SPRING 2019
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS 2019 MOST ENDANGERED PLACES
Fo u nded i n 1985, Pres er vat i on Tex as i s t h e s t at e wi de advocat e for the historic re so u rces of Tex as . Headquar t ered i n Aus t i n and governed by a dive rse board o f d i rect ors , Pres er vat i on Tex as i s a p ri vat e, member-s up p or te d nonprofit o r ga ni z at i on. In addi t i on t o i t s li s t of Mos t Endangered Places, a q u ar te rl y n e w s let t er and regi onal educat i onal p rogrammi ng, Pres er vation Te xas is d e ve l op i ng a 2,400-acre farm and ranch at t h e h eadwat ers of t h e Littl e Brazos R i ve r eas t of Marli n, Tex as as t h e larges t p res er vat i on and cons er vation skil l s t r a i n i ng cent er i n t h e count r y.
OFFICERS ANN BENSON MCGLONE PRESIDENT SAN ANTONIO ROMAN MCALLEN PRESIDENT-ELECT DENTON SUE MORRIS LAZARA SECRETARY LINDEN RICK MITCHELL TREASURER AUSTIN
DIRECTORS ROBERT BLUTHARDT SAN ANGELO BARBARA BRANNON SPUR ANTHONY CROSBY MARSHALL CHARLES JOHN SAN ANTONIO NYDIA TAPIA-GONZALES HARLINGEN GARY WILLIAMS EL PASO
STAFF JANE ASHBURN PROGRAM COORDINATOR EVAN THOMPSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WEBSITE PRESERVATIONTEXAS.ORG TELEPHONE 512.472.0102
OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS RECOGNIZED At a Board Alumni luncheon at the Austin Club in February, past presidents Lynn Vogt, Dwayne Jones and Courtney Hoffman were recognized for their outstanding contributions during their six years of service (20122018).
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S LETTER Just last month, we recognized twenty-three people, projects and programs with 2019 Preservation Texas Honor Awards. The hard work and investment that made these success stories possible can inspire us to transform the forgotten, neglected and endangered historic places that we encounter in our own communities. The historic Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue in Austin was a fitting venue for the event, and we are grateful for the Austin Theatre Alliance’s support that allowed us to make use of the Paramount. Historic preservation is a stage on which the complicated intersection of the past and future collide. Far too often, when the curtain falls, another historic building or district is lost or diminished. In the midst of the 86th Legislative Session, a new drama unfolds as HB 2496 and SB 1488 take aim at the power of local governments to protect community landmarks. As we work to advocate and educate in the Capitol, we rely on you — our grassroots membership — to support the preservation cause. There are far too many examples of outstanding architecture and historically significant places that have met with the wrecking ball across Texas. Through our state-level advocacy and our annual Most Endangered Places list, we hope to buy time for important sites that are worthy of protection. While our 2019 Honor Awards are behind us, we know that in the days and weeks ahead, seeds will be planted for new projects and endeavors to bring imperiled historic places back to life for our next awards program. Your continued support as a member, your e-mails and phone calls to legislators, and your dedication to saving endangered places is making a difference.
MAILING ADDRESS P.O. BOX 12832 AUSTIN TX 78711
Cover photograph: The L7 Ranch House in Terry County, one of the 2019 Most Endangered Places. 1
EDUCATIONAL NEWS
Update
Late last year, graduate students from the historic preservation program at Clemson University visited Texas to document historic buildings in San Antonio, Seguin and Fredericksburg in preparation for the 2020 Vernacular Architecture Forum Conference. The conference will be based in San Antonio and is being organized by Preservation Texas. This past February, Preservation Texas participated in the Texas A & M Center for Heritage Conservation Conference. Executive Director Evan Thompson presented an overview of the Bassett Farms Conservancy property, highlighting recent research findings and discussing future research and programmatic plans. Bassett Farms Conservancy recently hosted two classes from The University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture. Preservation students in the materials analysis class sampled plaster, paint finishes, mortar, and wood to better understand the historic appearance of the Bassett House and outbuildings. These research findings will be presented in May.
