The 111-year-old Crockett School now is protected by Dallas historic landmark status, but some of the historic properties nearby could be at risk.
City ordinances protect buildings and homes from demolition in historic districts including Swiss Avenue and Munger Place.
But there are other historic districts in our neighborhood that receive no such protection.
Buildings and neighborhoods on the National Register of Historic Places can receive incentives including tax credits, but just being listed on the national register does not prevent them from being destroyed.
Preservation Texas is expected today to release a list of districts on the National Register of Historic Places, including Downtown Dallas, that should receive more protection. The group will stage its release of the list, which also includes locations in Austin and Houston, in the 1600 block of Elm, where the Joule Hotel is tearing down a 129-year-old building to make way for a boutique.
“To prevent the ongoing destruction of our Texas heritage, cities like Dallas must strengthen and expand local historic preservation ordinances and fully fund and staff the preservation programs needed to support them,” Preservation Texas president Charlene Orr stated in a release.
Two East Dallas neighborhoods are listed on the National Register of Historic Places but are not entirely granted historic district status by the city.
Most of the 16 buildings in the National Register of Historic Places Alcalde Street-Crockett School Historic District are within the city’s Peak’s Suburban Addition Historic District and there for are protected, but a few near Elm and Alcalde are not. The Crockett School itself is a Dallas Landmark.
The Bryan Peak Commercial Historic District is listed on the register for 11 buildings dating from 1900-1949.
Preservation Texas says “Local zoning protection is the only way to create a process for community input before buildings are lost forever,” and suggests steps cities should take to prevent losing more historic buildings.
