For Preservation The Newsletter of Greater Houston Preservation Alliance Houston's Local Partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
Spring 2006
Volume 17, No. 1
Houston Endowment funds GHPA's online Museum Project Houston Endowment Inc. (HE!) is providing "Eventually, we hope individuals will make GHPA a $350,000 grant to create an online family papers and historic documents in their possession available for digitizing. The informamuseum of Houston history Mayor Bill White tion in these materials would be accessible to the announced the creation of the privately-funded public through the Museum of Houston, while Museum of Houston Web site during a news the documents would remain with the family," conference on April 3. The cooperative effort said Ramona Davis. among Houston's leading educational instituAlong with research capabilities, the Museum tions, cultural organizations and public archives of Houston Web site will also feature extensive will create a digital storehouse of historic online exhibits. The first exhibit, tracing the resources relating to Houston's past. The grant development and impact of the Pon of Houston, will fund the first two years of the project. "We are very grateful to Houston Endowment, is currently under development. The Port Authority is providing the Museum access to which had the vision to recognize the need for its extensive collection of historic documents, this innovative project," said GHPA Executive photographs and publications for the Director Ramona Davis. "GHPA's mission includes preserving cultural resources as well as historic inaugural exhibit. GHPA is administering the grant. Project architecture. The digital archive will provide personnel will be part of GHPA's staff. Rice Houstonians unprecedented access to these UniversityIFondren Library is providing technical valuable resources." expertise. Other institutions with representatives The Museum of Houston will bring together on the Museum of Houston steering committee materials held by the city's leading research are Houston Public LibrarylHouston Metropolitan institutions and make them conveniently Research Center, Museum of Fine Arts, available to a broad, public audience. The news conference featured the debut of Mayor Bill White announced the project to create the online Museum Houston, Texas Southern UniversitylRobert www.museumojhouston.org, which provides a of Houston during a news conference on April 3. James Terry Library, and University of Houston Libraries. As the project grows, many other preview of the Web site's capabilities. GHPA volunteer Jim Parsons designed the present version of the site . To illustrate groups will contribute resources to the museum. the online museum's accessibility, the announcement was made at The "We have an inherent interest in helping preserve the colorful hiStory of the nation's fourth-largest city in a digital museum that can be accessed not Daily Grind, 4115 Washington, a restaurant that provides its customers with wireless Internet access. just by university students and scholars doing research but also by school"Houston has a rich, diverse history and if we can harness new technology children and citizens who are curious about Houston and its origin," said to expose more people to it, so much the better," said Mayor White. "We Rice University President David W Leebron. don't want this to be like the Dead Sea Scrolls, where they built a big building The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Foundation is providing bridge funding to initiate the project. GHPA has hired Parmita Derden as director of the and restricted access. We're not going to squirrel away our archival materials. We're not like that here. In Houston, we share. " online project. Chase is providing office space for the project staff in the Houston's public and private archives contain a treasure trove of information, historic JPMorganChase Building downtown. but concerns about safety and security often mean these materials are not "Houston is home to 7,000 Chase bankers, and we are happy to provide available for wide use. The Internet offers real promise for making historic a home for the new Museum of Houston and Greater Houston Preservation resources accessible to the largest possible audience, while preserving and Alliance. The JPMorganChase Building is a historic treasure, making it a protecting irreplaceable documents and artifacts. perfect location for honoring and preserving our past," said Will Williams, vice-chairman of Chase's Houston region. The Museum of Houston will offer something for everyone who is interested in Houston history: scholars, teachers, students, genealogists and the Phase One of the Museum of Houston provides a preview of the Web general pUblic. The site will eventually contain hundreds of thousands of site's capabilities and includes a podcast created by Apple Computer digitized letters and documents, publications, maps, photographs, artwork, featuring Mayor White. The site also includes samples of the types of audio and video . The site's search engine will look for documents on a resources that will be accessible through the Museum of Houston. Phase specific topic, place or point in time. All documents will be fully text search Two is targeted for release in the spring of 2007. The focal point of Phase capable, including handwritten manuscripts and letters. Two is the Port of Houston virtual exhibit.
GHPA named National Trust's newest Local Partner In recognition of GHPA's ongoing efforts to create a preservation ethic for the city, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has designated Greater Houston Preservation Alliance as the National Trust's Local Partner for Houston. GHPA becomes one of 57 organizatiOns in the country and five organizations in Texas to carry the Local Partner designation. Trust President Richard Moe made the formal announcement on March 30 during a reception in Houston hosted by Ellen and Matt Simmons. "The National Trust's Partners represent the best of the state and local preservation movement. Thanks to partners like GHPA, the distinct cultural heritage of our nation's communities is being protected for future generations,"
said Moe. and national organizations "In being to build the named a preservation National movement Trust Panner, efficiently and GHPAhas effectively To demonstrat achieve these ed its solid goals, the Trust commitment offers its to strengthPartners grant ening local support, preservation organizational efforts and development assistance, and its success From left , National Trust P,-csident Richard Moe, in building a specialized GHPA Board member Minndtc Boesel and local conworkshops and Houston City Council Member Peter Brown training. stituency for preservation. " "GHPA is proud to be the The National Trust Statewide National Trust's designated Local Partner in Houston," said GHPA and Local Partnerships program was created in 1993 to promote Executive Director Ramona Davis. collaborations between local, state "While GHPA has had a 28-year
association with the Trust, this moves our collaboration to a new level and makes our affiliation official." Currently, 5 7 local organizations and 39 statewide organizations carry the Partner designation. In addition to GHPA, Local Partners in Texas are Galveston Historical Foundation, Historic Fort Worth, Historic Mesquite, Preservation Dallas and San Antonio Conservation SOciety. The Trust's Statewide Partner in Texas is Preservation Texas. Founded in 1949, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities. For additional information, visit
www.nationaltrust.org.
From the Executive Director The recent demolition of the McDonald House in the Heights (see page 2) demonstrates the importance of protecting historic properties under Houston's preservation ordinance. Although the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, a new owner razed the 99-year-old building in January While the National Register provides recognition, it does not prevent listed buildings from being altered or demolished. The only way to protect a building from demolition is to have it designated as a "Protected Landmark" under the City of Houston's historic preservation ordinance. Once designated, protected landmark status travels with the land. The demolition could have been delayed 90 days if the McDonald House had been located in a designated City of Houston Historic District. It is a common misconception that the Heights is a historic district. Despite the brown signs saying "Houston Heights Historic District," the neighborhood is technically a National Register Multiple Resource Area. Residents have never completed the process to have one of our most significant historic neighborhoods deSignated as a City of Houston Historic District. In preservation, the only real protection is local protection. For the first time in its hiStory, Houston has some of the tools needed to protect historic neighborhoods, but they only work if residents use them. Protected status cannot be aSSigned by any government agency or outside entity. Property owners must exercise their rights and apply for historic designation. GHPA can help you with the local designation process. Please contact us at 713-216-5000 or
tmcwhorter@ghpa.org. Working together, we can help ensure that the neighborhood where you bought your home will remain the same neighborhood where you live.
~L Ramona Davis