Clemson University graduate students led by Dr. Carter Hudgins and Professor Amalia Leifeste discuss the c. 1850 Magnolia Hotel in Seguin.
A second class of over a dozen graduate and undergraduate students visited Bassett Farms Conservancy as part of a studio course in early February. Students presented conceptual plans for adaptive uses and program development later that month in Austin. Several of these concepts will also be presented at Bassett Farms Conservancy in May.
UT Austin historic preservation students gather at the historic dairy at Bassett Farms Conservancy.
The original Bassett House doors were documented by UT Austin historic preservation students in February.
The 1875 Bassett House provided the perfect backdrop for UT Austin School of Architecture students during a day at Bassett Farms Conservancy.
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HONOR AWARDS
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS Arno Nowotny House
Austin, Travis County Built: 1857 Owner: The University of Texas at Austin Architect: Susan Frocheur, Architexas Contractor: Chris Schubnell, Spawglass
O. Henry Hall
Austin, Travis County Built: 1877-1881; 1997 Owner: Texas State University System Architect: Earl Swisher, The Lawrence Group Engineer: Chuck Larosche, WJE; Bill Harris, HMG Engineering Contractor: Patrick Flynn, Flynn Construction
Karnes County Courthouse
Karnes City, Karnes County Built: 1895; 1924 Owner: Karnes County Architect: Lewis S. Fisher - Fisher Heck Architects Engineer: Stephen Mitchell - ESA Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Contractor: Mike Boyle - MJ Boyle General Contractors Project Manager: David Hannan Jr, -Fisher Heck Architects
J.D. Magee House Museum
Abilene, Taylor County Built: 1903 Owner: James and Dana Willeford Architect: Weatherl & Associates, Tim Rice McClarty AIA Engineer: Charles D. Fowler, P.E. Contractor: Jeff Luther Construction, Inc., Steve Justice Construction
Old Dallas High School
Dallas, Dallas County Built: 1907, rear addition in 1911 Owner: Kristian Teleki, MSW Crozier Tech, LP Architect: Jerry Merriman, Merriman Anderson/ Architects, Inc. Landscape Architect: Jeffrey Johnston, Pacheco Koch Engineer: Erik Haugile, Pacheco Koch; Kristina Geisler, RLG; Ken Smith, Blum Engineering Contractor: Michael Berens; Balfour Beatty
First Presbyterian Church of Dallas
Dallas, Dallas County Built: 1912, 1959, 1980 Owner: First Presbyterian Church of Dallas Architect: David Chase and Anne Stimmel; Architexas Engineer: Scott Swan, Blum; Steve Lucy, JQ Contractor: Lee Howell, Byrne 4
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS Oakwood Cemetery Chapel
Austin, Travis County Built: 1914 Owner: City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department Architect: Hatch, Ulland + Owen Architects Engineer: Structures, Civil: Doucet + Chan Partners; Encotech Contractor: Gadberry Construction Inc.
Laguna Hotel Lofts
Cisco, Eastland County Built: 1923 Owner: Laguna Housing Partners Architect: Mike Kleffner, Wallace Architects Engineer: Tim Crockett, Crockett Engineering Contractor: Damon Admire, Eastland Properties
Morgan's Point Carriage
Morgan's Point, Harris County Built: 1927 Owner: City of Morgan's Point Architect: Tim Broadhead, Tim Broadhead Architects, Inc. Engineer: James Austin, James Austin Engineers, Contractor: Jennifer Nash, Nash Industries Inc
The Firestone Building
Amarillo, Potter County Built: 1930 Owner: Dr. Gary and Sally Jennings, Triple Play Partners Architect: Gregg Bliss, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C Gregg Bliss, Architect Engineer: Scott Fanning, PE Fanning and Fanning Contractor: Chris Moncivais, Southwest General Contractors
Bassett Tower El Paso
El Paso, El Paso County Built: 1930 Owner: EP Bassett Partners Architect/Engineer: Leo A Daily Contractor: Dantex Construction
Zilker Park Caretaker's Cottage
Austin, Travis County Built: c. 1929 Owner: City of Austin Parks and Recreation Architect: Lynn Estabrook, Architect of Record Landscape Architect: Marty Stump, Landscape Architect of Record Engineer: Encotech Engineering Contractor: Jamail and Smith Construction 5
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS Tower Petroleum
Dallas, Dallas County Built: 1933, 1937 Owner: John Kirtland Architect: Jerry Merriman, Merriman Anderson Architects Landscape Architect: Michael Black, LeTerra Studio Engineer: Steve Lucy & James Davis, JQ Engineering; Doug Bronson, JJA Contractor: Wade Andres, Andres Construction Services
L.A. Davis Cemetery Restoration
Plano, Collin County Built: 1945 Owner: L.A. Davis Cemetery Inc. & Members Restoration Team: The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation Inc. & Texas Cemetery Restoration LLC Project Lead: Jeff Campbell, Executive Director, The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation Inc.
