|
PRESERVATION TEXAS Announces
ITS FIFTH ANNUAL LIST OF TEXAS’ MOST ENDANGERED
HISTORIC PLACES
Preservation Texas officials announced the
selections on the steps of the Texas State Capitol on February 8,
Preservation Day 2008.
Preservation Texas, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit
organization that advocates for preserving the historic resources in
Texas.
Preservation Texas named its first list of
endangered historic sites in 2004. Several sites recognized by
Preservation Texas have benefited from inclusion on the list of
Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places through energized
conservation efforts, commitments for restoration, and additional
funding.
The 2008 list of Texas’ Most Endangered
Historic Places includes:
STATEWIDE SITES
Texas Dance Halls
"Our 2008 endangered list recognizes an
important statewide trend—the neglect of Texas dance halls and the
negative impact of suburban development encroachment on the cultural
history of Texas," said Libby Buuck, president of Preservation
Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation. "True Texas treasures, many of our classic dance
halls were founded by fraternal orders, singing societies, gun clubs
and agricultural organizations. Many had their roots in the
traditions of Czech and German immigrants as well as in the Mexican
American and African America cultures. They have been such an
important part of our heritage that it is easy to take them for
granted. By calling attention to the demise of these dance halls, we
want to encourage residents to act while there’s still time."
Texas dance halls that for decades have preserved
the cultural traditions of our state are among the 13 sites that
Preservation Texas, Inc. has named to its fifth annual list of Texas’
Most Endangered Historic Places.
As Texas was settled, a dance hall was one of the
first public buildings constructed in nearly every town and hamlet.
Texas dance halls have served and continue to function as meeting
spaces and the sites of social events. They contribute to the
development of country-western and conjunto music. They preserve the
cultural traditions of many ethnic groups who immigrated to Texas
and settled here.
Today, as communities change and populations
increase, dance halls are threatened by neglect, encroaching
suburban development, and large-scale transportation projects.
Population shifts from rural to urban areas, in particular by
younger residents, leave behind a shrinking base of support for the
halls at a local level. While many dance halls are open to the
public for dancing and other events on a regular basis, many more
have been dismantled, converted for use as antique shops or hay
barns, or simply abandoned. The lack of public awareness is another
threat to the preservation of dance halls. Many people do not
realize that several hundred dance halls exist.
This statewide trend is represented by
Austin Area
- Bellville Turnverein, Bellville, Austin County
- Luckenbach Hall, south of Fredericksburg, Gillespie County
San Antonio Area
- Bandera Cabaret Dance Hall, Bandera
- Quihi Gun Club, Castroville
- Anhalt Verin Hall, Anhalt
- Schroeder Dance Hall, Yorktown
Houston Area
- DeAnda’s Dance Hall, 5201 Hopper Road
- Double Bayou Dance Hall, Anahuac, Liberty County
Dallas Area
- Sons of Hermann Hall, Elm and Exposition
- Cotton Club, Fair Grounds
CENTRAL TEXAS
Dr. James Lee Dickey House
500 Burkett Street
Taylor, Williamson County
Dr. Dickey (1893-1959) was an advocate for health
care and civil rights in Taylor and was recognized for his tireless
efforts to improve the lives of African Americans there. He created
a vaccination program to fight a typhoid fever outbreak that
occurred in 1933 and established a prenatal and venereal disease
clinic. Additionally, Dr. Dickey worked with others in Taylor to
develop a community center and recreational facilities for young
African Americans. In 1953, Dr. Dickey was honored as Taylor’s
Citizen of the Year and as General Practitioner of Year by the Lone
Star State Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association.
In 1997 Dr. Dickey’s house was dedicated as the
future home of the Dickey Museum. In June 2007, the Blackshear/O.L.
Price Ex-Student Association along with the Williamson County
Historical Museum and the Williamson County Historical Commission
unveiled a Texas Historical Marker at the site. It is estimated that
the Dickey house needs $100,000 in structural and roof repairs.
Barker-Huebinger Rock House
FM 539, 5 miles north of Sutherland Springs, Wilson County
The Barker-Huebinger House was constructed in
1871 by Emory and Leah Barker on their 260-acre property. The red
sandstone dwelling, adjacent building, and hand-dug well are located
on FM 539, an early road that is currently being developed as a
history trail. The rough-cut, sandstone walls of the main dwelling
and adjacent building were laid in regular and irregular courses and
the corners were detailed with quoins. The four-room house with an
enclosed dogtrot hall and three fireplaces served as the Barker’s
home until 1879. In 1916, the property was purchased by Rudolph
Huebinger and has remained in the family’s ownership.
The buildings have been vacant for many years and
have been subject to inappropriate repairs. The current owner is
interested in restoring the buildings but the cost of the project is
overwhelming.
