The Stone Tables Renovation is a Loss of Culture and History

Preservation Architect Norman Alston offers us a counterpoint to last week’s column about the renovation of the White Rock Lake Stone Tables, why it’s a loss, and what we can learn from this situation.

By Norman Alston, FAIA
Special Contributor

Dallas has always thought of itself as not having much history — especially an architectural history — at least not the kind you preserve and celebrate. Plus, whatever we do have, we tear down as fast as we can.

I can’t count how many times I have heard or seen that comment. I admit that it bothers me because it simply isn’t correct.

Dallas has a rich and interesting history and a wonderful collection of buildings of all types that were integral to that history as it unfolded. In fact, there are more than 4,000 designated historic landmarks in the City of Dallas Landmarks program, both individually listed and included in historic districts. There can be no doubt that for every designated Dallas Landmark site, several others exist that are certainly eligible but not formally designated.

This illustrates that we’ve inherited quite a legacy, yet we still struggle to understand when and how to care for it.

Karen Eubank’s recent article on the renovations at Stone Tables at White Rock Lake did us a service by defining standard terms whose meanings are not commonly shared. Working with my friend and colleague, Marcel Quimby, FAIA, Karen helps us understand the concepts on which modern historic preservation practices are based; renovate, restore, rehabilitate, and reconstruct.

Those critical definitions are about the “how.” The events surrounding the Stone Tables work, however, point out that we have more to learn. Even more important than understanding the “how,” we need to understand the “why” that drives them.

Authenticity is why. To be culturally and historically relevant, a historic building or site has to be real. It must be an actual product of its time.

It seems clear that we all understand this, but we forget when it comes to historic sites and buildings. Or perhaps feel it just doesn’t apply. It’s like when I was a kid in the Dallas area in the 1960s. I bought a new baseball. It was a standard, regulation baseball, except that it had Mickey Mantle’s signature on it as if he’d signed the ball himself (Mickey was a big deal to little boys in the ‘60s). I was excited and showed it to my Dad, who gently explained that the autograph while looking authentic, was just stamped on there by a machine. Mickey Mantle had almost nothing to do with it. Even at that young age, I understood the difference perfectly. To most people, the ball I purchased and the one autographed by Mickey Mantel would appear indistinguishable from one another. Yet, their respective values were wildly different. We value authenticity, so even a perfect copy is still not the same as the original, whether you’re talking about art, antiques, automobiles, fashion, sports memorabilia, or historic sites.  

That is where we lost the stone tables.

The story of the WPA and its legacy at White Rock Lake is a good one. That those workers conceptualized and built those tables on their own initiative is exactly the kind of attribute that makes such features stand out and warrants their careful preservation. They were unique enough that the site is named for them: Stone Tables. Those tables and their story are what made that place special.

Now they are gone.

The handiwork of the original builders was scooped up and piled on-site with the promise that we’d “use what we can.” Now we don’t know what material is original and what is not. Certainly, none of the actual work of the original craftsmen remains.

Today’s Stone Tables may look very similar to the originals and likely contain a considerable number of stones from the initial construction. Still, they are imperfect copies of the originals, with their unique, authentic qualities wiped out. That’s the thing about historical authenticity. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back. There is now no way to recover the authentic Stone Tables.

What should have happened with the Stone Tables?

Modern, proven preservation techniques should have been employed to preserve as much of the original material and workmanship as possible without reducing it to a pile of rubble. As daunting as it may appear on the surface, it is common to take such an approach with stone and concrete construction. 

The Kiest Park Pergola here in Dallas is a pretty good example. Also a stone structure from the WPA era, this pergola had long been a beloved feature in this Oak Cliff neighborhood until it succumbed to years of exposure, requiring most of it to be removed for safety. With some original drawings and photographs to work from, Dallas Parks and Recreation made a commitment to restore and reconstruct the historic pergola site for the community.

At the outset of the restoration and reconstruction, only the stone paving and the benches remained. The columns and wooden pergola structure were long gone. For the restoration of the remaining original stone paving, each stone was mapped and numbered before being carefully removed so that a stabilizing foundation could be installed beneath. In this case, the pre-salvage documentation allowed each stone to be re-set in exactly its original location.

Then, for the reconstruction of the pergola itself, historic drawings and photos, like the photo on the left, were used as a guide to recreate the original as accurately as possible, as confirmed when compared to the photo of the finished pergola on the right. As noted above, the pergola part is a reconstruction that used none of the original materials or workmanship because they simply did not exist. Still, it is as close to authentic as the situation would allow. Reconstruction, as a preservation approach, should only be undertaken when there is no other option available, and then only when you have good documentation of the missing original features.  

These were not extreme measures. The Kiest Park Pergola came in well below the Park and Recreation budget and was built by the same general contractor as the Stone Tables, Henneberger Construction.

Suggestions For The Future

It was stated that the Stone Tables were never intended as a preservation project. I can’t understand why not, but this points out the value of Dallas Parks and Recreation having a system to review and guide projects that involve popular and valuable historic components. The designation of White Rock Lake Park as a City of Dallas Landmark is one way to accomplish this. However, besides the time and effort required to do so, there would undoubtedly be both practical and political obstacles to be overcome. It would likely take a year or more.

Perhaps a more elegant response would be for the Park Board to set up a committee of knowledgeable staff and community volunteers that could serve in an advisory capacity for any such projects. Such a program could provide quick answers and expert advice while protecting beloved historic features in our parks.

The ribbon-cutting of the Stone Tables takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 28, at 711 East Lawther Road. 

Norman Alston, FAIA, is a Dallas preservation architect and a daily user of White Rock Lake Park.