Tucker-Winfield Apartments
Austin, Travis County Built: 1939 Owner: Elayne Lansford and John Villanacci Architect: Tere O'Connell, O'Connell Architecture Landscape Architect: Elayne Lansford Engineer: HMG Engineering; JQ+Tsen Contractor: Manual Cano, Cano Construction
The Fredonia Hotel
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County Built: 1954 Owner: Richard and Barbara Dewitt Architect: Curtis Architecture - Army Curtis, AIA Engineer: Michael Smith - MD Engineering Contractor: J.E. Kingham Construction
Old Dallas Library/Dallas Morning News
Dallas, Dallas County Built: 1954 Owner: Centurion American Architect: Adam Jones, Merriman Anderson Architects, Engineer: Steve Dial, Hunt & Joiner; Stephen Schwind, RLG; Sam Basharkhah, BEI Contractor: Ty Walton, Hill & Wilkinson; Shane Deville, TriArc Construction
1712 Commerce (The Mercantile Commerce Building)
Dallas, Dallas County Built: 1957 Owner: Mehul Patel, NewcrestImage Architect: Jerry Merriman, Merriman Anderson/Architects, Inc. Landscape Architect: Michael Black, LaTerra Studio Engineer: Gary Roden, Aguirre Roden; Steve Lucy, JQ Engineering; Stephen Schwind, RLGContractor: 6
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS
Clara Driscoll Award St. Edward's Univeristy Austin, Travis County
Built: 1930 Owner: Christopher Johnson St. Edward's University Architect: Burton Baldridge, Baldridge Architects; Larry Irsik, Architexas Engineer: Shah Smith & Associates, Big Red Dog, Leap! Structures Contractor: Susan Benz, Benz Resource Group; Brian Scott, Bartlett Cocke
Neill-Cochran House Museum Austin, Travis County
Built: 1856; 1900 Owner: National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Texas Architect: John Volz (VOH Architects) Contractor: Mike Austin, for J. Pinnelli
Heritage Education Award New Frontiers Public Schools
Since 2015, NFPS students have given life to their perspectives on culture, heritage and community through their artwork and photographs at an annual Festival of the Arts event – a community event put forth through a collaboration with Kathy Rodriguez of the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation (OHP). The event celebrates cultural heritage and features a showcase of student art, musical performances, poetry readings and interactive art stations. The showcase features items that include unique art pieces and a display of students’ photos from the This Place Matters campaign – a national campaign, promoted locally by OHP, that encourages people to celebrate the places that are meaningful to them and to their communities. The partnership gives students an opportunity to explore and celebrate the people and places that mean the most to them. The values incorporated in the program and campaign are also reflected in our World Heritage Missions and the communities that surround them. New Frontiers Public Schools is a local, community-based, free public charter school district serving children in kindergarten through high school on the south side of San Antonio since 1998. The district operates the Frank L. Madla Accelerated Collegiate Academy and the Frank L. Madla Early College High School. 7
2019 HONOR AWARD WINNERS
Preservation Planning AwardAward HOUSTON HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICTS
DESIGN GUIDELINES
City of Houston, Texas July 2018
Houston Heights was founded in 1891 as one of Texas’ earliest planned communities. In 1896, Houston Heights was incorporated as its own city and in 1918, to improve school funding, it requested annexation by the City of Houston. Today, the Heights East, Heights West, and Heights South Historic Districts include nearly 4,000 properties and represent onethird of all historically designated properties in Houston, however, the districts lacked any district guidelines. The Houston Historic Preservation Office initiated a process to develop the Houston Heights Historic District Design Guidelines. The resulting guidelines provide clear instructions for restoration and new construction. They communicate important concepts in an understandable and tangible way. They provide certainty for the applicant, the staff and the Commission, and lead to better decisions supporting these historic districts and the people who call them home.
