Museum, 2403 Milam, has received a grant from Houston Endowment to be used for the restoration of the 93-year-old Houston Fire Station Now. 7. Station No.7 is the oldest fire station standing in Houston, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Olle J. Lorehn, the architect, is one of Houston's most wellknown turn-of-the-century architects. The style of this fire station is Lorehn' s interpretation of Romanesque as it was employed during the Victorian period.
Paul Hester to teach architectural photography workshop The Houston Center for Photography will offer a fall workshop on architectural photography, to be taught by noted architectural photographer Paul Hester. Workshop fee is $50 for HCP members; $60 for the public; $40 for students and seniors. Call 529-4755 for more information.
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The hidden window at 8t. Joseph's is a circle with 12 spokes. The smaller windows below, representing the seven sacraments, had also been obscured by a wall above the altar. (Photo by Rosie Walker)
Joseph's (obscured by stairs), seven flat glass windows were also uncovered and restored. Pat Waitkus, an expert in stained-glass restoration, did the work on the seven lower windows, which represent the seven sacraments. The cornerstone of
In 1871, the pastor of Annunciation, Father Joseph Querat, sent away to his native France for plans for a new church structure. "And so it was that in Annunciation Church was combined Romanesque features, the combination of Norman and Gothic in its
Always welcome: willing volunteers Want to help the cause of historic preservation by don't know how? You can volunteer to serve on the following GHPA committees that are recruiting: Endangered Buildings (Minnette Boesel, chairperson: 222-6138); Historic Neighborhoods (David Beale, chairperson: 658-0808); or Program Committee (Kathy Wild, chairperson: 521-2170). Several committees, including the Newsletter Committee, would be gratified to have the assistance of an accomplished photographer from time to time. To get an assignment, call Margie Elliott, 236-5000.
For this we pay sales tax? Gunther Koetter, a member of the Metro board, has proposed that Metro acquire the Rice Hotel, tear it down and build a transit center on the site. According to a report in The Houston Post, the owners of the hotel have dropped the asking price for the property from $15 million to $4 million. Koetter said his plan for using the Rice Hotel property would
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allow rail commuters to get off their trains in a more central part of Downtown Houston than either the Amtrak or Union Stations. Knowledgeable sources have pointed out flaws in Koetter's proposal. But no one should under estimate this or any other worst-case scenario involving the 79-year-old landmark.
Breath, smoke and time take a toll on religious artworks.
Annunciation's first building was laid on April 25, 1869, on the site of an earlier Catholic church, St. Vincent's. According to a history of Annunciation written by Sr. Mary Brendan O'Connell, "the dedication of Annunciation did not immediately spell doom for Saint Vincent's, for this pioneer Catholic Church became the religious center for the German community." Two historic figures from Houston's past were members of St. Vincent's parish: Dick Bowling, hero of the battle of Sabine Pass, and John Kennedy, whose Trading Post at Congress and Travis was a refuge for missionaries, and was only demolished in the year 1992. Eventually, the German congregation merged into the Annunciation Parish.
exterior aspects, the Spanish or German spiral, the provincial pinnacles, the Italian arched windows, the German twin towers and the buttresses, while the interior is neoclassical," writes Sr. O'Connell. As part of the recent refurbishing of Annunciation, artists were commissioned to restore the fresco of the Transfiguration over the apse of the church. The fresco had first been unveiled in 1894. Antonio Loro, with his assistants Donell Hill and Gretchen Loro, first had to analyze the build-up of chemicals taken from the painting to know how to proceed. Human breath, smoke from burning candles, grime, dust and other deposits take a toll on artworks in a church, Loro explained.
