February Newsletter
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
2023 MOST ENDANGERED PLACES LIST
Nominations to our 2023 list of Texas's Most Endangered Places are open NOW through April 14th! The final list will be announced in May during National Historic Preservation Month. We welcome a geographically, culturally, and architecturally diverse range of submissions.
The annual Most Endangered Places (MEP) list is a signature program of Preservation Texas which has spotlighted imperiled historic places across Texas since 2004. The MEP list is designed to draw statewide attention to Endangered Places so that local advocates can build momentum toward their protection. Preservation Texas can also provide technical assistance and letters of support for sites that have been included on the list. Visit PreservationTexas.org/MEP to learn more.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
Preservation Texas's Board of Directors had their first meeting of 2023 in Austin last weekend. Two new Board members, William Batson and Dodie Juarez-Scott were welcomed to the organization.
2023 OFFICERS:
Charles John, President
Willis Winters, President Elect
Ron Siebler, Treasurer
Sue Lazara, Vice President
Charlene Orr, Secretary
Members of the Board serve as volunteers and meet quarterly around the state. Upcoming meetings are scheduled to take place in Mineral Wells (May), Cuero (August) and Beaumont (November).
STATEWIDE & NATIONAL PRESERVATION NEWS
BELTON: 130-year-old Belton church receives $100k restoration grant
Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Belton, the second oldest Black church in Texas, will receive a $100,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserving Black Churches grant program...
DALLAS: Deep Ellum to be considered for National Register of Historic Places
As Deep Ellum celebrates a historic anniversary, the Dallas entertainment district could also soon add a prestigious, historic title to its name…
EL PASO: Restore Sacred Heart Church - Please Donate!
Sacred Heart Church, built in 1893, is the most important building in the Segundo Barrio of El Paso. To date, approximately $500,000 of the needed $3,000,000 has been raised for the restoration project…
HOUSTON: A new district designation could be the answer to preserving some historic Houston neighborhoods
Houston’s planning and development department is proposing the city add a Conservation District to its Preservation Ordinance…
LONGVIEW: Californian heads effort to preserve remaining LeTourneau concrete homes
Komatsu is open to discussing a plan to preserve two rare surviving Tournalaid homes located on their property…
MIDLAND: George W. Bush’s Childhood Home Joins Texas Historical Commission Family of Sites
Nowhere else in the United States, other than the White House, have so many prominent political figures lived in one home…
the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has announced the 35 historic Black churches across the United States that will benefit from the first round of funding in the Action Fund’s Preserving Black Churches...
PALACIOS: Fate of Luther Hotel lies in February 16th hearing
The Palacios Preservation Association has worked hard to keep the Luther Hotel standing for one more week. The historic landmark risks demolition from the Ed Rachal Foundation…
PALESTINE: Historic Palestine church on Texas ‘most endangered places’ list awarded $75,000 for repairs
Mount Vernon African Methodist Episcopal Church in Palestine is one step closer to reopening their doors with this $75,000 grant from Preservation Texas…
SAN ANTONIO: The Alamo’s New Battle Plan
A $500 million restoration seeks to reverse almost two centuries of cultural and physical neglect at the most popular historic site in Texas…
WICHITA FALLS: Indiana Avenue wins historical designation
A portion of Indiana Avenue in downtown Wichita Falls has received designation as a National Register Historic District…
PRESERVATION TEXAS PROGRAMS
HOPEWELL CEMETERY CLEAN-UP DAY
Volunteers are needed to assist with cleanup of the historic Hopewell Cemetery at Bassett Farms Conservancy in eastern Falls County on Saturday February 25th. If you would like to volunteer, please e-mail us at bassettfarms@preservationtexas.org.
HONOR AWARDS
Presented every other year, Preservation Texas Honor Awards recognize outstanding efforts to restore, preserve, rehabilitate or reconstruct historic places. Nominations for this year's Honor Awards will be open from March 1st - May 31st.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION MONTH
May is National Historic Preservation Month, and Preservation Texas is planning to coordinate a range of events focused on sites that have been included on our Most Endangered Places list. Activities will range from public open houses to special media events that will draw increased awareness to these significant places, whether they have been saved or still await preservation work. Stay tuned for more information to come.
REGIONAL EVENTS
This September, Preservation Texas will host a Central Texas Regional Meeting in San Marcos, as well as a Northeast Texas Regional Meeting in Tyler. Both programs will be organized around the topic "How to Save an Endangered Place" with regionalized content and case studies presented at each event. Stay tuned for more information to come.
PRESERVATION TEXAS 2023 PROGRAM GUIDE
View our 2023 Program Guide and other publications on Issuu.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SAVING SOCIAL SPACES
College Station: Texas A&M University's Center for Heritage Conservation will hold its 24th annual symposium on Saturday March 4th from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (CST).
The registration deadline is Wednesday March 1st at noon CST. Register HERE.
AN EMPIRE ON PARADE: THE TEXAS CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION AT FAIR PARK
Dallas: Jim Parsons & David Bush, authors of Fair Park Deco, will give a presentation on the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition for Dallas Historical Society on Thursday evening, March 30th.
The program is free and open to the public. It will be held at the recently restored Hall of State in Fair Park. Learn more HERE.
