February 2022 News and Updates
Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary With A Special Preservation Achievement Awards Ceremony!
We invite everybody involved in our five decades of preservation successes to celebrate with us on the evening of Thursday, May 19th at The National! The awards ceremony this year will be extra special and accompanied with a sit down dinner and entertainment. We are honored to have a powerhouse Awards Event Committee chaired by Shawn and Cheryl Todd alongside David Griffin and James Ferrara. The committee is comprised of some familiar and favorite Preservation Dallas friends including Danelle Baldwin Smith, Charles Brower, Harryette Ehrhardt, Catherine Horsey, W. Dwayne Jones, Veletta Lill, Denise Manoy, Katherine D. Seale, Nancy Shelton, Patrick Todd, Philip Todd and Claudia Worme. They are planning an unforgettable celebration for you! Purchase your tickets today and let us create more great memories with you on May 19th!

Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2022 Preservation Achievement Award winners as well as our Special Recognition Awards recipients.
The Awards Committee meeting at The National recently included (from left to right) Donovan Westover, Shawn Todd, James Ferarra, Claudia Worme, David Griffin, David Preziosi, Nancy Shelton, Charles Brower, and Danelle Baldwin Smith.
Getting Started in the 1970s
We heard about the founding of the Historic Preservation League (now Preservation Dallas) last month, and this month we are moving into the work of the young organization in the 1970s. It was a busy time for the Historic Preservation League (HPL) as it found its footing and expanded its work to save the historic places of Dallas.

Only a year after its founding in 1972, the HPL succeeded in urging the City Council to adopt the first ever Dallas Preservation Ordinance and soon following approve the first historic district for Dallas - Swiss Avenue. Next, the West End Historic District was approved in an effort to help save the Texas School Book Depository and ward off the calls to demolish the building. Today, thousands of historic buildings are protected across the city in 21 historic districts due the ordinance that gave the City power to protect historic areas through designation.

To convince people to invest in the decaying historic areas, HPL published Buying a Home in Historic Old East Dallas in 1974. It was part of a major marketing program to interest potential residents in purchasing and preserving homes in inner-city neighborhoods, which had become neglected and run down as people moved to newer areas of Dallas that were being developed.
The first effort to save endangered buildings also occurred in 1974. HPL campaigned and succeeded in saving the Old Lakewood Library and the Trinity Methodist Church. The library was sold for reuse and the church was designated the first individual historic Landmark in Dallas. Today there are over 130 individually designated Landmarks in Dallas. Unfortunately the Trinity Methodist Church burned in 1981 and its remains were demolished.
Today, the Lakewood Library is a mixed-use space with office and retail.
Trinity Methodist Church was designated a City of Dallas Landmark in 1974 but sadly burned in 1981.
In 1976, the HPL was instrumental in the establishment of the Munger Place Historic District Revolving Fund. Between 1976 and 1979, 27 homes were purchased and sold with restoration covenants, and Munger Place attracted approximately $5 million in private reinvestment. During that time, HPL also focused on other historic areas. The HPL purchased and rehabilitated a craftsman bungalow in Junius Heights to demonstrate the potential of the underrated neighborhood. That effort was aided in 1977 when Fannie Mae extended its lending program to cover homes in Junius Heights. Previously, it was extremely difficult to get a mortgage loan for an historic property in that neighborhood. HPL convinced Lakewood Bank to work with Fannie Mae to create the first inner-city lending program in the country, which laid the groundwork for the National Community Reinvestment Act. 
5111 - 5119 Worth Street were part of the HPL Revolving Loan Fund which helped with their rehabilitation by providing funding for renovations.
5004 Tremont was purchased by HPL in 1978 and was resold to new owners with restrictions to make sure it was renovated properly.
Furthering its preservation efforts, HPL got involved with saving the Magnolia Building in downtown Dallas by financing a reuse study for the building. Using the study, they persuaded the City of Dallas to sell the building so that it could be restored and reused instead of demolished. The Magnolia was then sold to a developer who took on one of the first historic office conversion projects in downtown.

