Enjoy and think preservation as we roll into the Fourth of July.  Have a wonderful, safe holiday!

Sidenote: Somehow I always associate Katherine with cakeballs, because I was with her when I tasted my first.

More important than cakeballs: the Women’s Museum is celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the building and the 10^th anniversary of the museum this year.  The museum is located in the Former Hall of Administration at Fair Park, which was updated for the 1936 Texas Centennial.  It was in dire shape when it was chosen as the site of The Women’s Museum and renovated for its new use as the nation’s only women’s history museum.  This renovation serves as an example of the importance of restoring historic structures in Dallas and how they contribute to the community and the city’s cultural heritage.

This year marks the fifth year that Preservation Dallas has issued its Most Endangered Historic Resources List. The list raises awareness about historically and culturally important buildings, sites and programs.  Preservation Dallas views the communication of this list as an opportunity to encourage people to find cooperative and innovative ways to preserve history.

“As a non-profit, Preservation Dallas can only do so much when it comes to actually preserving structures it does not own. One should remember that Texas is a property rights state.  Until there is a desire and commitment from the community, the City of Dallas, and property owners, buildings will continue to deteriorate and remain vacant.  It is through our advocacy efforts that we foster that community pride of place, ” this from Pete Peabody, Immediate Past-President of Preservation Dallas, who was kind enough to write this post before I butchered it with things like cakeballs.

But jump for the list, and stay tuned to DallasDirt as I post the photographs. My goal here is to offer a subliminal message that will keep you thinking about preservation (and cakeballs, mmmm) with positive thoughts and a desire to spring into action. Where would other great cities be if they had not preserved their history?

Oh and PS: I had no idea the Marsh Lane and Walnut Hill libraries were vacant! I used to take my kids there. What gives? You know what kids need in the summer? A nice, cool library where they can escape the heat and read books.

2010 MOST ENDANGERED LIST

HISTORIC BUILDINGS OWNED BY THE DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (D.I.S.D.)
Locations: Various

CROZIER TECH/ OLD DALLAS HIGH SCHOOL
Location: 2214 Bryan Street

SOUTH DALLAS HISTORIC DISTRICTS
Locations: Wheatley Place, South Boulevard/Park Row, and Tenth Street neighborhoods

STATLER HILTON
Location: 1914 Commerce Street

VACANT DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Locations: Various, see below.

Former Downtown Central Library (George Dahl, opened 1955)
1954 Commerce Street

Walnut Hill Branch Library (Fisher & Jarvis, and Associates Architects, opened 1961)
9495 Marsh Lane
Honor Award, Texas region/American Institute of Architects, 1963

Casa View Branch Library (William H. Hidell, opened 1964)
10355 Ferguson Road

Hampton-Illinois Branch Library (Harold A. Berry, opened 1964)
2210 West Illinois

Lancaster-Kiest Branch Library (Harper & Kemp, opened 1964)
3039 Lancaster Road

DEEP ELLUM
Locations: Main, Elm, and Commerce Streets

508 PARK AVENUE & 1900 YOUNG STREET BUILDINGS, DOWNTOWN DALLAS

HICKORY STREET ANNEX
Location: 501 Second Avenue

ELM STREET BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN
Locations: 2226 Elm Street, 2224 Elm Street, and 2222 Elm Street

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http://www.facebook.com/PreservationDallas

Preservation Dallas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for the preservation and revitalization of Dallas’ historic buildings, neighborhoods, and places in order to enhance the vitality of our city.

Author and Dallas home preservationist Virginia McAlester is guest blogging for DallasDirt on the “Evict and Demolish” recommendation being mulled at City Hall.

Here are some before and after photos of the kinds of structures this ordinance could easily effect — structures that a judge could order torn down, rather than saved.

This photo composite was put together by Preservation Dallas for the Council Public Safety Committee briefing, but they were not allowed to speak, so members did not receive these.

I myself have gone down to beg the Urban Rehab Board (back when we had one) not to  support “Evict and Demolish” recommendations by Dallas City Staff for two residential structures in Munger Place Historic District that are now restored.

Urban Rehab turned these two staff recommendations down, thus the district stayed intact. This home is 6015 Bryan Parkway, now on the city tax rolls for $228,000.

-Virginia McAlester

Love a historic building? Get ready to hang onto your memories. Care for a neighborhood with small historic homes like State-Thomas (where some owners would love to tear down their historic Queen Anne cottage for a huge new Victorian McMansion)? Well, watch out. If Dallas City Attorneys have their way, an owner can throw open those front doors, put a hole in the roof, knock out a window and start calling code enforcement. The City Attorney’s office would then be able to help them completely bypass the historic ordinance and get the building torn down.  No pesky architect or engineer saying, “Well actually this structure is structurally sound and can economically be saved.”

The Dallas City Staff will ask the Dallas City Council today to drastically alter the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance in a manner that could leave the Landmark Commission helpless to stop demolitions. Owners of major Dallas landmarks could be stripped of their historic buildings and staring at a vacant lot — stopped in their tracks as they seek renovation financing in today’s tough economic climate.

