DECEMBER 2018
BASSETT FARMS CONSERVANCY p 2 2018 MOST ENDANGERED PLACES p 3 2018 HONOR AWARDS p 7
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 COURTNEY HOFFMAN AUSTIN CHARLES JOHN SAN ANTONIO DWAYNE JONES GALVESTON NYDIA TAPIA-GONZALES HARLINGEN
NEW BOARD MEMBER CHARLES JOHN SAN ANTONIO With over 40 years of experience as an architect and interior designer, Charles John, AIA, has been involved with an array of building types with a specialization in the restoration and renovation of historic properties. He is a graduate of both The University of Texas and the University of Houston. His historic preservation projects make bold statements about the history of a significant place, and his adaptive reuse projects have led to the transformation of urban spaces by renewing their economic vitality, restoring their architectural character, and re-establishing their place in the historic context of the urban fabric of a city. Charles has spent time with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was on the Board of the San Antonio Conservation Society for nine years, twelve years on the Bexar County Historical Commission, and currently serves on the Board of Mission Heritage Partners and Texas Dance Hall Preservation.
NEW STAFF MEMBERS ROSS OLIVER PROGRAM COORDINATOR A native of Lampasas, Ross Oliver is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Leadership & Development. Before joining the staff at Preservation Texas, Ross worked for the Texas Legislature during the 81st, 83rd, and 84th legislative sessions, he has run four successful grassroots political campaigns throughout the state of Texas and worked at the Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce.
LYNN VOGT DALLAS GARY WILLIAMS EL PASO
STAFF JANE ASHBURN PROGRAM COORDINATOR ROSS OLIVER PROGRAM COORDINATOR EVAN THOMPSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JANE ASHBURN PROGRAM COORDINATOR Jane Ashburn is the newest addition to the PT staff. She holds a Masters of Science in Historic Preservation with an emphasis on material conservation. Her research focuses on historic architectural finishes as well as apiary architecture, and the effects honeybees can have on cultural resources. She has worked as an Architectural Conservator with RLA Art + Architectural Preservation in Miami and the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in South Carolina, and as a Program Coordinator at Rugby Historic Village in Tennessee. Jane is a Preservation Fellow at the Texas A&M Center for Heritage Conservation.
Cover: The Treviño Uribe Rancho (c.1830) in San Ygnacio features an early stone sundial above the gate. 1
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S LETTER This year-end Preservation Texas publication takes on a new format that will be carried forward in the new year. With the addition of Jane Ashburn to our PT staff, we will be able to produce our newsletters in-house using a template created for us pro bono by Austin-based advertising agency lookthinkmake. In this issue we look back at sites and projects included on our 2018 Most Endangered Places List and recognized with Honor Awards. The 2019 Most Endangered Places List and Honor Awards will be announced in Austin next February at the Preservation Texas Summit — be sure to mark your calendars for an important opportunity for networking and advocacy on February 27-28. We are grateful to the support of the Still Water Foundation for funding that will enable us to improve our website, with a special focus on our Most Endangered Places. Our website is in need of an upgrade and this will be one of our important 2019 projects. Finally, our year-end fundraising campaign is dependent upon your support. Please consider making a charitable contribution to Preservation Texas above and beyond your membership dues either online or using the enclosed envelope. We do not receive any public funding and rely entirely on your generosity to sustain us.
EVAN THOMPSON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
BASSETT FARMS GARAGE CONVERSION COMPLETE BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
Preservation Texas has completed the conversion of a 1,400-square foot mid-20th century garage and storage building into an office, meeting space and apartment at Bassett Farms Conservancy. The footprint of the building and its interior spatial arrangement has been preserved, along with the original metal siding, garage doors, concrete floors and interior wood walls. We can now accommodate small groups for meetings and host visitors, with kitchens, bathrooms and several bedrooms. The $130,000 project was made possible by a final distribution of the estate of Willie Ford (Bassett) Sparkman, who bequeathed the 2,400-acre farm and ranch to Preservation Texas upon her death in 2010. We invite members to visit Bassett Farms Conservancy on May 4, 2019 when we kick-off Preservation Month with an open house and recorded Texas Historic Landmark marker dedication.
The garage now houses a collection of books donated by former board member Lila Knight of Kyle.
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MOST ENDANGERED PLACES 2018 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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SHIP ON THE DESERT (WALLACE E. PRATT HOUSE)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Culberson and Hudspeth Counties This house was designed by Milliken & Blevin, a New York architectural firm, in 1941 for petroleum geologist Wallace E. Pratt. Built to resemble an ocean-going tanker overlooking the desert bed of the ancient Permian Sea, it is an outstanding example of mid-20th century regional modernism. Now owned by the National Park Service, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park staff is completing a preservation plan to address a backlog of deferred maintenance. The house requires a new roof, as well as treatment for water damage and complete interior restoration. Future plans call for Ship on the Desert to be interpreted and open to the public.
