Thursday, March 1, 2007

Neighborhood meeting held to preserve McKinney Avenue Hard Rock building

By Chad Jones

Last night at William B. Travis Elementary school, Dallas City Council woman Angela Hunt presided over a meeting to discuss just what will happen to the terminally-ill Hard Rock Cafe building on McKinney Avenue.

The building, mostly-known today as a nice and very loud place to get a burger and a beer and catch some live local music (Hard Night's Day, anyone?), was built over 100 years ago as the McKinney Avenue Baptist Church and is therefore up for consideration as a historic landmark.*

By 7:00 pm, a crowd of roughly fifty-ish persons--concerned (a.k.a. "frustrated and fearful") residents, city officials, and a few brave developers--gathered inside the school's auditorium underneath a hand-painted mural of the Alamo.

Mrs. Hunt began the meeting on the dot, welcomed everyone, and promptly dispelled rumors.

"There's been lots of talk about a CVS pharmacy," she said. "Well, that's not going to happen."

The room erupted into applause.

"And there isn't going to be a drive-in bank," Hunt continued. "In all actuality, it's looking more along the lines of a restaurant."

More applause.

"Anyway, I'm here at this meeting tonight to talk to you all to see if there is support to deem this building a Landmark," Hunt said. "And I would also like to fill you in on how that process works and let you know how you can be involved."

After a lengthy discussion regarding how a building is deemed a landmark (available in the sidebar), Council Member Hunt fielded a sea questions from all directions.

Two different residents, who must not have heard each other, asked about whether the building could be 'un-historicized' when and if no businesses could be successful in this "giant building with thirty-five stairs." As it turns out, the building could, but only by the Dallas City Council.

From there the discussion turned to "what to do with all the 'schmuck,' the unofficial legal term used to describe all the crap/memorabilia that now covers the building. Many residents expressed interest to have the building returned to its pre-Hard Rock 1904 look.

One older resident dared to ask what everyone was probably thinking. "So, if worse comes to worse and the building doesn't get landmark status, it could possibly be ripped apart to make way for another big condo?"

"Yup," said Hunt.

It was around this time that Bret Landes, the developer who has purchased the property, stood up to address the room.

"I just found out about all this three days ago," he said. "so I'm learning as you are. [And though] I don't live in the Uptown area, I do office here. The last project I worked on were the two tan buildings at 2521 Fairmont, both of which won awards. And you'll notice that the Heritage Antiques building was definitely not ruined; the structure was retained."

"I just want to let you all know we will follow the same theme," Landes said. "The Hard Rock is a failed concept, but I assure you that whatever we put in its place will be something that you, as residents, will be proud of."

The criteria that the Landmark Committee refers to when considering deeming a place historical includes its architecture, its featured neighborhood, its cultural and educational significance, its ties to historical figures, whether or not it is state or nationally recognized, whether it is the work of a master architect, whether it is associated with an historical event, and whether it is affiliated with or part of another established historic district.

Currently, the Hard Rock has met five out of these ten criteria, and it only needs to meet three to be considered. Therefore, the building is currently considered "pre-designated," which is a way to say that it's on its way there but could still, worse comes to worse, be torn down.

All that's left now are a few more crucial stages, which includes the presentation of the Designation Committee to the Landmark Commission that will take place this Monday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

With a mild sense of pacification, the meeting ended at 8:00 pm after Hunt asked for a show of hands. Every person present raised theirs in support of deeming the building a 'historic landmark' (that is, everyone aside from the developers, who couldn't logically issue an opinion due to their involvement).

So you could say that things are looking good. Maybe.

Earlier, when everyone was first settling into the auditorium, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the guys sitting behind me, a few of which must have been developers of some kind.

"Hey, man, I gotta make a livin' somehow," said the first one. "Remember that townhouse over on, uh, I forget. . . but we coulda stripped it down and put up apartments on that lot. Stack 'em high and make 'em real expensive."

"You surveyor!" his friend quipped, giggling.

"That's the thing about Dallas," replied the first one. "We've always had more dollars than sense."

Let's hope not.

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[On an aside, I wonder how similar, or greater, the fallout was some twenty years ago when the church went into a decline and someone "had the nerve" to take down the stained-glass pictures of Christ and put up ones of Elvis. If there are any older (no offense) readers out there who remember, please drop some knowledge].

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• Real Estate > Commercial
• Local History

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