EDITORIAL BY RAY BARR
What are the city's priorities? Confusion and misplaced priorities typically surrounded the demolition of another historic building recently. On Saturday, June 27, as the Old Sixth Ward Community Development Corporation was meeting to discuss ways to save the disappearing historic properties in Houston's oldest National Register district, workers were busy on the opposite side of Lubbock Street demolishing a house that was more than 100 years old. As the board members were leaving their meeting, they expressed exasperation at the city's lack of effectiveness in historic preservation and anger regarding this destruction even though City Council had approved a demolition moratorium ordinance for historic buildings last December. No demolition permit was displayed on the building premises. Not knowing who else to call on a Saturday, the board members called the police. The concerned police officer who answered the call said he was unfamiliar with the legalities of demolition permits and historic protection. A police response costs money and is a precious commodity. If the owner had legally displayed the permit, this police response would have been unnecessary. A demolition worker walked over to Bums Bail Bonding on Houston Avenue and brought back a copy of a demolition permit issued with the permission of Hal Caton, Chief Building Official of the City of Houston. A determination had been made more than two weeks earlier that the house was on the historic rolls, plenty of time to afford effective notification to Sixth Ward residents about what was at stake. One resident reported that, when contacted at his home during the demolition, Mr. Caton said he felt no obligation to inform district residents because notification is
GREATER HOUSTON
not required by ordinance. Residents of the Old Sixth Ward Historic District had been concerned about the fate of the house for several months, after the Neighborhood Protection Team had scheduled a hearing to determine if the house was a dangerous building. One neighborhood resident said he had been assured by a city inspector that only a dilapidated garage was under threat of demolition, not the house itself. Councilmember Reyes' office had even requested notification of any demolition orders. Neighbors were understandably surprised when, several weeks after the hearing, they witnessed a crew demolishing the house. After learning that an unpermitted demolition was in progress, Donna Kristaponis, Director of the Department of Planning and Development, had the demolition project "red-tagged", or halted, but not before the roof had already been removed. According to newspaper reports, a spokesperson for the department stated that the house was dangerous before the removal of the roof because of lack of security, termite damage and dry rot. These are all problems that preservation experts have tools to correct. After the roof was illegally taken off the house, residents believed that the owner would receive a stiff fine, be denied a demolition permit, and, as a result, would be inclined to put the property on the market with its historic restrictions. The price would naturally have been more reasonable due to the condition of the house and its noncommercial character. Instead, a demolition permit was granted. Exactly when a property owner might be expected to suffer from the natural consequences of the neglect of his
property, to the detriment of the neighborhood, city policies seem to be bailing him out of his economic woes by allowing demolition rather than ordering repair. Amid the confusion surrounding this latest demolition, residents had no opportunity to present evidence that the dangerous conditions could be corrected without the demolition. Indeed, ordinances may not require effective notice to residents concerning pending demolitions, but good city policy does. City Hall should be in the business of finding ways to preserve housing, especially when it's historic, not promoting its destruction. When residents complain to city personnel about the ironies and inconsistencies in city procedures regarding demolition and historic preservation, they are told time and time again that these are political issues that municipal employees cannot address, that complaints must be taken to elected officials, that city workers can do nothing but follow policies mandated by City Council. Those policies favor owners who have neglected their properties over those struggling to preserve the city's historical and architectural legacy. In truth, all an owner needs to do in order to demolish his historic building is to make it dangerous and then anonymously call the Neighborhood Protection Team and report it. He can then put his feet up and wait for a demolition order through the mail, and risk a minor fine, or request permission for the demolition at a hearing. This situation calls the effectiveness of the entire system into question. Whose side is the City on? Again, with respect to the demolished historic property on Lubbock Street, irony presents itself. Any fines that might be levied against the owner can
quickly be paid for from the proceeds of the owner's soon-to-be-operating parking lot business, which will cater to the unconscionable overflow of traffic from the municipal courts into the Sixth Ward neighborhood. A neighborhood resident was told the owners lived in Rome, Italy. The Sixth Ward is certainly no match for the glories of Rome, but we at least ought to take care of what little we have left, and we are not.
The Response In response to Ray Barr's opinion-piece above, Jerry Wood of the City of Houston Department of Planning and Development, said: The City inspector who told a resident of the Sixth Ward that only one building at 1515 Lubbock was under threat of demolition as a dangerous building was in error. Actually, there were three separate buildings listed as dangerous at the address: a garage, an outbuilding, and the house. The Department of Planning and Development, due to budgetary restrictions, does not have the necessary resources to provide information to historic district residents concerning dangerous-building situations within their neighborhoods. Further, Donna Kristaponis, director of the Department of Planning and Development, is on record regarding the potential for conflict between the City's dangerous-building operations and the demolition-moratorium ordinance. At the time members of City Council were considering the demolition moratorium ordinance, Kristaponis raised the issue of the potential for conflict between the two ordinances. Council members responded that, in such situations, dangerous-building concerns were to take precedence.
MEMBERSHIP ApPLICATION
PREsERVATION ALLIANCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Vicki List, President Barry Moore, President Elect Kathleen Wild, 1st Vice President David F. Beale, 2nd Vice President Angela Kerr Smith, Secretary Morgan Hill, Treasurer Graham Luhn, Past President Charles D. Maynard, Jr., Legal Counsel
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Margie Elliott, Executive Director Daniel T. Brown, Old Sixth Ward Historic Neighborhood Kelly Thompson, Houston Archeological & Historic Commission Minnette Boesel, Market Square Historic District Project Al Davis, Chairman, Harris County Historical Commission NEWSLETfER COMMITTEE
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