Advocacy Award PAULA HATFIELD
Paula Hatfield of Scurry County will be recognized for her tireless efforts to save the Louis Curtiss-designed 1911 Santa Fe Depot in Snyder, which had been named to our 2011 Most Endangered Places list. Over the course of many years, Paula arranged, delivered and organized countless meetings, letters, e-mails, phone calls and even a rally to garner local, regional and statewide support for the building. While the structure was sadly demolished in November 2017, Paula's leadership resulted in having the building laser scanned by Texas Tech University so that a permanent 3D record of the building would be preserved, and several important exterior features of the building were saved for future exhibition. Additionally, a short film, Built to Last, was produced to tell the story of the Snyder Depot. While the Snyder Depot was not able to be saved, Paula's outstanding commitment to this architecturally and historically significant structure is an inspiration to us all to never give up!
Truett Latimer Award CHARLEEN ORR
Award
Charlene Orr, executive director of Historic Mesquite, Inc., will be recognized with the Truett Latimer Award. The Award, named for our first state historic preservation officer, is given to a working professional who demonstrates a significant commitment to preservation as part of their job responsibilities. As the first Executive Director of Historic Mesquite Inc., she has overseen the restoration of the buildings at Opal Lawrence Historical Park and has overseen the maintenance of the 1876 Florence Ranch Homestead. She was responsible for writing the City of Mesquite Heritage Strategic Plan, receiving non-profit status for her Historic Mesquite Inc. organization. Charlene served as the chairman of the Kaufman County Historical Commission, the chairman of the Friends of the Kaufman County Historical Commission and historical marker chairman of the Dallas County Historical Commission. She was a founding member of the 31-county Texas Lakes Trail Region board, where she served as treasurer. Statewide, she served as president of Preservation Texas, having served as a board member for six years, and also consulted on a variety of preservation projects across Texas: writing preservation ordinances, creating an outreach program, working with city officials, preserving archives, photos and textiles, and on writing a collections management policies. She remains active with the National Preservation Partners Network, co-organizing a national event that will be held in Mesquite, Dallas and Fort Worth later this spring. 10 8
MOST ENDANGERED PLACES 2019 Since the first Most Endangered Places list was announced in 2004, over 150 individual sites and themes have been included, but only eleven of those sites have been lost. The Most Endangered Places list raises statewide and national awareness of at-risk historic places, encouraging Texans to take action in support of our vanishing heritage. For more information, please visit PreservationTexas.org.
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HOUSTON'S EMANCIPATION FREEDOM COLONIES Houston, Harris County
In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, emancipated slaves from rural Texas made their way to Houston, joining the nearly 1,000 African-Americans already living there by 1860. Through the next several decades, African-Americans settled in the third, fourth and fifth wards of the city, establishing independent communities that were intended to provide safe haven against discrimination and rampant postwar violence, with opportunities for land ownership and economic security. These three wards in Houston have suffered in recent decades from extensive demolition, architecturally inappropriate redevelopment and gentrification. For example, only a handful of historic structures remain in the National Registerlisted Freedman’s Town, which once contained hundreds of listed buildings. Emancipation Avenue, recently renamed to celebrate the community’s important post-Civil War history, has suffered a similar fate. Today, only a small number of historic structures remaining where a thriving African-American community once lived, worked, and organized for their political, economic and social equality.
