| CENTRAL
TEXAS
Congress
Avenue Historic District, 1839
Austin, Travis County
 Congress
Avenue is one of the most important and recognizable streets
in Texas. Its birth can be traced to 1839 with Edwin Waller's
plan to build Texas' new capitol city. Congress Avenue is
and has been home to many architectural jewels designed by
Jacob Lamour and other noted architects, though many of these
properties have been razed. A popular tourist destination,
it is seen by many who travel to Austin and who admire the
impressive capitol of Texas. With few protected buildings
and no guidelines for compatible new construction, changes
are eroding the character, sense of scale and design of Congress
Avenue. The City of Austin only recently amended its ordinance
to make historic districts feasible and thus the avenue's
streetscape has no local protection. Though designated a National
Register District in 1978, additional, uncontrolled changes
will jeopardize its continued eligibility for the designation.
Zedler's
Mill, 1874
Luling, Caldwell County
 The
historic Zedler Mill site represents Texas' industrial heritage.
Located on the banks of the San Marcos River, this architectural
treasure was built in 1874 and originally included a sawmill,
a gristmill, and a cotton gin. Today the Zedler Mill complex
consists of the 1900 Fritz Zedler home and seven other structures
on nine acres. Architectural features include wooden feed
shutes, wooden pulleys, massive beams, two-story internal
grain bins, and belt-and-cup type grain elevators. All machinery
was driven by waterpower from Leffel water wheels. The City
of Luling purchased the mill in 2003. The site is endangered
due to years of neglect. Read
the press release.
Winkler
House, circa 1845
Castroville, Medina County
Winkler
House is a pristine pioneer dwelling dating from the colonization period of
Castroville, circa 1845. The house is unique in that it has not been updated
or remodeled. It has its original roof shingles, the tin roof added in the
1880s, and the original dog-trot log barn adjoining the house. This building
is important to the community and state as it is one of the few surviving original
Alsatian immigrant homes. Located within the boundaries of the City of Castroville
Historic District and National Register Historic District, Winkler House is
endangered due to neglect. Read the presss
release.
 January
2006
The house has a temporary roof and the windows are
secured.
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DALLAS/FORT
WORTH METROPLEX
Residential
Teardowns in Inner-City Neighborhoods
Early 20th Century
Dallas, Dallas County
 With
bungalows, Tudor Revival styles as well as modern houses,
Dallas' early 20th century neighborhoods are experiencing
a significant loss in residential fabric. Literally each week,
houses are demolished to make way for new McMansions or houses
taking advantage of the larger allowable building envelope.
The neighborhoods of Vickery Place, North Preston Hollow,
and Lakewood Heights have lost as many as one-third of their
older houses. The adjoining cities of Highland Park and University
Park also are experiencing an alarming number of teardowns
in some cases losing important architectural landmarks like
the Howard Meyer designed house at 4400 Rheims Place. The
City of Dallas is working with local preservationists and
neighborhood organizations to abate the flood of demolitions
with local zoning and land use planning tools. Despite these
efforts, the demolitions continue at a steady pace throughout
the Dallas area. Read
the press release.
Iron Bridges
of Collin County, circa World War I
Sister Grove Creek, Collin County
The iron bridges of Collin County are the last one-lane,
World War I era, iron open-truss bridges to cross Sister
Grove Creek. They are still in their original locations.
The bridges serve the last truly wild and scenic roads
in Collin County. Each is 60 feet long and has no builders'
plates and no prefabricated and riveted assemblies that
one would expect in commercially built bridges. All fastenings
and joints are made by square headed nuts and bolts. The
bridges serve the last undeveloped areas in Collin County
and represent the use of local labor and raw materials
in construction. They are slated for demolition. Read
the press release |
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Wayside Church
at Trezevant Hill, 1930s
Fort Worth, Tarrant County
The Wayside Church is the last remaining building representing
the early African American community known as Trezevant
Hill. The church was the site of the pioneering and historic
African American radio and television ministry of Bishop
R. E. Ranger from the 1930s through the 1950s. Bishop
Ranger was a nationally known gospel preacher for 75 years.
Wayside Church is the site of the first national and international
Black Gospel Radio Ministry in America -- at one time
reaching an audience of six million. It is also the oldest
church of its denomination in Fort Worth. The church is
threatened by inappropriate development and lack of maintenance.