DALLAS/FORT WORTH METROPLEX
Statler Hilton Hotel
1914 Commerce Street,
Dallas, Dallas County
Completed in 1956 at a cost of $16 million, the
Statler Hotel was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly
three decades and the largest convention facility built in the
South. It stands 19 stories high and included 1,000 guest rooms and
a ballroom that could accommodate 2,200 standing. When it opened, it
was hailed as the first glass and metal hotel in the nation. The
architect, William Tabler of New York, designed a Y-shaped building
that employed a flat-slab structural system, the first full
application of its kind. Tabler also designed a thin curtain wall
and faced the building with glass and porcelain painted panels. The
hotel’s sheer size, bold form and exuberate blue panels make it an
icon of mid-century Modern design. Its innovative features,
particularly its structural system and thin exterior walls, make it
a significant contributor to the Modern movement in Dallas, and for
the state of Texas.
Today the building sits vacant, underutilized and
unappreciated. In 2003, the main building was temporarily saved from
demolition, but the parking garage was lost. When an entire city
block recently was cleared for construction on a new city park, it
opened up views of the Statler, increasing its prominence. The
remaining three sides of the park all contain historic complexes.
The Statler Hilton Hotel is the only building facing the park that
is vulnerable to demolition, and it sits on an increasingly
attractive piece of real estate.
Livestone Lodge #152
1801 Beaumont
Grand Prairie, Dallas County
Built in 1903, the lodge building was constructed
near the African American community known as "The Line" as
it was a row of homesteads owned by recently freed slaves. The Lodge
building was used for other community activities for "The
Line" residents in addition to its use for Lodge meetings.
According to residents, the Lodge building was also used as a school
house and church. In 1944, the Lodge building was relocated to its
present location in the Dalworth community and continued to serve
the same purposes as it did at is original site.
The Livestone Lodge suffers from neglect and the
lack of funds to preserve the building. The members of the Livestone
Lodge are also interested in learning more about the history of the
building by conducting oral histories.
Texas & Pacific Warehouse
200-300 Blocks of West Lancaster Avenue
Fort Worth, Tarrant County
The Texas & Pacific Warehouse was constructed
in 1931 as a part of a three building complex along Fort Worth’s
Front Street, renamed Lancaster Avenue for Texas & Pacific
Railway’s President, John Lancaster. In addition to the warehouse,
the complex includes the Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal and
the United States Post Office, designed by Fort Worth architect
Wyatt C. Hedrick. The eight-story warehouse is a muted version of
the taller and more embellished passenger terminal building. Both
buildings have elements of the Zig-Zag Moderne style present in the
early Art Deco period.
The Texas & Pacific Warehouse is endangered
due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Currently the basement is
filled with several feet of water. Previous owners had started
renovations to the building and left the building open to damage
from water. If the building is not maintained, the integrity of the
reinforced concrete structure will eventually be compromised by the
infiltration of water.
AMARILLO AREA
Booker T. Washington School
Wellington, Collingsworth County
The school played a key role in the development
of the African-American communities in Wellington and nearby towns.
The Booker T. Washington School is believed to be the first brick
school for African-American children in West Texas, and the two-room
structure cost $5,000 to build. The first senior graduated from
Booker T. Washington in 1951. Alumni held their first reunion in
1983 and attracted 300 ex-students to Wellington for a celebration
that has grown into an annual event.
The restoration would provide a focal point for
African-American residents and visitors, especially as the alumni
association becomes stronger. Most importantly, it can be reborn as
a living testament to the courage of African-American people in the
Texas Panhandle who struggled against prejudice and ignorance to
make better lives in spite of the obstacles placed in their paths.
And for younger residents who have no experience with segregation
and officially sanctioned oppression, it can provide a living
history lesson and a warning to future generations.
The building itself is a ruin, with no roof, and
failing walls. The roof structure has completely collapsed,
threatening to pull in what remains of the walls. The City of
Wellington has secured the site and has offered assistance in
keeping it clean and keeping the grounds mowed. The City of
Wellington and Historic Wellington Inc. have offered their help in
preserving the site and are hopeful that the current owner will
donate the property, but no agreements have yet been reached.
ABILENE AREA
First Christian Church
508 Avenue C
Santa Anna, Coleman County
Constructed in 1901, the First Christian Church
is the oldest church building in Santa Anna. Many of the exterior
and interior detailing remain such as the clapboard siding,
wainscoting, pews, and pulpit. The congregation still uses the
church building every Sunday for Bible study, however, church
services are held only once a month since the congregation has been
without a pastor since 1995. The First Christian Church is a
Register Texas Historic Landmark.
With an aging and diminishing congregation, the
church building has not been maintained. The existing asphalt
shingle roof was added in the 1960s and the building has not been
painted since the late 1970s. The congregation and its supporters
need professional guidance in maintaining and preserving the church
for future generations and the community of Santa Anna.