Stay tuned for more to come next month about the work of HPL in the 1980s!
Office of Historic Preservation Staff Changes
Preservation Planner Marsha Prior has retired from the City of Dallas. Marsha had served in the Office of Historic Preservation since 2015 and was the planner in charge of Tenth Street, Wheatley Place, South Boulevard Park Row, and Peak's Suburban Addition Historic District. With almost 30 years in historic preservation and the Cultural Resource Management field, her vast expertise will be missed within the OHP department. We thank Marsha for her dedication and service to the City of Dallas and the great things she accomplished while there, and wish her the best in her retirement!
In addition, Preservation Planner Melissa Parent was promoted to Senior Planner within the City of Dallas Conservation Districts department. Melissa started in the Office of Historic Preservation in 2017 and was responsible for Swiss Avenue, Munger Place, Winnetka Heights, and Lake Cliff historic districts while also managing the Tax Incentives Program. We are happy to hear that she will not be going far and will still be working hard to preserve Dallas' historic buildings in Conservation Districts!
Historic House Specialist Seminar is back IN PERSON in March!
We are so excited to announce that the Historic House Specialist Seminar will be back in person March 23 - 24! This popular seminar includes lectures from local experts on architectural styles and history of Dallas, historic and conservation district designations, sustainability, how to research the history of a building, and more. Become an authority on historic Dallas neighborhoods today!

While this course is designed for realtors who are eligible to receive 8 hours of MCE credit, it is open to the general public and all who are interested in learning more about historic homes in Dallas.

Participants receive a copy of Virginia McAlester’s "A Field Guide to American Houses" and a complimentary one-year Individual membership to Preservation Dallas for completing the course.
CityLab Students Tour South Boulevard Park Row Historic District

This past month Preservation Dallas partnered with DISD's City Lab to lead 9th and 11th grade students on architectural walks through the South Boulevard Park Row Historic District. The student project this semester is to design sensitive new construction on an empty lot within an established historic district an the South Boulevard Park Row district was chosen. They are in good hands with instructor Rachel Hardaway, who is also a Preservation Dallas Board Member, and we can't wait to see their final design in the spring!
Preservation Dallas Receives Grant for Deep Ellum Project

Preservation Dallas has been working with the Deep Ellum Foundation towards National Register of Historic Places Historic District status for Deep Ellum. This month, Preservation Dallas received a grant from The Summerlee Foundation to undertake that work. HHM, the same consulting firm working on the downtown and Deep Ellum survey, was hired by Preservation Dallas to prepare the district nomination for the National Register. A Determination of Eligibility for the National Register was submitted in January to the Texas Historical Commission. If they concur it is eligible, the full nomination can proceed. This is a very exciting project, and we are grateful to The Summerlee Foundation for funding the work.
Corporate Partner Profile:
Todd Interests is an award winning, U.S. based real estate firm that discovers unique opportunities, acquiring and developing all traditional real estate types.
 
Founded by Shawn Todd in 1990, the firm is now helmed by Todd and his sons and partners, Patrick and Philip. Todd Interests is a firm that cares deeply about our cities, communities, their architectural history and the positive impact our developments can have on their fabric and DNA.
 
The firm’s projects range from the adaptive re-use of high-rise/mid-rise office buildings; including designating and preserving historic buildings in the urban core, to single family subdivisions and commercial/retail developments in the suburbs. Additionally, Todd Interests is well versed in the development of mixed-use projects containing office, residential and retail uses. Ground up corporate build-to-suits of industrial, office and medical buildings is "in the fairway" of what they do as well.
 
400 North Ervay - Originally constructed in 1929 as the United States Post Office and Court House is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in the state of Texas and a landmark in downtown Dallas. Built as the largest federal building in the South, significant entities housed onsite included not only the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Court System but also the Department of Justice (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service among many others. Since Todd Interests’ acquisition of the building in 2007, 400 North Ervay underwent a total renovation, restoration, and repurposing that included the designation of the building as a local, state, and national historic landmark. The third floor amenity area totaling 6,000 square feet contains the well known Sarah T. Hughes Federal courtroom, the U.S. District Tax Court, and the adjoining judges’ chambers, which have been converted and are now utilized as luxurious lounges. The Magistrate Lounge, the Executive Lounge, the Residents’ Lounge, and the rooftop terrace play host to thousands of guests annually as the most exclusive venue for high profile events in Dallas. The main corridor, lobby, and historic courtrooms have been meticulously renovated through restoration of the classical Italian renaissance architecture, terracotta floors with inlaid patterned marble, hardwood flooring, marble wainscoting, and elaborately painted coffered ceilings.
 
