Sunday, February 10, 2008

Five Dallas-area institutions make 2008 list of Texas’ “Most Endangered Historic Places”

By Pegasus News wire

Preservation Texas officials announced the 2008 list of Texas' 13 most endangered historic places, a list that included Sons of Hermann Hall, the Dallas Grand Hotel, and the Texas & Pacific Warehouse in Fort Worth.

Since Preservation Texas named its first list of endangered historic sites in 2004, several have benefited from energized conservation efforts, commitments for restoration, and additional funding.

And the 2008 list is:

Statler Hilton Hotel (more recently known as the Dallas Grand Hotel), 1914 Commerce Street

Completed in 1956 at a cost of $16 million, the Statler Hotel was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and the largest convention facility built in the South. It stands 19 stories high and included 1,000 guest rooms, and a ballroom that could accommodate 2,200 standing. When it opened, it was hailed as the first glass and metal hotel in the nation. The architect, William Tabler of New York, designed a Y-shaped building that employed a flat-slab structural system, the first full application of its kind. Tabler also designed a thin curtain wall and faced the building with glass and porcelain painted panels. The hotel’s sheer size, bold form, and exuberant blue panels make it an icon of mid-century Modern design. Its innovative features, particularly its structural system and thin exterior walls, make it a significant contributor to the Modern movement in Dallas, and for the state of Texas.

Today the building sits vacant, underutilized, and unappreciated. In 2003, the main building was temporarily saved from demolition, but the parking garage was lost. When an entire city block recently was cleared for construction on a new city park, it opened up views of the Statler, increasing its prominence. The remaining three sides of the park all contain historic complexes. The Statler Hilton Hotel is the only building facing the park that is vulnerable to demolition, and it sits on an increasingly attractive piece of real estate.

Livestone Lodge #152, 1801 Beaumont, Grand Prairie

Built in 1903, the lodge building was constructed near the African-American community known as "The Line" as it was a row of homesteads owned by recently freed slaves. The Lodge building was used for other community activities for "The Line" residents in addition to its use for Lodge meetings. According to residents, the Lodge building was also used as a school house and church. In 1944, the Lodge building was relocated to its present location in the Dalworth community and continued to serve the same purposes as it did at is original site.

The Livestone Lodge suffers from neglect and the lack of funds to preserve the building. The members of the Livestone Lodge are also interested in learning more about the history of the building by conducting oral histories.

Texas & Pacific Warehouse, 200-300 Blocks of West Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth

The Texas & Pacific Warehouse was constructed in 1931 as a part of a three-building complex along Fort Worth’s Front Street, renamed Lancaster Avenue for Texas & Pacific Railway’s President, John Lancaster. In addition to the warehouse, the complex includes the Texas & Pacific Railway Terminal and the United States Post Office, designed by Fort Worth architect Wyatt C. Hedrick. The eight-story warehouse is a muted version of the taller and more embellished passenger terminal building. Both buildings have elements of the Zig-Zag Moderne style present in the early Art Deco period.

The Texas & Pacific Warehouse is endangered due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Currently the basement is filled with several feet of water. Previous owners had started renovations to the building and left the building open to damage from water. If the building is not maintained, the integrity of the reinforced concrete structure will eventually be compromised by the infiltration of water.

Also on the list were two Dallas buildings that ranked as part of the Preservation's "Texas Dance Halls" category: Sons of Hermann Hall, and the Cotton Club, on the Texas State fairgrounds

"Our 2008 endangered list recognizes an important statewide trend—the neglect of Texas dance halls and the negative impact of suburban development encroachment on the cultural history of Texas," said Libby Buuck, president of Preservation Texas, Inc., a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "True Texas treasures, many of our classic dance halls were founded by fraternal orders, singing societies, gun clubs, and agricultural organizations. Many had their roots in the traditions of Czech and German immigrants as well as in the Mexican American and African America cultures. They have been such an important part of our heritage that it is easy to take them for granted. By calling attention to the demise of these dance halls, we want to encourage residents to act while there’s still time."

As Texas was settled, a dance hall was one of the first public buildings constructed in nearly every town and hamlet. Texas dance halls have served and continue to function as meeting spaces and the sites of social events. They contribute to the development of country-western and conjunto music. They preserve the cultural traditions of many ethnic groups who immigrated to Texas and settled here.

Today, as communities change and populations increase, dance halls are threatened by neglect, encroaching suburban development, and large-scale transportation projects. Population shifts from rural to urban areas, in particular by younger residents, leave behind a shrinking base of support for the halls at a local level. While many dance halls are open to the public for dancing and other events on a regular basis, many more have been dismantled, converted for use as antique shops or hay barns, or simply abandoned. The lack of public awareness is another threat to the preservation of dance halls. Many people do not realize that several hundred dance halls exist.

Source: Preservation Texas

Related stories

• National Trust for Historic Preservation names Dallas Grand Hotel one of America’s most endangered places (May 20, 2008)

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• Local History
• Texas-Wide Issues