DURANGUITO
El Paso, El Paso County A proposed sports arena in the heart of downtown El Paso threatens to erase the architectural and archaeological legacy of one of the oldest settled portions of the city. Numerous National Register-eligible structures will be demolished if a more appropriate downtown location for the arena cannot be found.
NEALE HOUSE
Brownsville, Cameron County This house was built during the mid-1800's by William Neale, a prominent Brownsville pioneer who served as mayor in 1858. It is likely the oldest wood-frame building in Brownsville. It was relocated from Brownsville by its previous owner, Texas Southmost College. It now owned by the City, but possible relocation and restoration will make this landmark accessible to the public.
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MOST ENDANGERED PLACES 2018 DEPOTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS HOUSTON AND TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD PASSENGER DEPOT ADDITION McDade, Bastrop County
This vacant structure was built in 1907. After complaints about the condition of the passenger waiting rooms in the original c. 1870 depot, the Texas Railroad Commission ordered that conditions be improved. The H&TC constructed it as an addition to an earlier depot to serve as segregated waiting rooms. Upon closure of the depot, this 1907 addition was purchased, detached from the original depot and relocated to the main commercial block of McDade for use as the T.E. Dungan Grocery.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC BAGGEGE DEPOT Luling, Caldwell County
In 1987, Luling's old Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio (aka Southern Pacific) depot was cut in two sections. The baggage end was moved north to the site of the "Texas Living Embassy Museum," where it is in serious decay. The waiting room end of the building was moved to Seguin, where it was converted to a house. With the railroad still a prominent physical part of Luling's downtown, salvaging what is left of this depot and returning it to Luling would allow a part of the city's railroading architecture to have a future.
MISSOURI-KANSAS-TEXAS COMBINATION DEPOT San Marcos, Hays County
Completed in January 1894, this wood-frame MKT or "Katy" combination passenger/freight depot was relocated a few blocks from its original trackside location to be converted to a restaurant. Having served that purpose, it is now vacant, and a lack of maintenance is starting to impact the structure. It lacks context and is not very visible, but could become a community focal point if relocated and restored. 5
SANTA FE RAILWAY COMBINATION DEPOT Lometa, Lampasas County
The City of Lometa owns this fine example of a standard Santa Fe "Number 9" plan. However, having been relocated to a new site without a sustainable plan for adaptive use, no progress has been made on the physical preservation of the structure. Detailed documentation by historic preservation students at The University of Texas at Austin (2014) can provide a basis for developing plans and cost estimates for restoration.
GALVESTON, HARRISBURG AND SAN ANTONIO RAILROAD PASSENGER DEPOT Gonzales, Gonzales County
This late-19th century depot is probably the second oldest wood-frame depot to remain on its original site in Central Texas. This is exceedingly unusual, as almost all surviving historic wood-frame depots have been relocated. The structure sits on a 0.54acre lot owned by Union Pacific, and is minimally maintained. It retains integrity of materials, design, workmanship and location.
MISSOURI-KANSAS-TEXAS PASSENGER DEPOT Temple, Bell County
This 110-year-old brick depot on its original site in Temple is notable for its three-story tower. In a city where the Santa Fe dominated, the MKT gave architectural prominence to its much smaller depot. The building is owned by the City of Temple and is used for storage. Temple was founded as a railroad city, and as such preservation of this depot is critical to the development of a heritage tourism economy in Temple.
Image courtesy of Google.
THANK YOU
We are grateful for the generous financial support from the Burdine Johnson Foundation that enabled Preservation Texas to travel and study the history of railroad depots in a 28-county area in Central Texas. This project identified the seven most endangered depots in the region included on our 2018 Most Endangered Places list. Additionally, we were able to identify the oldest surviving depot in Central Texas, the very well preserved depot in Elgin that still stands on its original location. This depot, built in 1871, is shown here to the right. 6
Photo: Interior of the Hotel Emma by Scott Martin
PRESERVATION TEXAS HONOR AWARDS At the 2018 Preservation Texas Summit in Brownsville, Honor Awards were presented to 16 sites recognizing outstanding efforts to save historic places. Visit PreservationTexas.org for more information.
