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PRESERVATION TEXAS ANNOUNCES FOURTH ANNUAL
LIST OF TEXAS’ MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth Area, Houston, Galveston
Corpus Christi, Lubbock and East Texas Included on 2007 List
AUSTIN, TEXAS…A landmark 1937 Houston shopping
center, views of the Texas State Capitol, the "official
railroad of Texas," one of the most significant historical
structures in Port Aransas and historic small town theaters
statewide are among the 12 sites that Preservation Texas, Inc. has
named to its fourth annual list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic
Places.
Preservation Texas officials announced the
selections on the steps of the Texas State Capitol on February 7,
Preservation Day 2007.
"Our 2007 endangered list recognizes an
important statewide trend—the neglect and deterioration of
historic theaters in small towns," said Libby Buuck, president
of Preservation Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National
Trust for Historic Preservation. "When these theaters die they
take with them not only the history of the town but significant
opportunities for community revitalization. By calling attention to
the statewide impact of these theaters, we want to encourage
residents to act while there’s still time."
Buuck added that this statewide trend and each
individual listing are threatened by possible destruction, adverse
development or neglect, and each has a compelling reason for being
saved. "These sites represent the most eminent needs and
highest probability for positive action," she said.
Preservation Texas, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit
organization dedicated to preserving our state's historic resources
by direct action and by empowering individuals and local and state
organizations through partnerships in education, communications, and
advocacy. 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 2007 list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic
Places includes:
STATEWIDE SITES
 Historic Small Town Theaters (download
press release)
All Counties
Throughout the nation, hundreds of historic movie
houses have closed, overwhelmed by the rise of television, shifting
demographics, and suburban multiplexes. Through World War II, movie
going was the most common form of popular entertainment with people
attending two or three times a week. In 1946, the peak of the movie
industry’s attendance figures, 90 million people a week attended
the movies.
Theaters were a community meeting place, an
entertainment mecca for cities and towns that valued movies in a
public place, vaudeville shows, recitals and informational
presentations. Most of them were located in the center of the town
square and were landmarks in the community. Many were architectural
gems--ornate buildings constructed in a variety of exotic and
opulent styles, including Moorish, Art Deco, Egyptian, Mayan and
Oriental.
Historic theaters deserve an encore as part of Main
Street developments that are revitalizing small towns and it is
important that they are protected and restored instead of
demolished.
This statewide trend is represented by Palace
Theater, Brady, McCulloch County. The Brady Palace Theater, built in
1927, is vacant and suffers from years of neglect after having been
occupied by and remodeled for a variety of retail businesses. The
theater has decorative elements, glorious glimpses of its past, and
needs to be restored to its former beauty and usefulness
 The Wise Estate/Grand Theater, Paris, Lamar County.
Constructed in 1937, the Grand was the largest theater in Paris for
over fifty years, and its fly-loft was the tallest west of the
Mississippi. In 1996 a new theater was constructed. The already
deteriorating Grand closed and later, the property owners abandoned
the building. Roof-top openings allowed water to seep in causing
water damage and pigeon infestation; peeling paint and crumbling
ceiling tiles make the building a health hazard. There is flooding
in the basement and a crack along the outside of the north wall. But
the people of Paris know that with the rebirth of the downtown, the
Grand Theater can again become the beautiful building it was
designed to be by architect Jake Elder, designer of the Interstate
Theater chain. The important historic buildings of downtown Paris
will be further enhanced by the rehabilitation of the Grand Theater. |
 The River Oaks and Alabama Theaters, Houston, Harris
County. Both theaters are threatened by the Weingarten Realty
Investors’ plan to demolish both properties for mid to high-rise
residential development. Interstate Theaters opened the Alabama and
River Oaks theaters in 1939. Dallas architect Scott Duane designed
the Art Moderne Alabama Theater. The firm of Pettigrew & Worley
created the plans for the Art Deco River Oaks Theater. Both theaters
remain in good condition with original architectural detailing and
fixtures intact. Public outcry that is unprecedented in Houston
resulted because of threats to these buildings. |
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The Capitan Theater, Pasadena, Harris County. The
Capitan is deteriorating though attempts to restore the building’s
exterior, neon signage and some interior murals have been made. The
theater remains threatened and closed to the public. The Capitan is
a twin to the Granada Theater in Houston; both were built for the
Isley chain which operates theaters in Texas and Oklahoma.
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 Texas Capitol Views
Austin, Travis County
The Capitol is the heart of Austin. Completed in
1888, the red granite and limestone building is a reference point
from almost any angle as you enter the downtown area. By law, the
view must be clear on all sides, meaning that no tall buildings can
block the protected Capitol sightlines. Thirty view corridors, each
with secondary sightlines, converge on the Capitol from major Austin
landmarks and vantage points. With the fast-paced growth of the city
and developers eager for additional residential and commercial
projects downtown, the City Council has formed a committee to
evaluate the sightlines, with the possibility of eliminating some of
them.