The local, state and national significance of the Emancipation Freedom Colonies of Houston demand action to protect and preserve the fragile historic resources that remain, including modest residential structures, brick streets, commercial buildings and sacred places. Increased funding is needed to rehabilitate old structures as well as incentives for appropriate new development. These strategies, coupled with continued research and interpretation, will enhance and support existing communities rather than displacing them.
HISTORIC DALLAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Dallas, Dallas County
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) released a proposed Strategic Facilities Plan calling for the demolition of nineteen schools, the majority of which are of historic-age, to be replaced with seventeen new schools. The justification for the demolitions is to reduce the average age of schools in the district from 51.7 years to 46.0 years to get more in line with the national average of 44 years. The schools proposed for demolition range in style from revivalist to mid-century, many designed by significant architects, and scattered throughout Dallas. The proposal must be adopted by the DISD Board of Trustees, whose staff is working quickly so they can figure out the logistics of such a huge construction project. Their plan is for voter approval of $2 billion in bond money in 2021 for the massive project.
The goal of preservation advocates in Dallas is to lower the number of historic schools recommended for demolition or to consider rehabilitation as an alternative by changing the Strategic Facilities Plan. We need to prove that historic schools are a valuable resource for the community and can be adapted to modern needs. The case must be made that it is a waste of resources to demolish a school that is 50 to 100 years old and has stood the test of time to be replaced with a new school with typically a much shorter life cycle and one that can’t match the quality of materials with which historic schools were built.
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MIDCENTURY MODERN SACRED PLACES Statewide
In the years following World War II, a mobile and growing population in Texas found the need to build new churches and synagogues in urban, suburban, and even small rural communities across the state. Texas architects designed new structures that reflected a modern age, employing innovative construction methods and new materials resulting in striking progressive sacred places. But in recent years, urban populations have changed, and the demands of 21st-century congregations often cannot be contained in the buildings of the mid-twentieth century. As a result, Midcentury Modern Sacred Places are threatened with destruction as congregations relocate or consolidate and their often valuable property is sold for redevelopment. Across Texas, opportunities abound to find creative new uses for midcentury modern sacred places, which are not only significant cultural and historic sites but also represent some of the most important architectural achievements of mid20th century in the state. Efforts by local midcentury modern advocacy groups and state and national organizations dedicated to sacred places are working to slow the loss of these buildings. Examples of creative partnerships and adaptive uses need to be widely publicized, and the needs of struggling congregations shared with those who can help support the continued use of these buildings.
An example of this trend in Austin is Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, constructed in 1955-56. It was designed by local architect Eugene Wukasch who was active nationally in the development of modern church architecture in the United States. The building was likely the earliest example of an “A-frame” or “tent-form” church in Central Texas and features unique art glass by Octavio Medellín, the renowned Mexican-American artist. The church has closed and is for sale, and without any local designations, the property could be demolished.
LAKE, TOMB & COMPANY (L7) RANCH HEADQUARTERS near Meadow, Terry County
The Lake, Tomb & Company (L7) Ranch was at one time the largest ranching operation in Terry County with resident employees. The circa 1900 Ranch Headquarters served as an office and home for the ranch manager. The one-story structure was built with a 12’ wide covered porch on its east and south sides, providing shade and shelter in the semi-arid, treeless and hot environment. It also provided a place for outdoor sleeping, and even hosted Saturday night dances in a region with a population of only 48 in 1900.
This regional landmark, emblematic of an era, has been unoccupied for several decades. Local efforts to relocate and restore the structure in the past were put on hold for lack of funds. The house and its outbuildings require complete documentation, with physical recording of the building and archival research to better understand its past. This information could lead to state and national historic designations, making the property eligible for state and federal tax credits. Restored and repurposed, this iconic structure can once again come alive as a rare physical reminder of a lost way of life over a century ago. 11
SAN AGUSTIN CATHEDRAL Laredo, Webb County
San Agustin Church was established in 1756 with the founding of the Villa de Laredo de San Agustin (now the City of Laredo). Facing the original town square, the current building is the third on the site and was constructed in 1872. Designed by French priest Pierre Yves Keralum, the Cathedral is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and it contributes to the significance of the San Agustin de Laredo National Register Historic District. In 2000, Catholic dioceses were restructured in South Texas and this church was selected to serve as the Cathedral for the newly formed Diocese of Laredo. Nineteen years later, however, the structure requires repairs and adaptation to serve this new function.
