June Newsletter
JUNE 10, 2025
CENTRAL TEXAS REGION
Register for the 2025 Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit: The Future of Historic & Cultural Districts in Texas
Tuesday, June 24 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | LBJ Museum of San Marcos
Join preservation professionals, community leaders, and advocates as we explore the future of historic and cultural districts statewide. Presentations will examine the challenges and successes of district-based preservation, with a focus on often-overlooked neighborhood types. Session topics include San Antonio’s Cultural Heritage District Program, a flood mitigation case study from Fort Worth, the Texas Historical Commission’s new First Street Initiative, strategies for documenting and evaluating working class historic districts, and more!
Lunch will be provided, and continuing education credits will be offered for AIA members. Virtual registration is available! Early registration ends Wednesday, June 18th.
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available for this event! Sponsorship information can be found at preservationtexas.org/ctxsummit25.
Preservation Texas Receives $75,000 Grant
Preservation Texas is grateful to The Burdine Johnson Foundation for a grant of $75,000 to support our Central Texas Regional Office in San Marcos and our ongoing work in Hays County. It will help cover a portion of the salary and expenses for our Central Texas Program Officer, Jesús Najar, support the operations of our San Marcos office, and sponsor a Fall 2025 internship. These resources will enable us to expand our preservation efforts within the region, provide technical assistance to organizations and property owners, and develop a Field Guide to Historic Texas focused on Blanco and Hays Counties.
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS REGION
Creative Spaces Summit: Revitalizing Old Buildings Through Art and Culture
Thursday, July 24 - Friday, July 25, 2025 | Fort Worth
Join preservation professionals and advocates, artists, and community leaders from across the state as we explore the intersection of arts, culture, historic preservation, and community development.
Presented by Preservation Texas and MINDPOP, the Summit opens with a networking reception on Thursday evening at Artspace111 Gallery & Gardens. On Friday, the event continues in the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, where a range of speakers will share how Texas communities are reimagining historic buildings as creative spaces for art and culture.
Sessions will highlight sustainable operating models for creative organizations, innovative funding strategies, and resources for rural and urban communities alike. Panels will showcase case studies of transformed spaces—from theaters and schools to churches and family homes—demonstrating how preservation can foster vibrant community hubs. The day concludes with a guided tour of the museum.
Early registration is $80 per person and includes the opening reception, Friday’s sessions, a boxed lunch, and the museum tour. The price will increase to $100 per person after June 25th.
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available for this event! Sponsorship information can be found at preservationtexas.org/creativespaces.
NORTHEAST TEXAS REGION
Texas Rural African American Heritage Grants Program Update
The State Board of Review approved National Register nominations on May 17th for the following four sites participating in our Texas Rural African-American Heritage Grants (TRAAH) Program:
Bethel Baptist Church, Tennessee Colony (Anderson County)
First Independent Baptist Church, Corsicana (Navarro County)
Wesley Chapel Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, Corsicana (Navarro County)
Brenham Normal and Industrial College/Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Association, Brenham (Washington County)
These sites, along with six others, are receiving funding from Preservation Texas for rehabilitation projects through Preservation Texas's TRAAH program, funded by a $750,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service. We are pleased to have supported these National Register nominations with research and technical assistance. We are grateful to the Texas Historical Foundation for their financial support for several of these nominations.
Call for Proposals for 2025 Northeast Texas Regional Preservation Summit
PT is planning its 2025 Northeast Texas Regional Preservation Summit to be held on Thursday, September 11th in Collin County. The theme of the summit will be Preservation in a Suburban Age: Planning for Change and Maintaining Identity in Texas.
The event will explore how historic rural resources can be meaningfully and sustainably integrated into modern development—highlighting real-world strategies, policies, and partnerships where communities have successfully created opportunities and mitigated negative impacts. This event will offer a valuable opportunity to share ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape a forward-looking vision for preserving rural identity amid suburban growth.
Preservation Texas invites proposals for sessions, panels, and case studies that address the urgent challenges and innovative strategies involved in preserving Texas’s rural heritage amid accelerating suburban development. Visit preservationtexas.org/netxsummit25 for further details and topics of interest, and to submit a proposal.
WEST TEXAS REGION
West Texas Heritage Center Now Open in El Paso
Preservation Texas hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the new West Texas Heritage Center in downtown El Paso on May 29th! Made possible in part by a grant from El Paso County, our West Texas Heritage Center celebrates the rich cultural heritage of El Paso and the greater West Texas region (west of the Pecos River) through rotating exhibits and educational public programs. Visitors can also browse a curated selection of books, prints, artwork, and merchandise that highlight the unique history and architecture of El Paso and West Texas. For more information, visit preservationtexas.org/elpaso.
Preservation Texas is now accepting donations of books on architecture, history, and related topics for resale at the Center. If you have gently used books you’d like to contribute, please contact Victor Hurtado at hurtado@preservationtexas.org.
From left to right: Evan Thompson, Executive Director, Preservation Texas; Gary Williams, Senior Program Officer, El Paso Community Foundation, and former PT board member; Max Grossman, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Chris Canales, District 8 Representative, City of El Paso; Victor Hurtado, West Texas Program Officer, Preservation Texas.
Hands-On Adobe Preservation Workshop in Socorro
Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Rio Vista Farm
Join us for a hands-on adobe training opportunity in Socorro on July 12th. Participants will create adobe bricks and repair damage to an adobe structure on the north side of the historic Rio Vista Farm complex. Established in 1915 as El Paso County Poor Farm, Rio Vista later served as the U.S. headquarters for the WWII-era Bracero Program. The site was included on Preservation Texas’s Most Endangered Places List in 2015, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023.
Above: The building that participants will make repairs to during the workshop.
The workshop will be led by adobe conservation expert Pat Taylor. Lunch will be provided. Registration is $50 for Preservation Texas members or $75 for non-members, and is limited to 20 participants. Reserve your spot today!