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Old Main at McMurry University
Abilene, Taylor County Built: 1923, 1972 Owner: McMurry University Architect: Rick Weatherl / Weatherl & Associates Engineer: Lloyd Turner / WTA, Inc. Contractor: Jed Crowe / Crowe Group
North Austin Electric Substation at Sparky Park
Austin, Travis County Built: 1930 Owner: City of Austin Parks and Recreation Dept. Architect: Hatch, Ulland, and Owen Architects (h+uo) Contractor: Warden Construction
Webb-Martinez House
Brownsville, Cameron County Built: 1907 Owner: Eddie Lucio III Contractor: Noble Texas Builders
George Kraigher House
Brownsville, Cameron County Built 1937 Owner: City of Brownsville Contractor: Larry Lof
Vance Hotel at Landmark Inn State Historic Site
Castroville, Medina County Built: 1850, 1853, 1860, 1876, 1900 Owner: Texas Historical Commission Architect: Lewis S. Fisher | Fisher Heck Architects Engineer: Amber Gass | 3P|Engineers; Lawrence Calvetti | Calvetti & Assoc. Contractor: Curt Stoddard | JC Stoddard Construction
Hamilton House
Cuero, DeWitt County Built: 1883, 1937 Owner: Robert Oliver Architect: Lewis S. Fisher | Fisher Heck Architects Landscape Architect: Sarah Westkaemper Lake Engineer: Lawrence Calvetti | Calvetti & Associates Contractor: Leonard Tyler 8
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Depot Eagle Lake, Colorado County Built: 1911 Owner: Eagle Lake Depot, Inc. Contractor: Eagle Lake Depot, Inc.
Martin Building
El Paso, El Paso County Built: 1917 Owner: Lane Gaddy Architect: Michael Hsu- Office of Architecture Contractor: F.T. James Construction and Dantex Construction
Hotel Emma (The Pearl Brewhouse)
San Antonio, Bexar County Built: 1894, 1895, 1896, Owner: Pearl BH Hospitality, LLC Architect: Gary Koerner, AIA, President /Three: Living Architecture Landscape Architect: Rialto Studio Engineer: Mel Danysh, PE / Danysh & Associates, Inc. Structural Engineers Contractor: Harvey Cleary Builders
Heights Theatre
Houston, Harris County Built: 1929, 1935 Owner: Edwin Cabaniss Architect: Robert Meckfessel, DSGN Associates Inc. Engineer: Todd Santee P.E., Insight Structures; Cody French P.E., CFI Companies Contractor: Edwin Cabaniss
Melrose Building
Houston, Harris County Built: 1952 Owner: Gary Prosterman Architect: Gerard Robinson, BECK Landscape Architect: Kimberly Horn Engineer: Mechanical: Blum Consulting Engineers. Structural: Brocket Davis Drake (Dallas) Contractor: BECK
Whitehall (Polley Mansion)
near Sutherland Springs, Wilson County Built: 1848, 1852 Owner: Keith and Robin Muschalek
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HemisFair Houses (Koehler and Espinoza Houses)
San Antonio, Bexar County Built: circa 1850 Owner: The Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation Architect: Lewis S. Fisher | Fisher Heck Architects Landscape Architect: Larry Clark | Bender Wells Clark Design Engineer: Scott Tak | Alpha Consulting Engineers Contractor: Curt Stoddard | JC Stoddard Construction
HemisFair Houses (Pereida House)
San Antonio, Bexar County Built: circa 1850 Owner: The Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation Architect: Lewis S. Fisher | Fisher Heck Architects Landscape Architect: Larry Clark | Bender Wells Clark Design Engineer: Scott Tak | Alpha Consulting Engineers Contractor: Curt Stoddard | JC Stoddard Construction
TreviĂąo-Uribe Rancho
San Ygnacio, Zapata County Built: 1830, 1851, 1854, 1871 Owner: The River Pierce Foundation Architect: Frank Rotnofsky, Frank Architects Inc. Engineer: Synergy Engineering Contractor: Briscoe Architectural Conservation
PRESERVATION TEXAS AUSTIN OFFICE RELOCATION As of November 1, Preservation Texas is sharing office space with the Texas Historical Foundation in downtown Austin. Founded in 1954, the Foundation is a fellow nonprofit organization that supports historic preservation, research and publication through a generous grant-making program. The office is located just two blocks from the Capitol at 9th and San Jacinto.
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NONPROFIT ORG. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID AUSTIN TX PERMIT NO. 2571
P.O. Box 12832 Austin, Texas 78711
Christmas Lights on Congress Avenue, January 1, 1947. Neal Douglass, photographer. Austin History Center
2019 PRESERVATION TEXAS SUMMIT FEBRUARY 27 - 28 | AUSTIN
Join us for the 2019 Preservation Texas Summit in Austin! On February 27, an afternoon of advocacy training will be followed by the 2019 Preservation Texas Honor Awards celebration at the historic Paramount Theatre. On February 28, we will announce the 2019 Most Endangered Places list at the Capitol, visit with legislators and end the day with a reception at historic Scholz Garten. Visit PreservationTexas.org for more information.