For close to 25 years, these legal protections have
ensured continued views of the State Capitol, the most prized and
recognized symbol of Austin, and today they are more relevant than
ever. With the action of the Austin City Council, these Capitol view
corridors are endangered. The views are priceless and any
modification to the view corridors would endanger a treasure that
belongs to all Texans.
>> Read update
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Broad Street Bridge, 1918
408 Broad Street at Comanche Creek
Mason, Mason County
 The Broad Street Bridge in Mason, spanning Comanche
Creek, is the only reinforced concrete truss bridge in Texas and is
one of a small number of known examples in the United States. The
102-foot long bridge is composed of two truss spans, each measuring
51 feet in length and supported by concrete abutments and one
intermediate pier. The Alamo Construction Company of San Antonio
constructed the bridge in 1918 as a reliable means of crossing
Comanche Creek, which separated north and south Mason. The bridge,
slated for replacement by the Texas Department of Transporation (TXDOT),
is threatened because funds to save and rehab the structure into a
pedestrian bridge were to come from federal enhancement funds that
were recently cancelled by TXDOT.
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 River Oaks Shopping Center, 1937
River Oaks Theater, 1939
Alabama Theater Bookstop, 1939
West Gray and Shepherd
Houston, Harris County
Parts of the landmark 1937 River Oaks Shopping
Center are in danger of being demolished by owner Weingarten Realty
Investors to  make room for a chain book store and a high-rise
residential building. Targeted for demolition are the
architecturally significant curved wings facing Shepherd Drive and
the 1939 River Oaks Theater. The Art Deco-style Alabama Theater
Center at Shepherd and Alabama, which now houses a Bookshop and
other retail stores, is also being considered for demolition.
The demolitions would be a major loss for Houston.
River Oaks Shopping Center was part of a development that served as
Houston’s first auto-centered, suburban shopping center and was
one of the first such developments in the country. With its largely
unaltered examples of Art Deco construction, River Oaks Shopping
Center is significant both architecturally and historically.
The 1939 River Oaks Theater has been in continuous
operation since its opening and is Houston’s last remaining
historic theater that still shows movies. Opened in 1939, the
Alabama Theater retains many of its features as a former movie
palace and its renovation received national recognition for its
sensitive preservation of the theater’s distinctive interior.
The center and the theaters are examples of
late-1930s Art Deco design and are among a handful of viable retail
buildings of their age and style in the city. Demolition could begin
this year.
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James and Jessie West Mansion, 1929-30
3303 NASA Parkway at Space Center Blvd.
Pasadena, Harris County
Lumber, oil, and ranching tycoon James Marion West
and his wife, Jessie Dudley, hired eminent Houston architect Joseph
Finger to design this 17,000-square-foot house as headquarters for
their 30,000-acre ranch. A Harris County landmark since its
completion in 1930, the  West Mansion is an excellent example of the
Italian renaissance revival style, which was rarely used in Texas at
the time. Finger designed some of Houston’s finest commercial and
institutional buildings between 1920 and 1940, including Houston
City Hall and Houston Municipal Airport.
Easily one of the largest and most well crafted
houses constructed in Texas during the late 1920s and 1930s, the
West Mansion retains most of its historical paneling, limestone and
cast concrete detailing. It was named a Texas Historic Landmark in
1993 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The West Mansion is endangered because there are
few, if any, local ordinances in the City of Pasadena to protect it.
The development company that owns the property has announced that it
plans to subdivide the site it to be sold for development.
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Galveston’s Unprotected Historic Neighborhoods
6th Street to 103rd Street (Galveston Harbor to the Gulf of Mexico)
Galveston, Galveston County
The city of Galveston is situated on the east end of
a long barrier island 50 miles south of downtown Houston. The city
has weathered many disasters since its founding in 1839. When much
of the country’s historic façade was being eroded to make way for
strip centers and new development, Galveston’s economic situation
prevented that from happening there. However, over the past five
years Galveston has been re-discovered by developers, investors and
retirees.
Galveston has five historic districts but much of
the city remains unprotected from inappropriate construction or
demolition. Large parcels of land have been purchased by developers
to build condominium and hotel towers with gulf views. Though the
City requires specific permits in the historic core of the city for
any building over four stories tall, except along the Seawall, this
does not mean developments with looming towers cannot be built. It
merely informs the neighbors of the plans for development and gives
them a chance to voice their opinion to the Planning Commission,
which can ultimately approve or deny a developer’s request.
Stricter design and height guidelines must be studied and approved
to prevent a wall of development from cutting off the historic
neighborhoods from the Gulf of Mexico and disrupting the charm that
brings people to the island.
Old Arlington High School, 1922
211 S. Cooper Street
Arlington, Tarrant County
 This stable, currently in-use site includes the 1922
Arlington High School academic building and the 1940
gymnasium/cafeteria. It was the largest public education facility
between Fort Worth and Dallas and it is one of the few remaining
historically important buildings in Arlington. The academic building
served as the only high school in Arlington until 1956 when a new
building was constructed at another location and the original
buildings became a junior high school. In 1968, the school district
sold the campus to the University of Texas. It has been used for
classrooms and offices ever since.
