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February 20, 2013
For more information, contact: Anna Glover Hudson, 512-472-0102 (O)/931-260-1240(C)
anna@preservationtexas.org
Shirley Wills, 210-822-2378 (O)/210-365-4488 (C)
Shirley.Wills@att.net
Photos and individual news releases on all sites are available at
www.preservationtexas.org; and www.facebook.com/PreservationTexas
Local spokesperson: Wendy Parker, 713-806-2012, germantownhd@gmail.com
PRESERVATION TEXAS NAMES GROTA HOMESTEAD NEIGHBORHOOD
IN HARRIS COUNTY A SAVED SITE ON ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE
LIST OF TEXAS’ MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
Sites in Bexar, Dallas, Duval, El Paso, Harris, Kaufman, Motley, Nueces, Refugio, Rusk,
Terrell and Travis Counties Named to 2013 List
AUSTIN, TEXAS…Grote Homestead Neighborhood in Harris County is one of 12 sites that Preservation Texas, Inc. has named to its tenth anniversary retrospective list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places.
Originally named to the 2006 list of Texas’Most Endangered Historic Places, it is designated as a saved site on the 2013 list. Preservation Texas officials announced the selections on the steps of the Texas State Capitol on Preservation Day, February 20. The annual announcement is part of Preservation Day activities organized by Preservation Texas. Advocates from all over the state come to participate in informational sessions, meet with legislators at the Capitol and get an in depth look at lessons to be learned from the sites named to the list.
“The 2013 list provides a retrospective for us,” said Charlene Orr, president of Preservation Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “We decided to focus on lessons learned during the last 10 years by highlighting success stories as well as losses and threatened sites that continue to need urgent attention.” The 2013 list includes six saved sites, three threatened sites and three lost sites.
“Our six saved sites reflect the importance of collaboration between committed grassroots leadership and elected officials and city officials who realize the importance of historic preservation.” she continued. “It’s this powerful combination of resources that can make the difference in preserving a site or losing it.”
“Inclusion of lost sites is important because it illustrates some of the very real obstacles communities face in their efforts to preserve the historic resources of Texas,” said Orr. “And by including threatened sites, we hope to generate additional support that will take them to the next level in their preservation process.”
Grota Homestead, located near the late 19th century community known as Germantown just northwest of downtown Houston, was the beginning of Grota Homestead Neighborhood. Platted first for residential development in the 1890s, the subdivision increased in size with subsequent plats through 1920. Primarily a working and middle class neighborhood, Grota Homestead is an integral component of the early 20th century suburban development that included the adjacent Woodland Heights neighborhood. After World War II suburban development sent the area into a slow economic decline and construction of I-45/North Freeway in the 1960s resulted in the demolition of many homes, severing the area’s connections to historic neighborhoods to the east.
Resident Wendy Parker organized volunteers in a revitalization effort to protect their historic homes and the architectural character of the neighborhood which contains a collection of early 20th-century houses, including vernacular Victorian cottages and Craftsman bungalows. Their efforts were rewarded in December 2012 when by a vote of the Houston City Council, Grota Homestead Neighborhood was designated the Germantown Historic District. With this designation, residents can take the next step and seek listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Grota story is compelling not only because it has been saved, but because it reflects the overall effort to protect historic neighborhoods and commercial buildings in Houston. When Grota Homestead was nominated for its Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places designation there was only one historic district with full protection in Houston; now there are 19 residential protected neighborhoods and one commercial district.
Named to the 2013 Preservation Texas tenth anniversary retrospective list of Texas’ MostEndangered Historic Places were:
SAVED SITES
John S. Harrison House, 1852
14997 Evans Rd. Selma, Bexar County
2006 Most Endangered List
Grota Homestead Neighborhood, 1890s
Houston, Harris County
2006 Most Endangered List
Statler Hilton Hotel, 1956
1914 Commerce Street, Dallas, Dallas County
2008 Most Endangered List
Albert Fall Mansion, 1907
1725 Arizona Avenue, El Paso, El Paso County
2004 Most Endangered List
Texas Capitol View Corridors
Austin, Travis County
2007 Most Endangered List
Texas State Railroad, 1896
Palestine and Rusk
Rusk, Anderson and Cherokee Counties
2007 Most Endangered List
LOST SITES
Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum, 1954
402 South Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Nueces County
2004 Most Endangered List
Sanderson Railroad Depot, 1883
Sanderson, Terrell County
2005 Most Endangered List
Port of El Copano, 1722
Near Bayside, Refugio County
2008 Most Endangered List
THREATENED
Bob’s Oil Well, c. 1930
Junction of Highway 70 and State Highway 70, Matador, Motley County
2004 Most Endangered List
Kaufman County Poor Farm, 1883
Texas Highway 34 and FM 1388, Kaufman, Kaufman County
2012 Most Endangered List
Duval County Courthouse. 1916
400 E. Gravis Ave., San Diego, Duval County
2011 Most Endangered List
Sites receiving the Texas’ Most Endangered Places designation receive consultation in such areas as technical assistance to identify preservation needs and set priorities, fund raising expertise, and advocacy assistance by fostering partnerships and building community support. Preservation Texas also helps to raise awareness with social media.
Preservation Texas, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for preserving the historic resources in Texas. Preservation Texas named its first list of endangered historic sites in 2004. Preservation Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places program is funded by generous grants from the Burdine Johnson Foundation, Texas Historical Commission, and the Partners in the Field Challenge grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and our sponsors.
For more information on Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places, visit our Web site at www.preservationtexas.org, or phone Preservation Texas, Inc. at 512-472-0102.
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