A little background: Dallas has one of the best historic preservation ordinances in the state, with language carefully crafted to create a democratic process that specifies professionals to be included in its membership (architect, planner, appraiser, historian, etc.) and always allows for public involvement and comment.

But the wording the City Staff is presenting to City Council bypasses the Landmark Commission and a demolition request goes straight from the City Attorney to a Municipal Judge, who is an employee of the city. A professional evaluation of the structure’s integrity is not required. And tragically, while there is wording that makes it appear that Landmark Commission has some input after the fact, last month the City Attorney added language that requires the City Plan Commission to “give deference to” the municipal judge in an appeal.  Sounds relatively harmless, but it means that on appeal the City Plan Commission has to assume that the judge was right.

Last fall, after a full year of work, consensus wording on this issue was passed by the City Plan Commission — and supported by the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee, and by preservationists. The CPC consensus wording covers every single demolition case the City Attorney has had in the past six years. It allows their office to move forward on residential uses that are less than 3,000 square feet in size. This covers 100% of the City Attorney’s demolitions of historic structures during the last six years. Supporting this was a huge concession by the preservation community.

So the City Staff’s new strong wording, presented like a bolt out of the blue last month, is a solution in search of a problem.

A new “Urban Nuisance” ordinance would create a massive loophole for fast demolition of Dallas landmarks. Every historic building with a ‘public safety’ code violation will be at risk. The system of checks and balances built into Dallas’ excellent Historic Preservation Ordinance will be nullified.

This has the potential to endanger 40 years of successful historic preservation in Dallas. It opens the way for owners to be stripped of their historic buildings without a Landmark hearing. And at the same time it opens the way for someone who prefers a vacant lot to a historic building to deliberately let it rot and bypass Landmark Commission.

So preservationist’s are asking why.  Why have as many as seven highly paid city attorneys sat in meetings to discuss this? Why is an ordinance with few checks and balances being pushed through with such force when the compromise wording from Plan Commission would have worked well for everything in the past six years? What is being contemplated for the future? What Dallas landmarks might be at risk?

The “fast demolition by City Staff” language being presented to Dallas City Council today is overkill. Let us all hope that the City Council will adopt the compromise wording that was recommended by their Plan Commissioners.

–Virginia Savage McAlester

I’m always amazed at how many tucked-away neighborhoods there are in Dallas that I’ve never heard of.  With really good architecture.

Just drove over to an area that I guess might be called Casa View Oaks, in an area of east Dallas that can only appreciate, near Ferguson and Oates.  There’s quite a pocket of Cliff May-designed houses over there that are crying out for young families to come on in, buy a house for next to nothing, do some restoration work, and end up with affordable architectural significance.

Cliff May, who is sometimes referred to as the Father of the California Ranch House, practiced throughout the mid century (20th, right).  His houses were notable for their close connection between interior and exterior spaces, which tends not to be the case with the ranch houses we all grew up in.  The houses over in Casa View Oaks clearly have it.  One current listing, 2651 Andrea Lane, is on the market for $146,000 and has been a hot topic over at livemodern.com.   Take a look at the photos.

“I live on the border on UP and HP, there is a restaurant on Lovers called Mangos.  For about a year now I go there every night to feed some wild cats that live in the alley.  Over the last few months I have noticed some of the cats (some old and some kittens) and been walking funny and injured, tonight I met some woman out there who also stops by to feed them and was told that one of the guy who lives in the houses that backs up to the restaurant has been shooting the cats because he sees them as a nuisance.  The woman have already contacted the police and so on but I was hoping to get some exposure for this situation.  I don’t know if you are an animal lover like I am but even if you are not no animal deserves to get shot just for trying to survive.  I was hoping you would have some advice on how I can get the word out on this guy.”

I am an ENORMOUS animal lover, three dogs and a parrot, have had as many as five dogs, but am sadly allergic to cats.  Still, I am speechless with horror. I am in Santa Fe, New Mexico, practically a bedroom community of Dallas, where I toured the new New Mexico History Museum and was taken back by the recorded stories of atrocity  –  like one of the first Spanish explorers, Juan de Onate, circa early 1500′s, who to quell a Pueblo uprising, battled and captured  natives as slaves and ordered that the left foot of every man over the age of 25 be chopped off.

I’m told a statue of him, north of Santa Fe on Highway 68 in Esplanola,  was recently dessicrated – the foot was amputated.

No wonder our dirt just cries sometimes from all the pain that it has witnessed.  On Amherst, no less.

At a private celebratory party last night, Ray Washburne was crowned the King of Highland Park Village at his Mi Cocina’s, the second floor so crowded a June Bug couldn’t fit in. HPV passes from one illustriou$ family to another. Breathe a sigh of relief: Ray Washburne tells the DMN that HPV is in good hands with its new owners, all locals who care deeply about the historical shopping center. Vince is coming — no word on rumors that Apple and Lela Rose or other new vendors will be nipping close behind. Stay tuned.