The high school was the center of community activity
and a source of pride. It produced countless leaders who went on to
successful careers and positions of leadership in the community. But
the buildings are threatened; UTA has stated it plans to demolish
the facility for redevelopment purposes, having demolished another
historic building on the site.
The building could be adapted to any number of
functions such as a community-friendly information center; a
repository of information of the history of AHS and the University;
a conference space; an office space; condominiums; lofts; senor
housing; and or an art center or museum.
Old Denison High School, 1913-1914
700 Block of Main Street
Denison, Grayson County
 Built in 1913, this school was constructed on the
site of the original 1800s school. Located in a prominent downtown
location, the striking architectural design still allows the
abandoned school a presence that made the community proud when it
was built. Additions to the building over time resulted in the huge
complex that fills an entire city block. It was used by the school
district until the 1980s, but is now vacant and deteriorating, only
infrequently used by the local Jaycees as a haunted Halloween house.
A nonprofit organization, the current owners of the
property, failed to find a use for the school and they soon will
deed the building to the City of Denison. The city plans to tear it
down as soon as they have raised $500,000, an amount they estimate
will be needed to do the job. The Texas Historical Commission, the
National Trust, and Preservation Texas visited the city to urge the
mayor and city manager to reconsider their plans; citizens have
called and written city officials asking them to save the building
for re-use.
>> Read update
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 Comanche St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company
Depot, 1912
302 South Austin Street
Comanche, Comanche County
The Fort Worth and Rio Grand Railway was chartered
to build the first rail lines from Fort Worth to Brownwood in 1890.
In 1901 the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Company (FRISCO)
acquired and controlled the roadway, but the Fort Worth and Rio
Grand continued independent operations of the freight and passenger
train. FRISCO constructed the Comanche Depot. In 1950, the passenger
and freight service operations were discontinued, and in 1959,
sections of the railway were abandoned. The building was used
primarily as a storage facility by the City and eventually the
railroad granted ownership of the depot to the City. The 1912
passenger depot and platform, constructed of brick on a concrete
base is threatened by deterioration and a failed roof system.
Comanche is a rural community and lacks the revenue to restore and
repair the neglected building.
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CORPUS CHRISTI AREA
Mercer House, also known as the Sears House,
early 1900s (download
press release)
Roberts and Oleander Streets
Port Aransas, Nueces County
 Also known as the Sears House because it was built
from a Sears and Roebuck kit by Robert A. Mercer, son of the
original settler in the early 1900s, it was one of the few buildings
to survive the 1919 hurricane and the strong winds of Hurricane
Cecila. It is one of the city’s oldest and most intact residences
recalling its early 20th century history as a port community. It was
moved once to the corner of Roberts and Oleander, where it now
stands. An out-of-town developer bought it in 2006 and plans to
demolish the house to make room for a 16-town house complex unless
it can be moved again.
The nonprofit Port Aransas Preservation and
Historical Association (PAPHA) was offered the property first, but
the organization was unable to raise the required purchase price of
$625,000. The current owner offered the house to PAPHA if they move
it. PAPHA is trying to raise funds to save this unique house that
holds so many holiday memories for the community, to convert it into
a house museum.
>> Read update
EAST TEXAS
 Texas State Railroad, 1896 (download
press release)
Palestine and Rusk
Rusk, Anderson and Cherokee Counties
The state of Texas is in danger of losing the Texas
State Railroad, designated the "official railroad of
Texas" by the Texas Legislature and recognized as one of the
nation’s largest and most unique steam train operations. More than
56,000 people from all over the world ride the train annually,
boarding in Rusk or Palestine.
The Railroad began in the 1880s as a way to deliver
pig iron produced by the prison located in Rusk. It has always been
operated by the state or by private contractors. It was converted to
a heritage railroad attraction in 1976 by the state legislature and
is a major tourist attraction, offering visitors a chance to sample
a historic travel experience. However, it is scheduled to become a
static display by the end of the year. The Texas State Legislature
has refused to fund its operation, and the local community has
almost exhausted its financial resources. A lack of funding could
close this working reminder of life in east Texas.
LUBBOCK AREA
Keller Building, built prior to 1927 (download
press release)
326 Burlington
Spur, Dickens County
 One of the largest buildings in the Spur Historic
District, the Keller Building is under the preservation efforts of
the Friends of Spur Main Street who would like to turn the building
into a visitors’ center or multi-purpose educational center. Built
in 1927 to house the Riter Hardware Store, the building is unsafe
due to the immediate threat of the roof collapsing. The building sat
as an empty shell for the past 60 years partially because of neglect
and a fire that destroyed the roof in the 1940s. Because the City of
Spur is economically challenged, the Keller Building is at risk.
Without help from a foundation or other grant sources, the building
decline cannot be stopped.
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.
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