April Newsletter
APRIL 10, 2023
2023 Most Endangered Places List
Nominations for the 2023 list of Texas's Most Endangered Places are due by 5:00pm on Friday April 14th!
Preservation Texas welcomes nominations that represent a range of preservation threats. Of particular interest in 2023 are nominations that seek to address threats to:
Indigenous history
Properties associated with Texas artists and writers
Brutalist architecture
Small town cotton gins, mills, or similar industrial sites
19th & 20th century sharecropping sites (dwellings, farmsteads, communities)
Sites associated with Women's Suffrage in Texas
Sites in the Big Spring-Midland-Odessa region
Visit PreservationTexas.org/MEP2023 for more information. The final list will be announced at the North Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit in Mineral Wells on May 11th.
North Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit in Mineral Wells May 11th
You're invited to the North Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit on Thursday May 11, 2023 from 12:00 - 4:00pm at the Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells.
The Summit is designed to educate local preservationists and build grassroots support and capacity for historic preservation. A range of speakers will discuss preservation strategies and initiatives, with content and case studies tailored to North Central Texas.
For more information, visit preservationtexas.org/nctxsummit.
Photo: Postcard of Mineral Wells Welcome Sign, UNT Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, crediting Mineral Wells Heritage Association.
2023 Honor Award Nominations
2023 Honor Award nominations are open NOW through May 31st!
Presented every other year, Preservation Texas Honor Awards recognize outstanding efforts to restore, preserve, rehabilitate or reconstruct historic places that have been individually included on the Most Endangered Places list or relate to a previous thematic listing. Partially-completed projects are ineligible as well as projects completed more than three years ago.
The nomination form as well as a complete list of Most Endangered Places thematic listings can be found at PreservationTexas.org/HonorAwards.
Honor Award winning projects will be announced later this summer. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments and sharing them statewide!
Photo: The rehabilitation of the English-German School in Cuero was recognized with a Preservation Texas Honor Award in 2021.
Statewide Preservation News
CORPUS CHRISTI: OTJ Architects will help bring the Ritz back to its original 1929 charm
The Board of Directors for CCPATCH are excited to announce OTJ Architects has been officially signed as the architect of record to restore The Ritz Theatre…
DECATUR: Wise County Heritage Museum lost to blaze
The Wise County Heritage Museum, a fundamental piece of Wise County and Decatur’s past, suffered a devastating fire…
EL PASO: County Commissioners look to discuss future of Duranguito with city leaders
In an attempt to preserve the Union Plaza neighborhood, a grassroots organization called Paso Del Sur asked El Paso County Commissioners to step in and help…
EL PASO: Preservation Texas discusses plans for West Texas Regional Office
Join El Paso History Radio Show host Andrew J. Polk and guests Senator Jose Rodriguez and Dr. Max Grossman along with Evan Thompson, executive director of Preservation Texas as they discuss local preservation issues…
GATESVILLE: County Historical Commission in need of courthouse construction photos
The Coryell County Courthouse will celebrate its 125th anniversary honoring the completion of the courthouse construction in 1898. The Coryell County Historical Commission needs your help…
MEXIA: Efforts to preserve legendary songwriter Cindy Walker's home are underfoot
Fans hope to preserve Cindy Walker’s home for future generations as a tribute to her legacy and a point of pride for her adopted hometown…
PALACIOS: Luther Hotel temporary restraining order extended to June
The Luther Hotel in Palacios is at risk of being demolished but the date to demolish it has been pushed back. The first planned demolition date was in December of 2022…
STATEWIDE: The Smithsonian is coming to town!
The Texas Historical Commission’s Heritage Tourism Program is partnering with the Smithsonian Institution to bring the Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition to Texas. Six rural communities will be selected to host an exhibit for six weeks each. Applications are open through May 15…
Upcoming Events
TEHUACANA HERITAGE HAYRIDE TOUR
Tehuacana: Join Tehuacana Heritage Society on Saturday April 15th during the annual Bluebonnet Festival for an informative hayride tour featuring the Historic Resources of Tehuacana, included on Preservation Texas's 2022 Most Endangered Places list. Tours will run every half hour from 11:00am-2:00pm, starting at the "old gym" (near 204 Railroad St.) and ending with a rare visit inside! Learn more here.
AN EVENING IN THE GARDEN: WILLIS WINTERS ON CHARLES DILBECK
Dallas: Join the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art for a garden party and lecture by architect, former director of Dallas Parks, and Preservation Texas board President-elect Willis Winters. Mr. Winters will share details of the life and architecture of Charles Stevens Dilbeck. The lecture will take place at a private residence designed by Dilbeck from 6:00-8:30pm on Thursday April 20th. Learn more here.
CABINET OAK PROJECT
Hye: Sponsored by the Friends of LBJ National Historical Park, more than 50 artists are working with pieces from a fallen branch of the Cabinet Oak, a 300-year-old tree adjacent to the “Texas White House” on the LBJ Ranch, to create a range of artwork. Art will be available for purchase in an online auction and a live auction/celebration event on Saturday May 6th. Proceeds will benefit programs at the LBJ National Historical Park, including restoration of the Texas White House and establishment of an artist-in-residence program. Learn more and get tickets here.
Preservation Month 2023
May is National Historic Preservation Month! Preservation Texas has created a web page to promote Preservation Month events and programs taking place across the state during the month of May. Visit preservationtexas.org/preservationmonth.
Are you planning a Preservation Month event? Send the details to Samantha Hunick at hunick@preservationtexas.org to have your event added to the web page.
Our work is made possible by our members.
Preservation Texas is the advocate for the historic and cultural resources of Texas. We are a private, member-supported nonprofit organization and do not receive any operational funding from the government.
2023 Business Sponsors
