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Find out how one Heights second grade student made a difference in her community.
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Photo courtesy of Preservation Houston Truxillo (left) at an event where Preservation Houston presented the restored original City of Houston flag to the Houston Public Library.
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The INDEX. Church....................................................... 6A Classifieds.............................................. 4B Coupons. ................................................. 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries.............................................. 6A Opinion. ................................................... 4A Public Information......................... 2A Puzzles...................................................... 4A Sports. ....................................................... 7B
Photo by Sarah Gish Shown here is Truxillo’s grand Victorian residence at 18th Street and Harvard. The residence acted as the preservationist’s home for more than 40 years.
April 19, 2017, was a sad day for many in Houston at large, and in The Heights in particular. A beloved spearhead of historic preservation, Barthel “Bart” Truxillo, passed away unexpectedly of an aneurysm. He was 74. Born in Louisiana and raised in Houston, Truxillo was an avid gardener, a dedicated adventurer, an active world traveler, and an unwavering friend. He was a quiet, gracious man with a boundless love for life that created a sort of vortex, drawing people in. There are few who would disagree that Houston is a better place due to Truxillo. Graduating from the University of Houston in 1965 with a BS in Architecture, three years later, Truxillo bought the old 1910 Magnolia Brewery at the corner of Milam and Franklin Streets. It was a prime location downtown and, at this time in Houston’s development, was all but certain to face a wrecking ball. Instead, Truxillo dove into an extensive renovation, created a beautiful event space, and named it the Magnolia Ballroom to honor the building’s history. He then sought and received Houston’s first Historic Landmark Designation. To save more structures, Truxillo teamed up with a handful of likeminded Houstonians in 1978, and founded Preservation Houston. Today, the nonprofit agency works tirelessly to save the character of the city’s historic areas Photo by Preservation Houston and buildings. “When Bart start- Truxillo hugs Phoebe Tudor at the Cornerstone Dinner in ed his work, Houston 2015 did not even have a preservation ordinance, no historic districts, and no designated landmarks. It took his unrelenting energy, and a handful of his friends to make things change. But Bart was passionate. He and his group made it happen,” said David Bush, acting Executive Director of Preservation Houston. Truxillo launched Preservation Houston’s annual Good Brick Award to recognize restorations that were exceptionally well done. “Bart would issue bricks that were historic, bricks that he dug up himself. They were always filthy, but they were authentic. That was important to him,” Bush remembered. When Truxillo created the Good Brick Awards, he also included Bad Brick Awards, normally granted to someone who had razed an important structure. “One year, Bart was soundly chewed out by a nun for issuing a Bad Brick Award, and the following year, Bart’s Bad Brick went away. He re-thought his strategy,” Bush concluded with a smile. In the early 1970s, Truxillo was active in Montrose real estate, at one point holding several hundred properties. However, in 1974, he was introduced to the Heights by a friend. As close as the two communities are, he had never ventured
Legislation could impact historic zones By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com Much has been made in recent months of the city of Houston’s efforts to eradicate arbitrary and subjective standards when it comes to defining and zoning Houston’s historic Heights districts. Now, new legislation could potentially have a significant impact on our local neighborhoods and neighborhoods throughout Texas if it passes. Spurred on by a situation in Austin, State Representative Gary Elkins (Texas District 135) filed legislation for House Bill 3418 at the 85th Legislative Session earlier this month. If passed, H.B. 3418 would mandate blanket, one-sizefits-all criteria Photo by Landan Kuhlmann for historic Construction goes on along 18th designations in the Heights. In light of t h r o u g h o u t Street H.B. 3418’s introduction, a few Texas. residents have inquired what its Supporters passing could mean for expanhave argued sions in the existing historic that historic Houston Heights communities. preser vation standards put undue restrictions on homeowners when it comes to modifying or improving their property. “Criteria for these historical designations are often vague,” Elkins said at an April 11 Urban Affairs Committee hearing. “Abuse of these statutes has become prevalent as neighborhoods and civic associations exploit interpretations to enable historic preservations and prevent infill development or density in or around the established neighborhoods.” However, detractors from historic preservation communities around Texas have said the bill could threaten local historic preservation ordinances. “This vague and arbitrarily-imposed standard will have a chilling effect on local communities that seek to protect locally-significant historic places,” a statement from Preservation Texas read. What it does Elkins’ bill states that municipalities which have established a process for designating certain areas or homes as historically important or significant through adoption of zoning regulations or district boundaries must meet several criteria. If municipalities wish to designate an area or structure based on occurrence of a specific event, Elkins’ bill proposes the occurrence must be widely recognized as historical. Should they wish to designate based on someone associated with the property, the person must be recognized as a historical figure who resided there. Even should an area or property receive a historic recommendation, Elkins’ proposed bill dictates that any action by a planning or zoning commission requires a 75 percent majority of all members of the specified commission. Further, should a governing body move to approve a historic recommendation, this bill suggests such an action must be approved by a 75 percent majority of the municipality’s governing body. Additionally, once a property owner submits his or her historical designation request, the appropriate municipal official must either approve or deny the homeowner’s request within 30 days. Should this time period expire, Elkin’s bill states the request should be considered, for all intents and purposes, to be approved.
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