Read the press release. |
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HOUSTON AREA
Near North
Side Neighborhood, 1880-1890s
Houston, Harris County
The Near North Side neighborhood, located just north
of downtown Houston, is a significant residential development
begun in the 1880s-1890s with the expansion of the adjacent
Hardy Rail Yards. With the decrease of rail traffic
and increase in suburban development, the neighborhood
began to decline after World War II. Today only a handful
of residents still live in the neighborhood that was
altered drastically in 1954 by the construction of the
Elysian Viaduct. The viaduct was built over the Elysian
Street right of way and residents live virtually underneath
the overpass. The Texas Department of Transportation
is conducting surveys to widen the North Freeway, and
the Metropolitan Transit Authority is planning an extension
of light rail through the neighborhood. The proposed
expansion would displace residents, hamper local revitalization
efforts, compromise the tax base and result in the demolition
of blocks of historic houses, including properties eligible
for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Read the
press release. |
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San Jacinto School House, 1948
Walker County
Endangered school house, representing other endangered
historic Texas school houses
The School House is owned by the West Sandy Community
Association, which recently was revived after 25 years
of inactivity. They have had tremendous support from
West Sandy community residents.
The restoration of the San Jacinto School
House is progressing well. They repaired and resealed
the
roof and are now working on stabilizing the interior
ceilings and walls.
Subsequent plans are to install windows and doors,
begin work on the
interior, and build a new porch.
Black and white photo taken circa 1970-80s. There
is also a current photo
showing the progress that has been made in less than
a year.
If you wish
to help, please send donations to:
West Sandy
Community Association
P. O. Box 8942
Huntsville, TX 77340-0016 |
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WEST
TEXAS
St.
George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1910-11
 El
Paso, El Paso County
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as
a contributing property in the Rio Grande Avenue Historic
District, the property represents the last Mission Revival
style building in El Paso designed by architect Henry Trost.
Its iconic tower is a mainstay in this neighborhood, which
has already lost many of its residential properties for the
parking lot sprawl required by "big box" churches.
The building was constructed in 1910-1911 as a Presbyterian
Church and later served as the sanctuary of the St. George
Anthiochian Orthodox Church. The building has been seriously
neglected, and the current owner acquired the property with
the intent to raze the structure for parking.
Read the press release.
Sanderson
Railroad Depot, 1883
Sanderson, Terrell County
 The
Sanderson Depot, constructed in 1883, preceded the town that
grew around it. In fact, the town itself was named after the
president of the intercontinental railroad construction company.
It was a terminal for Southern Pacific Railroad operations
for a century, but SPRR moved the crew-change terminal in
1995, devastating the local economy. Today, Sanderson remains
a scheduled Amtrak stop on the cross-country route from Miami
to Los Angles, but the depot is no longer a public facility.
Abandoned and vandalized, the depot is deteriorating. Read
the press release.
EAST
TEXAS
Jefferson
Playhouse, 1866
 Jefferson,
Marion CountyIn the 1880s, Jefferson was one of the largest
cities in Texas, and the Jefferson Playhouse is one of the
most important historic buildings remaining from that period.
Listed as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965 and on
the National Register in 1971, its beautiful Greek Revival
two-story arched windows and interior woodwork are original.
Father Jean Giraud built the structure in 1866 as one of the
earliest Catholic convents and schools. In 1965 the Excelsior
Foundation purchased and renovated the property. It has been
used for cultural and educational events and was viewed regularly
by tourists and school children. In May 2004 unusually strong
winds caused the front wall to buckle, and the building was
closed for safety reasons. Read
the press release.
Bloomburg
State Bank Building, 1916
Cass County
 Representing
all historic endangered bank buildings in Texas
Bloomburg State Bank, organized as the only bank
in Bloomburg in 1908, moved into its newly constructed three-story
building in 1916. The "new" three-story bank was
and is the tallest building in Cass County and housed the
telephone office and the Masonic Lodge. At one time, the bank
served counties in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. After the
owner of the building gave it to the City in 1968, the City
considered it a liability and planned to demolish it. Concerned
citizens purchased the building for $1.00 to save it from
demolition. Vacant for 20 years, the building is deteriorating
due to lack of funds to properly repair it.
Bank
buildings were important early structures because they were
located at the heart of the town and represented an established
and prosperous community. Partly because of the same drive
to convey growth and prosperity, however, many Texas banks
have been compelled to build larger and more modern facilities,
demolishing or abandoning their historic buildings. Stripped
of their purpose and their prideful place in the community,
vacated historic banks like this one in Bloomberg often become
the victims of neglect. Read
the press release.
LAREDO
AREA
Rancho
San Francisco, Circa 1850
Near San Ygnacio, along the banks of the Rio Grande
Zapata County
 Rancho
San Francisco is a 40-acre Hispanic ranching site that includes
two native sandstone buildings from the mid to late 19th
century. The larger of the structures dates to circa 1850,
when Native Americans still closely contested the borderlands,
and the second, constructed in 1874, shows remnants of what
may have been an original hipped roof with wooden shingles.
Rancho San Francisco is significant for the study and interpretation
of the Hispanic ranching traditions tied to Mexico, which
greatly influenced those in Texas. The majority of its materials
are still intact. Its rural wooded setting along the river
is reminiscent of the days of an untamed, isolated frontier.
Though its condition is now stable, long-term protective stabilization
is needed. Read the
press release.
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
phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102. |
