October Newsletter
October 22, 2024
PT NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
WELCOMING TWO NEW MEMBERS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
At their quarterly meeting in Nacogdoches earlier this month, the Board of Directors of Preservation Texas elected two new board members who will begin their three-year terms in January 2025.
FRANK AINSA, JR. (Austin)
Frank is an accomplished attorney, originally from El Paso. A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Army's Berlin Brigade from 1968-1970. Frank is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Texas, as well as numerous other courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He has dedicated much of his career to commercial real estate and construction law, with a focus on litigation and regulatory issues. His practice also includes subspecialty in the law of religious organizations. Frank’s legal achievements include leading the recent efforts to protect historic buildings in El Paso’s Duranguito neighborhood from demolition. Currently residing in Austin, Frank has a keen interest in promoting the value of historic preservation in Texas.
ALLISON ELDER (San Antonio)
A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, Allison has dedicated her professional career and volunteer efforts to protecting the natural and historic resources of Texas. Currently serving as Of Counsel at the law firm of Elder Bray & Bankler in San Antonio, her legal practice focuses on conservation easement matters as well as traditional real estate transactions. Allison previously served as the Director of Legal Services for the San Antonio River Authority from 2015 to 2023. Her experience also includes roles as Vice-President and General Counsel for the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Senior Attorney at Braun & Gresham, and Executive Director of Green Spaces Alliance.
PRESERVATION TEXAS RURAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE PROGRAM UPDATES
Major progress has been made in administering our Texas Rural African-American Heritage Grants Program in 2024, led by our Endangered Properties Manager Conor Herterich. One of the program's goals is to list all of the participating properties on the National Register of Historic Places which would represent a significant increase in the number of rural, historic Black buildings on the Register in Texas. The Concord Rosenwald School in Rusk County and the Palacios Colored School in Matagorda County were recently added to the Register, and draft nominations for six other properties have been submitted to the Texas Historical Commission for review!
Construction has also started on several projects. The 1925 Concord Rosenwald School near Mount Enterprise (Rusk County) has received a new foundation in preparation for wall stabilization and a new roof which will be funded by Preservation Texas.
The 1893 Mount Zion United Methodist Episcopal Church in Belton (Bell County) has begun the process of restoring the historic windows and repairing the bell tower.
Crews working on the 1942 Macedonia Rock School in Linden (Cass County) have removed the non-historic wall paneling and drop ceiling, and opened the infilled windows back to their historic dimensions in preparation for the installation of wood windows custom built to match the originals.
Preservation Texas anticipates activity to continue to ramp up into 2025 with six properties still to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and six more projects scheduled to start construction.
2024 HISTORIC LOG BUILDING SUMMIT REPORT
The 2024 Preservation Texas Historic Log Building Summit was held in Nacogdoches earlier this month. The event was attended by people from across the Northeast Texas region and beyond, who had the opportunity to explore log building history, tradition, and folklore, discuss best-practices in log building stewardship, and learn from experts in the field about their varied approaches to preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of historic log structures. Attendees also enjoyed the opportunity to network with like-minded peers and gain insights from another’s experiences.
UPCOMING EVENTS
CENTRAL TEXAS FIELD TRIP TO LAMPASAS NOVEMBER 2nd
Preservation Texas members are invited to join us on Saturday, November 2nd for a field trip to Lampasas! This event is free for Preservation Texas members and registration is limited to 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
The event will kick off with an orientation and breakfast at the newly restored Keystone Star Hotel in historic downtown Lampasas, followed by an exclusive opportunity to tour two rarely-open, unrestored buildings in East Lampasas - the Lampasas Colored School and New Hope Baptist Church. These circa 1920 buildings are among the last surviving emblems of the historic Black community of East Lampasas that has now largely disappeared from the area. In addition, participants will have a chance to visit the nearby ruins of the 1855 Moses Hughes Mill and Dam on Sulphur Creek. The newly formed nonprofit Lampasas Conservancy has plans to save and repurpose these imperiled sites, which were included on our Most Endangered Places List in 2023.
During the tour, participants will be guided through the process of investigating historic buildings and cultural landscapes to discover evidence of a place’s origins, past use, and evolution, while learning how to think about historic sites from the point of view of a preservationist.
Current members can register in their online Preservation Texas account portal while spots remain. Once logged in, click “Register for Events” in the left sidebar menu.
LUNCH & LEARN MEMBER WEBINAR SERIES
Preservation Texas has launched a monthly Lunch & Learn Member Webinar Series designed to provide educational content on preservation, architecture, and history-related topics as a benefit to our members. Our October webinar was held last week on the topic of finding the historic Trammel's Trace trail, presented by Gary L. Pinkerton. We extend our sincere thanks to Gary for an excellent presentation! Current PT members can watch the recording of this webinar in their online Preservation Texas account portal.
NOVEMBER WEBINAR: Saving the Luther Hotel
With Margaret Doughty and Edith Gower, Palacios Preservation Association
November 20, 2024 at 12:00 p.m.
Be inspired by Margaret and Edith's grassroots fight to save the historic Luther Hotel from destruction against all odds! Participants will hear the incredible story of How Two “Little Old Ladies” Saved the Most Endangered Building in Texas.
Current PT members can register to attend this webinar in their Preservation Texas account portal. Once logged in, click "Webinar Registration" in the left sidebar menu. If you are not a member, we'd love to have you join or renew!
REAL PLACES CONFERENCE 2025
Preservation Texas staff will be participating in two different panels at the Texas Historical Commission's annual statewide Real Places Conference happening April 23 - 25, 2025 in Austin.
The first panel, "Turning Perceived Liabilities into Tangible Assets in Texas Border Communities" was developed by staff members Jesus Najar and Conor Herterich. This session will identify challenges faced by border communities who are working to preserve their cultural heritage and explore ways to engage, organize, and direct preservation advocacy at the local level.
Pictured: Brownsville (Cameron County)
The second panel, "Secret Ingredients for a Successful Preservation Grant Project", will present opportunities, pitfalls, and strategies to utilize when applying for preservation funding. As a panelist, Conor Herterich will share what he has learned administering a $750,000 National Park Service preservation grant that supports rural economic development through brick and mortar preservation projects.