East Quarter is a neighborhood filled with turn-of-the-century brick, stone and timber jewel boxes. These historic automobile showrooms have been home to Dallas’ most innovative companies since its inception as “Auto-Row” in the 1920s. Captivated by the history and transcendent architecture, Todd Interests set out to acquire 18 historic buildings in 2018. The acquisition totaled about 200,000 square feet from four owners for conversion into a combination of office and retail space. When complete, East Quarter will be an urban destination district within Dallas. In addition to restoring the existing 18 historic buildings of East Quarter, the project also includes a new 20-story mixed use development with retail, office and residential space. Though an expansive building, the new development has been carefully designed to respect the already existing historic structures. At its core is the nearly 100-year-old Meletio building, which will serve as the centerpiece of the new development. The project features 200,000 square feet of offices, 25,000 square feet of retail space, and 336 class A residential apartments, complete with an eighth-floor amenity deck with a swimming pool and outdoor areas.
 
The National is positioned in the heart of Downtown Dallas at 1401 Elm Street and was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it was completed in 1964 as a 1.3 million square foot office tower. Vacant since 2010, Todd Interests, in partnership with Moriah Capital, redeveloped this iconic tower into a new, modern, $450mm mixed-use building after acquiring controlling interest in the project in February 2019. The historic redevelopment contains Thompson Hotel Dallas, “the flagship” in the State of Texas, 324 Class A multifamily units, 37,000 square feet of office space including a lease signed with Downtown Dallas, Inc., and 43,000 square feet of retail space.
 
"The National is absolutely one of our key projects," said Kourtny Garrett, former CEO of the economic development group Downtown Dallas Inc. "It's the last of our major vacant buildings. In sheer size, it's the largest-ever redevelopment The magnitude of this project and its impact on downtown is important. I think we finally have the team to make it happen."

Preservation Dallas selected The National as a Preservation Achievement Award winner in 2020. The same year Preservation Dallas also honored Todd Interests for their incredible work in downtown Dallas. To view a video prepared for the awards in 2020 click the button below.
Has your online research hit a brick wall?

Now that the public libraries are open again, patrons are able to schedule an appointment to do research in the Dallas History and Archives. Appointments will be required and you can set one up by emailing texas@dallaslibrary.org to start the process. They will send you information on how to make the appointment, preparing for your visit, what to expect with your appointment, and a form to fill out. For more information on the library openings go here.

You may also submit research requests online if you don't want to go into the library just yet. To do that, use the same email above and send in your research request with the information you are looking for and they will get back to you.
PRESERVATION ISSUES
Atlas Metal Works – A developer has filed a request with the City to rezone the Atlas Metal Works property at the corner of Sylvan Avenue and Singleton Boulevard from Industrial Research to Multi-family and Retail for the redevelopment of the property for a mixed-use development with 440 apartment units. The case will go to the City Plan Commission (CPC) on March 24. Preservation Dallas has met with the developers, architect, zoning consultant, and the CPC member for District 6 to discuss the case. Atlas Metal Works started in downtown Dallas in 1904. It moved to its current location in 1929 and built the facility which includes a small masonry Art Deco office building and large metal warehouse sheds. The developers are planning to save the former office building and remove the sheds to build the apartments. An article on the project has appeared in Candy’s Dirt. More will come in advance of the CPC hearing next month, including how to speak at the meeting or send in comments.

Historic Resources Survey – Preservation Dallas hosted a virtual public meeting on February 15 to collect comments on the draft of the Historic Resource Survey Report and Context Statements prepared by HHM. They are working to finalize the reports and plan to present final versions to the Landmark Commission and City Plan Commission in May and go to City Council in June for adoption of the survey and reports.

Reverchon Ballfield – Last year, the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department hired DSGN to put together a scope of work for the restoration of the ballfield and grandstands. DSGN brought on several consultants for the project including Marcel Quimby to serve as the preservation consultant. Proposed plans were presented late last year to the Park and Recreation Board with regard to preserving the grandstands and adding new restroom and concessions stands to the facility. At the December 9 Park Board meeting they made it clear that they intend to seek historic designation for the site. At the Park Board meeting this month they approved of the restoration of the grandstands and building of a new restroom and concessions facility behind the dugout on the first base side of the field. 
DIRECTOR'S LETTER
David Preziosi, FAICP, Hon. AIA Dallas
February has been a busy month, as you can tell from the newsletter going out later than normal. Programming and advocacy work have kept us busy this month. We are getting back into the swing of things with our programming and tours now that things have improved with Covid. We are getting back to our InTown Outings and working with partners on bringing a variety of joint programing options to our members. 
 
