in Post reinforced my resolve and the importance of saving structures. Successful railroad preservation stories and restorations throughout Texas, such as the Harvey House, Post, Baird, Mineola and Marshall, have fueled my enthusiasm. Some were last-minute reprieves, but all had a living force behind the silent voices quieted by apathy, misunderstanding and neglect. There are many components of history that attract me to preservation: a site, a story, a person. But I’m most fascinated by buildings. I love to visit other towns, states and countries. I want to hear their stories, see their buildings. What are the greatest obstacles to overcome if
What do you consider the major challenges in your community and county? Saving the Travis gym from the wrecking ball was a motivation to stay the course with preservation. Finding the necessary funds for a long-term purpose is the most daunting aspect in saving a landmark structure. Explaining the historical and architectural significance of a structure is vital. Dealing with apathy, and cultivating conversations with property owners who’ve let structures deteriorate, is a steep uphill climb. Where do you think your passion for preservation and local history comes from? My first memory of a preservation effort was Jacqueline Kennedy’s work in preserving the White House and her stand to save New York’s Grand Central Station. A recent Smithsonian article quoted her as once saying, “We’ve all heard that it’s too late, or that it has to happen, that it’s inevitable. But I don’t think that’s true.” She continued, “Because I think if there is a great effort, even if it’s in the eleventh hour, then you can succeed, and I know that’s what we’ll do.” On a Texas note, not far from Snyder — at the Harvey House in Slaton — with just hours left before demolition, a group was able to halt the wrecking ball. And the success story of preservation, restoration and repurposing of the Louis Curtiss depot 8234
THEN TIC TEX AUAU THENTIC TEX ASAS
Texas and the nation are to preserve places that matter? We must harness the enthusiasm of likeminded supporters. At age 66, I’m finding a peer group at last that shares the passion of preservation, who’ll take time to work for a project. While social media can certainly be a positive force for change, it’s not enough to just leave a comment, like that page and check it off the list as “done.” Finding investors with the money to see a project come to fruition is another major hurdle. And getting in the door with
property owners — building a relationship with that revolving door of business owners and school boards and powerful railroad conglomerates — might be tedious, but it’s absolutely necessary. Most important, however, is finding a long-term use for a threatened structure. I venture to say that every town has a structure worth saving — but what will its purpose be five, 10, 50 years down the road? You and the Scurry County Historical Commission fought a pitched battle to save the depot. What was it about that particular cause, and Snyder’s railroad history, that drew your support? It’s been a journey. After an email from Houston architect Larry Harris, who enlightened me on the significance of the depot designed by noted Kansas City architect Louis Singleton Curtiss, it was clear the historical and architectural significance of our 1911 Santa Fe Railroad Depot qualified as a worthwhile project. I quickly boarded a locomotive train, an Iron Horse, to save the Depot. Talks began with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in 2009. For the next eight years the Scurry County Historical Commission pursued avenues for repurposing the building, as varied as an authorized Texas Department of Transportation visitor center or a business incubator. In 2016, with the help of Preservation Texas and the National Trust, thousands of supporters signed a petition that won the historical commission that kind of eleventh-hour reprieve Jackie Kennedy had described. Tell us about the high and low points of the struggle. Was there ever a moment when your group just felt like giving up? The roller-coaster ride is thrilling but scary. Just about the time you feel like you’ve made some headway with stakeholders or with a boost to save the building, something comes up — a change in leadership or property owner — and the process takes even longer than you thought.
GERALD M. CORKRAN
You’ve been a supporter of preservation in Texas for more than a decade, playing a leadership role in everything from the Quanah Parker Trail to the Bankhead Highway to Scurry County historic buildings. What’s one of the most significant successes you’ve participated in? My first participation in a preservation project, in 2008, was to stop the Snyder Independent School District from demolishing a WPA gym built in 1936. The inventory and documentation of WPA and CCC projects has become a national objective, and educating local citizens about the value of the Travis Junior High Gymnasium was an important success.