Deterioration of the front façade of the church was precipitated by an especially severe hurricane in 1905 and the entire front wall of the church was repaired in 1911. The bell tower was spared but cracks have been spreading throughout the building as the tower is leaning and separating from the main church structure. Cracks are apparent along the terrazzo floor, at plastered columns and walls, ceilings and at the apex of the gothic arched stained glass windows. The tower has sustained damage, which worsened through the years because the local parish does not have adequate resources to maintain and repair the structure. Since 2000, steps have been taken to protect and stabilize the Church Tower. In 2013, the tower foundation was reinforced and repaired followed by subsurface compaction. Complete roof replacement for the Cathedral and the Steeple was completed in May 2014. Destabilization has occurred elsewhere due to the movement of the tower prior to undergoing stabilization, resulting in profound damage. Since then, a condition assessment report, master plan, prioritization and implementation plan has been completed by a team of architects and engineers. In November 2017 a capital campaign began in an attempt to raise $11 million to protect this historic landmark.
LA LOMITA
near Mission, Hidalgo County La Lomita Chapel is located near the Rio Grande and is a significant example of the vernacular architecture of the United States and Mexico border. La Lomita, or “Little Hill,” was built in 1899 and later restored in 1937 and again in 1976 as part of the community’s Bicentennial celebration. It is just 16 feet wide and 30 feet long with a tiny belfry. The City of Mission was named as a goodwill gesture of townspeople to honor the old mission chapel. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964 and is part of the La Lomita Historic District, entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The historic marker application was sought in order to recognize its ongoing importance as “a shrine for the religious and history-minded who would honor those … who carved it literally out of the Wilderness.” La Lomita Chapel is representative of the many historically, culturally and architecturally significant places that will be directly or indirectly impacted by the construction of a new barrier along the border. Because of the location of La Lomita on the river side of a levee, plans to construct a wall along the levee would isolate the chapel from the community it serves, its namesake town of Mission, and the many tourists who visit it regularly. All along the Rio Grande, from old Fort Brown in Brownsville to Chihuahuita in El Paso, border security barriers are radically altering the historic character of places constructed along the border that have had a strong bi-national character for over a century. The protection of historic resources with fair, reasonable and meaningful efforts to mitigate the impact of new construction should be required. Documentation of existing resources, physical protection and archaeological investigations should be undertaken so the rich history of our border is neither erased nor shut off from those for whom these places have held and will hold such deep meaning for many generations past, present and future. 12
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Fairmount Hotel
Historic Tax Credit Consulting Historic Tax Credit Consulting
Ann Benson McGlone, LLC Ann Benson McGlone,Urban LLCDesign Preservation Architecture
35 years
Architecture Preservation Adapative-Reuse
Bexar County Courthouse
Savoy Hotel/Scaleworks
210.219.3648Architecture ann@annbensonmcglone.com Preservation Urban Design Antonio, TX 210.219.3648 San ann@annbensonmcglone.com San Antonio, TX
Ann Benson McGlone, LLC Ann Benson McGlone, LLC
alamoarchitects.com
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P.O. Box 12832 Austin, Texas 78711
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BASSETT FARMS CONSERVANCY TEXAS HISTORIC MARKER DEDICATION MAY 4, 2019 | KOSSE
Register now for the Texas Historic Marker dedication for the Bassett House (1875) at our Bassett Farms Conservancy. The event will include award-winning Bar-B-Q, music, an open house showcasing the historic buildings and artifacts, and an APT Conservation Workshop "Preserving Metal Hardware 101". Visit PreservationTexas.org to register today!