The Legacies Conference at the end of last month had stellar papers and speakers on the topic of Dining and Drinking in Dallas. And, I’m not just saying that since I was one of the speakers. The conference will be available to watch later in the spring. The Waxahachie Architecture Guidebook program last week was excellent and if you would like to view it, you can go here. We are sorry that Texas winter weather played havoc on our visit to the Lacy House for an InTown Outing. We are looking to reschedule the tour as it an amazing house in near original condition from when it was built circa 1929. HHS is back in person in March and we are very excited to not have to do it virtually. More programs are being confirmed and scheduled for the next few months, including bringing back the Wood Window Workshop in April with Ron Siebler and Evelyn Montgomery speaking and demonstrating window repair with hands-on activities.  
 
As part of our 50th Anniversary celebration we are also working on going through our files and pulling out fun pictures of past events, organizing images of past award winning projects and advocacy efforts in order for Jennifer to post to our social media channels. She has been doing a great job with expanding content on our different platforms. I am also working on a very special project to celebrate our 50 years of preserving Dallas’ historic places. We are preparing a booklet of our work over 50 years featuring photographs of our success stories by the amazing photographer Carolyn Brown. It will definitely be a wonderful addition to your library.
 
Earlier this month I was able to get to Austin for the Real Places Conference during the first snowstorm of the month. It was a surreal experience to be back in person at a conference, my first in over two years, and nice to be able to visit with folks, share stories, and learn new things. The sessions were really good, and I got some great ideas for programs for Summer Sizzlers.

I am so excited about the news we received this month about The Summerlee grant to fund the preparation of a nomination for Deep Ellum to the National Register of Historic Places. This is huge as we have been wanting to get Deep Ellum on the National Register for years and years. Two things were able to make that happen this time around. One was the partnership we built with the Deep Ellum Foundation and working with them to build support for the listing within Deep Ellum. The second is the completion of the Downtown and Deep Ellum Historic Resource Survey by HHM. This helped to identify the historic buildings in Deep Ellum and make the determination that there are enough buildings there with historic integrity to qualify for a National Register listing as a district. Even before we got the grant approval from Summerlee, we believed so strongly in the project that we started work with HHM on submitting a Determination of Eligibility for the National Register to the Texas Historical Commission. We'll know pretty soon if the THC feels it is eligible, which we feel certain they will. Listing on the National Register of Historic Places will bring more cachet to the district and most importantly, provide access to state and federal tax incentives to help with the preservation and rehabilitation of the historic buildings in Deep Ellum.

I hope that everyone had a great February and with spring around the corner everyone is getting ready for the warmer weather, which for me can come soon enough!
Membership News
Please welcome our newest members:
Preservation I

Andeea Guay
Susanne Mayon
Michelle McFarlin
Trudy Newton
Angela Osborne
Robert Thomas
Michael Wong

Preservation II

Katie Cooper Matthews
Kim Hammond
Wayne & Shirley Hast
Abe & Janet Hershman
Emet Schneiderman & Ann McCann
Stephen Neukom
Steve Springfield
Protector

Ashley Pearl

Guardian

Ralph Randall

PDYP

Shawna Fitzgerald
Michaela Haffner
Rhonda Headley
Michael Murphy

Urban Armadillos

Debbie Bunch
Madalyn Hernandez
Martha Humphries
Thank you to the following members for renewing:
Womble & Associates
Elizabeth Blanc
Julie Bolding
Sam Childers
Erin Dempsey
Deborah Dobson-Brown
Cindy Ford
Linda Helton
Guerin Honeycutt
James Kerr
Kevin McLaren
Judith McMillen
Mark Mobley
Sandra Parton
Jennifer Picquet-Reyes
Joanna Robben
Wayne Ruhter
Janna Schulze
Katrina Scott
Cindy Steiner
Jim Stone
Molly Tepera
Neva Warnock
Our work is made possible by the support of our members, donors, and volunteers. To join or upgrade your membership, please visit our website!
Support Preservation Dallas While Shopping!
Did you know that when you shop through AmazonSmile, 5% of your total is donated to Preservation Dallas at no extra cost to you? Click on the logo above to get started!
Preservation Dallas participates in the Tom Thumb Good Neighbor program. Link our Good Neighbor number to your Tom Thumb loyalty card and a percentage of your purchases will be credited towards us! Our number is 11352. Enroll your card here!
Preservation Dallas participates in the Kroger Community Rewards program. Enroll your Kroger Plus card with Preservation Dallas as the benefactor. Our number is TX617. Enroll your card here!
CORPORATE PARTNERS
Legacy Corporate Partner
Corporate Partner Level II
Corporate Partner Level I
Funding has been provided to Preservation Dallas from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by Preservation Dallas does not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Preservation Dallas | 2922 Swiss Avenue | Dallas TX 752518