CORPUS CHRISTI AREA
Port of El Copano
Near Bayside, Refugio County
El Copano was established in 1722 by the Spanish
to service the missions and military garrisons at Refugio, Goliad,
and San Antonio. Wharves, warehouse, and commercial establishments
were built as seagoing vessels moved cargo and people. El Copano was
the main port of entry for Irish immigrants during the 1820s and
1830s Empresario period. The port was also used during the Texas
Revolution and the Civil War.
Bypassed by the railroad and hit by hurricanes,
the port eventually declined. Most of the structures at El Copano
were constructed of shellcrete masonry and there are two known
cemeteries on the site. The 10-foot bluff on which the port was
built is eroding into the bay and only a few structures survive.
Additionally, no public roads lead to the site and this has added to
obscurity of the site. The site is owned by an estate and the heirs
have not been able to agree on the maintenance of the site.
EL PASO
The Caples Building
300 E. San Antonio
El Paso, El Paso County
Designed by Henry C. Trost for Richard Caples, a
former mayor of El Paso, the 1909 commercial building was the first
reinforced concrete structure in El Paso. The Caples Building
originally was constructed as a five-story, U-shaped building, and
in 1915-1916Trost was commissioned to design two additional stories.
In the early 1910s, Francisco I. Madero used the top floors of the
building as the headquarters for his provisional government and
frequent occupants consisted of members of the "junto"
such as Alberto Fuentes, Braulio Hernandez, and Francisco "Pancho"
Villa. The Caples Building is listed in the National Register of
Historic Places and the El Paso Historic Register
The building is in poor condition due to neglect.
Most of the glass is missing from the windows and as a result,
plywood covers many of the openings. The brick and decorative tile
on the facades is loose and, in some sections, is missing. The
building is in the center of the El Paso Downtown Redevelopment Plan
and raising the building’s profile and educating residents about
its historic significance will help in its preservation.
GALVESTON
Hendley Building
2000-2016 Strand Avenue
Galveston, Galveston County
The Hendley Building is the oldest remaining
commercial building in Galveston. Constructed in 1860, the Greek
Revival-style building is actually four, attached brick buildings
located in the Strand National Historic Landmark District. The
building was constructed to serve as offices for brothers William
and Joseph Hendley, cotton and commission merchants. The building
served as a Confederate watch tower during the Civil War.
The first floor of the building was last used by
a produce distributor in 2000 and subsequently, has been vacant. The
Galveston Historical Foundation hired an engineering firm to provide
a structural assessment of the building and it was estimated that
$170,000 was needed to stabilize the building and to prevent further
water infiltration.
JEFFERSON
Citizens Savings Bank Building
111 Walnut Street
Jefferson, Marion County
The Citizens Savings Bank building was
constructed in 1871 during the commercial boom of Jefferson. The
property was sold in 1897 and is currently owned by a private
individual. Representative of small towns in Texas, the former
two-story commercial building has not been maintained and has been
vacant for several years. Currently, the owner is seeking to sell
the building for a large profit.
LUBBOCK AREA
Mallet Ranch Headquarters Court
3917 Wrangler Road
Sundown, Hockley County
The Mallet Ranch, located approximately 45 miles
southwest of Lubbock, was established by David DeVitt and John
Scharbauer in 1895. DeVitt and Scharbauer purchased 53,000 acres on
the Llano Estacado. Constructed between 1895 and 1948, the ranch
headquarters still has five of the original headquarter structures.
The ranch is located in the center of Slaughter Oil Field, the
second largest oil field in Texas.
The buildings and headquarters court area
represent the owners’ effort to establish and maintain a quality
lifestyle on an isolated West Texas ranch. Today it is an intact
example of an early twentieth century ranching enterprise. The
buildings and the headquarters court have been neglected since the
death of David DeVitt’s daughter Christine DeVitt in 1983. The
Mallet Ranch/Llano Estacado Heritage Foundation has developed a plan
of creating an outdoor education center that will allow visitors to
experience the ranch in situ instead of relocating the ranch
headquarters. However, due to neglect, the ranch structures are
losing authenticity and integrity that cannot be replicated if
deterioration continues.
Preservation Texas’ Most Endangered Historic
Places program is funded by generous grants from the Burdine Johnson
Foundation and Texas Historical Commission. Through its list of
Texas' Most Endangered Historic Places, Preservation Texas is
working in tandem with the Texas Historical Commission's (THC)
Historic Endangered Landmarks Program (HELP), which identifies,
tracks and publicizes endangered historic properties in Texas. The
THC maintains a statewide database of identified properties that can
be used to direct assistance to the historic properties that most
need it. If you know of an endangered historic property in your
community, please complete and submit an Endangered Historic
Property Identification Form that can be downloaded from the THC Web
site at www.thc.state.tx.us.
For more information on Texas' Most Endangered
Historic Places, visit our Web site at www.preservationtexas.org,
or phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102. |
